On the stage

dracula - all on stageAfter a well-received run with Dracula, I decided to try out for the next production, The Lion in Winter. It’s a terrific play based on a terrific movie that won Katherine Hepburn an Oscar for Best Actress. I’ll be playing the part of Geoffrey, the nastiest schemer of the three sons. Thankfully, it’s a much smaller role than Van Helsing, which means the rehearsal schedule is more compatible with my wife.

 

 

dracula - renfield and co

I’ve posted some pics here of the Dracula production back in October. The rather elaborate set was built in a very large, round barn about 2 miles outside of Kirksville. The owner of the barn hosts large events there year-round, such as plays, concerts and a notorious annual blues festival that packs as many as 600 people in the place at once. It made for chilly rehearsals, but he does heat the barn for the performances. He set up large circular tables and chairs in front of the stage for the audience. He also owns a popular italian restaurant in town and they catered the dinner-theater menu, as well as food for the cast and crew.

dracula - me as van helsingThe Round Barn turned out to be the perfect atmosphere for a creepy Halloween play. The ceiling is immense, and the venue allowed us complete freedom to screw things into the walls, floors, etc. Keith Miller, a local magician who also played the part of the attendant, designed several magical moments for the play. At one point when he is cornered, Dracula disappeared completely from the front edge of the stage, only to reappear later in a sealed coffin that had been sitting amidst the audience since the beginning. It went over very well and was a blast to perform.

That’s me with the beard in the chair on the left. 

1 Comment

  1. hello there Todd, I am not Spam, i only eat it when im force fed it by Ma Pham. Anyway, i really like the website, for some reason i forgot that it was here all along, ill be back to visit it more often now. Hope you dont mind if i made a link for you on my page as well. See you soon…

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