‘Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors’ bringing live theatre back to U of L

By Al Beeber on October 1, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Live theatre is returning to the University of Lethbridge in October!
“Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” will run nightly from Oct. 5-9 at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Lethbridge Theatre.
Directed by Nicola Elson, who also helmed “Hootenanny!” during the summer’s Arts in the Parks series, “Dracula” is a comedy written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. Elson was also the director of Theatre Outre’s production of the “The Sissy Duckling,” which was postponed because of COVID last year but which will be restaged in March, she said.
The staged radio play showcases five actors playing 14 characters, with live music provided by musical director Kathy Zaborsky and sound effects created by two foley artists working under Zaborsky’s direction.
The play centres around a “famed vampire hunter and a band of unlikely heroes chasing the legendary Count Dracula from the British countryside to Transylvania and back again,” says a synopsis. It’s “what happens when you take Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale and reimagine it as a slapstick farce, full of antics and blood curdling screams of laughter,” the synopsis says.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $13 for students.
Amanda Berg, Operations Manager for the Faculty of Fine Arts, said Wednesday all guests will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the performance.
Masks will be mandatory, Berg said, and physical distancing will implemented.
This will be the first U of L production with a live audience since the COVID-19 shutdown last year. Students, however, did stage one production that was filmed and presented over Zoom, Berg said.
“That was the big show last year,” said Berg.
The cast includes Jaret Pack, Mirelle Nieuwenhuis, Lilliana Gaggero, Mason Arsenault and Quinn Larder.
Dave Smith is the scenic designer while Juilia Wasilewski’s Drama 3821 Costume Design Course created the costumes. Colton Vanhooren and Ahona Sanyal are the foley artists.
“It’ll be exciting to have everyone here and invite all of our public back,” Berg added.
“We’re going above and beyond for our patrons,” said Berg of COVID safety protocols.
Production manager Charlie Wilson-Borella said work on the play started before the beginning of the term.
“It was three weeks before the actual start date of classes so it’s been an ongoing process,” Wilson-Borella said.
“The look and feel is very vaudeville, it’s like a troupe of actors that doesn’t have all the things that they need to do the play with and they’re making a go of it. So it has a very interesting feel to it.”
“The sound effects live are on stage rather than being recorded so they have these beautiful selection of interesting objects up there,”  Wilson-Borella said, referring to the stage.

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