Want to go?
WHAT: “Dracula”
WHERE: Blair Hall Theatre of Sinclair Community College, Building 2, 444 W. Third St., Dayton
WHEN: Oct. 21-29; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Thursday. The Sunday and Thursday performances are American Sign Language interpreted.
COST: $18 adults; $15 student and seniors. Thursday tickets cost $10.
TICKETS: Call Sinclair Box Office at (937) 512-2808 or visit www.sinclair.edu/tickets
Just in time for Halloween, the mysterious, terrifying and sensual allure of Bram Stoker’s famous vampire “Dracula” seeks to entice at Sinclair Community College beginning Friday, Oct. 21, in Blair Hall Theatre.
“The legend of Dracula has been so diluted and mocked throughout the last 100 years that there is very little fear left in the original story,” said director Kimberly Borst, presenting Steven Dietz’s adaptation based on Stoker’s classic 1897 novel. “So, I really wanted to (find an adaptation) which brought back the original intent of the novel. When the novel came out it was a really morbid idea for Stoker, especially in Victorian England. Stoker used many devices to create his ‘Dracula monster.’ We all enjoy being scared, especially at Halloween, but there’s something particularly insidious and thrilling about Dracula. Dracula doesn’t walk around looking like a monster. He’s very seductive but also very dangerous. I don’t think there’s ever really been a creature in the horror genre that equals Dracula. He’s a fascinating mixture.”
“With ‘Dracula,’ what we hope to achieve is to put the element of fear back into the story,” echoed Leo Santucci who portrays the titular role and was seen last season in Sinclair’s “She Kills Monsters” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” “The classic image of the vampire has been repeated and parodied so many times that it can be hard to take the source material seriously. But if we play it honestly, there is no escaping our fear of the kind of monster Dracula is and how things so horrible can be so desirable. Dietz’s version is very true to Stoker’s original novel, capturing all of the most iconic moments without the slow pacing of 19th-century literature many find difficult to sit through. His version embodies all of the good parts of the classic story while trimming off the excessive literary fluff.”
In terms of conveying the iconic role, Santucci is mindful of the delicate balance he faces in order to navigate the dark psyche and passions within the lustful yet enigmatic character.
“Dracula is either portrayed as a soulless monster from our nightmares or a lonely, misunderstood romantic,” he said. “But I like to think I’ve chosen a route somewhere in between where we see the traces of humanity in Dracula’s past and just enough to know the humanity is no longer there. Still, playing a stereotype of villainy can be tricky. The key is not to play him as evil because evil all by itself is not very believable. Instead, one must play emotions such as joy, desire and satisfaction.”
What to expect?
“Not for the sensitive or squeamish audience, this production contains a lot of gore, blood and erotic scenes aimed to shock while telling the story that Bram Stoker told in the pages of his novel,” Borst warned. “I really hope our audience finds the show fun and entertaining but I also hope they feel uncomfortable. I want them to think about the people they meet on the street and wonder what darkness lies within them. After all, darkness lies within all of us.”
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