Gorey Stories
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The 2001–02 Play Series opens with the Jobsite Theater/Center Theater Company production of the newest adaptation of the gothic classic, Dracula. This latest Dracula, which will be directed by Jobsite artistic director David Jenkins (Clive Barker’s The History of the Devil), was penned by playwright Steven Dietz (Lonely Planet, God’s Country), who brings a fresh look to the face of this popular tale of horror, without sacrificing the lifeblood of the story.
In 1890, Bram Stoker, manager of London’s Lyceum Theater, began writing notes for a novel he planned to title The Un-Dead. Seven years later, the fruits of his labor transformed into his single literary success. Now, more than 100 years after its first publication, Dracula still surfaces before the bloodthirsty public through films and stage adaptations.
Dietz’s Dracula is not merely about a battle between good and evil. This story depicts something much more complex. The audience witnesses a society overtaken by an unexpected darkness that strikes even the purest of hearts. And therein lies the horror. Driven by uncontrollable passion and unsolved mysteries that even science can’t explain, the characters journey into the unpredictable future to find answers. Dietz brings the audience along for a frightening trek interspersed with daring special effects and the inherent humor of human nature in crisis.
David Jenkins promises a contemporary Dracula, with a flavoring of the original Victorian gothic flair. This choice will permeate all aspects of production including selection of music and costuming. “If I had to label the look and feel of it," Jenkins says, "Think Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula meets The Matrix.”
An avid horror fan, Jenkins is excited about this production saying that “rarely do you come across a piece that excites your artistic sensibilities and at the same time you know will be a crowd-pleaser. I’ve never read a stage adaptation of Dracula that I even remotely liked until now. Dietz really did his homework on this one.”
Dracula is recommended for mature audiences and contains violence, special effects, strobe lights, fog and sexual content.