Auditions for the spring production of “Doubt” will start in December.
By Emily Garcia
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The cast of “Dracula” is rehearsing for the October production of a 1996 version of the classic story.
The production by the theater department will premiere Oct. 20 in the auditorium of McAllister Fine Arts Center.
This version of “Dracula” is by playwright Steven Dietz and follows the original story, Ronald Watson, theater instructor and director, said Sept. 7.
“I like this particular version because it is very cinematic. It moves between locations and scenes much like a movie does so I think it will appeal to our audience a little more,” Watson said.
The play closely follows the classic story of “Dracula” about a vampire who lives in Transylvania, Romania.
Dracula travels to England and begins to bite people to satisfy his need for blood.
The lead characters in the play work to discover Dracula’s identity and make an attempt to stop him from biting more victims.
Twelve actors were cast to play 14 characters, and two actors play two characters each, Watson said.
Drama sophomore Stephen Gamez is casted to play “Old Dracula” in the play.
“I am the old creepy Dracula, and I am really excited to creep people out with this character,” Gamez said.
Gamez also has appeared in other theater productions at this college such as “The Servant of Two Masters” and “Harvey.”
“Being a part of the drama department here is really fun. It’s like a huge family, and I really enjoy it,” Gamez said.
Dietz’s version of “Dracula” presents the play in a series of narratives, many of which are journal entries or letters read by the actors.
“There are many scenes in no-where land where characters are reading from letters, and there are lots of scenes where someone is describing something that happened in the past, and on the other side of the stage we see it kind of come to life,” Watson said.
“Dracula” will be the only production during the fall semester, but there will be two spring semester productions, Watson said.
The first production of the spring will be “Doubt,” a play about a Catholic priest who is suspected of inappropriate behavior, Watson said.
Theater Instructor Charles Falcon will direct “Doubt,” and auditions will be 3 p.m. Dec 6-7 in the theater in McCreless Hall, Falcon said.
The other spring production is “The Wizard of Oz.”
Tickets for “Dracula” are $5 with an Alamo Colleges or high school ID; $8 for other college students, seniors and military; and $10 general admission.
“Dracula” will play at 7:30 pm Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29, and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.
For information on auditioning for “Doubt,” call Falcon at 210-486-0486.