Sinking Our Teeth Into Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors!

Photo by: Mark Schobert

It's been a few weeks since we have performed Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. This show was written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen and is a comedic retelling of the gothic classic Dracula. Shows were April 4th at 2pm (which was ASL interpreted), and 7pm, and April 5th at 2pm in Arts/West. Before the shows, we interviewed the cast and crew of this production to understand all the work that took place during rehearsals.

Griffin Haffa who played Dracula discussed his favorite part of the rehearsal process. Haffa stated that his favorite part of the process was seeing people build chemistry and friendship with each other as the rehearsal process goes on. “It's amazing to see the friendships that develop through the rehearsal process, and then seeing those connections translate onstage between the characters interacting. It allows for things to feel more natural when acting on stage.” As Haffa stated, building chemistry makes things feel more natural while acting. Rehearsing a show for weeks with new people allows for many valuable friendships to develop.

Haffa was also asked about his favorite part of being in LFC. He said that his favorite part was the community and friends that come with it. He explained “As a transfer student, it was difficult to make friends at first. I decided to audition for LFC my first spring semester here and throughout my various shows I have done, I've met some amazing people who are my greatest friends. Just having a community who is so supportive and reliable is something to cherish.” LFC has a great community of people who all support each other. We are glad that Haffa decided to join LFC. 

Benjamin Hart, who played Mina Westfeldt and Doctor Van Helsing, was also asked what his favorite part of the rehearsal process was. He answered “[my favorite part] has been trying new things and seeing everyone else's bold new choices everyday.” A big part of theater is getting to make a character your own. Hart was also asked about his favorite part of the show to which he said it was “Seeing everyone's reactions to the absurd things that Mina says. I cannot wait till we have a full audience to get reactions from.” Since the show is over, we can confirm that the audience loved Hart’s version of Mina and all of the things that Mina said.

Various cast members shared their favorite moments from rehearsal. Alexis Butt, who was an understudy for Dracula and Kitty, answered “Getting to hang out with my friends and seeing them succeed on stage. We laugh all rehearsal!” Jay Maffit, who was the Assistnt Stage Manager or this production, replied “[My favorite moment was] all of our actors being able to improv in new jokes every run of the show.” Hart said “This is almost an impossible question but I'd say my favorite rehearsal moment was when we got the Calvin puppets and the Mina doll. They're so silly.” Based on the replies of those who we interviewed, we can tell that the rehearsal process for this show was very fun.

The directors also answered various questions about the show and their experiences with directing. Bella Kammer—Dracula: A Comedy of Terror’s assistant director—was asked why she decided to assistant direct. “I’ve thought about directing since my senior year of high school, but stage managing was what actually pushed me into committing to directing!” It is great to try new jobs within theater to get a better understanding about what each role does in order to have a successful show. We are happy that Kammer finally decided to direct. 

Kammer was also asked what her favorite show experience was. She answered “[It was] watching everyone’s first reactions to the script during our read through and first days of blocking. The show is so funny and ridiculous that it was impossible for everyone to not react the first few times going through it.” We definitely agree that the show was so funny and ridiculous. We are so proud of Kammer for her work as assistant director of this show and cannot wait to see what she does next!

Samantha Fanger—Dracula: A Comedy of Terror’s director—was asked about why she wanted to direct. She explained, “I assistant directed once in high school and really enjoyed it. What really solidified my desire to direct though, was assistant directing Boy My Greatness last semester. That was such a great experience. I loved working with the actors and tech to make a show come to life.” We are happy that Samantha had a good experience as assistant director last semester and decided to take on being head director this semester.

Fanger was also asked about why she chose this show. She answered, “I learned about this show several years ago when the original run was being promoted on social media. Since then I've followed what the show is up to, and last semester I realized the rights were available. I knew it would be a great show for LFC and I really wanted to see it come to fruition.” This show was a great choice for LFC and Fanger really helped bring it to life.

In closing, we are so proud of the cast and crew Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors! Everyone did great and the show went so well! Stay tuned for our next blog for Urinetown coming soon and make sure to see Peter and the Starcatcher this weekend!