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From the comfort of your couch, you can livestream Menlo School Drama department’s “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors” during Halloween weekend.
The Atherton school’s play reimagines Bram Stoker’s Gothic horror novel and is reminiscent of classic radio dramas broadcast in the 1930s and 1940s, according to a Menlo Drama press release. The production will include suspense, punchlines and sound effects created by students for an immersive audio experience.
“After reading the script last summer, I knew immediately that it was the perfect elixir for times like this,” said Steven Minning, director of creative arts and Upper School Drama at Menlo School, about why he chose “Dracula” as the fall play.
The play, which was written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, follows Count Dracula as he travels to England to seduce the woman of his dreams. Developed at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the show premiered at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida, last year and has been optioned for a Broadway production once Broadway reopens. Menlo School is the first high school to produce it.
“Dracula” will be performed at Menlo School’s new Spieker Center for Performing Arts, while simultaneously being streamed to the listeners and viewers at home.
Menlo Drama had to creatively reimagine their season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Actors will be encased on stage in movable plexiglass cubes. The cubes are designed with wheels on their bases, giving the actors a fluidity on stage that allows the cast to move with them and use them as doors to enter and exit a scene.
“I loved the idea of combining mediums by doing the show as a radio play while safely performing it live and streaming it to the community at large,” said Minning, who is directing his 22nd show for Menlo School. “The versatility and humor was what attracted me most to the show.”
Performances are free. The show will run Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. via livestream. The show is recommended for middle school-aged kids and up.
This production of “Dracula” will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula. Over the past seven seasons, Menlo Drama has raised close to $50,000 for nonprofit organizations. Viewers can support the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula by donating online during the livestream here.
For more information, go here.
Angela Swartz writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Angela Swartz writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Angela Swartz writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
Angela Swartz writes for The Almanac, a sister publication of PaloAltoOnline.com.
