The largest set to date, jump scares, and costumes/makeup galore: Trinity’s Department of Theatre is promising a bloody good time for those that attend the fall play “Dracula” running from October 23 – November 2 in Trinity’s auditorium.
Director Kate Reedy and senior Liam Amick speak for the entire cast and crew when they say they could not be more excited for the audience to get to see Trinity Department of Theater Arts’s take on the well-known “Dracula” story. When speaking with Amick about his four years in the department and “Dracula” being his seventh main stage show, he explained that it was a tad bittersweet. “Dracula” will be his last straight show during his time at Trinity. He has enjoyed filling the shoes of previous senior mentors for the underclassmen and looks forward to helping each of them grow during his time sharing the stage with them. Amick will take on the character of Abram Van Helsing, vampire hunter. Continuing on, Amick stated that he believes the “definite horror elements” truly set apart this production from the school’s previous shows. “We’re doing some special effects that at least in my four years, we’ve never done here before. Fog, blood, all that kind of stuff. It’s going to be super cool.”
Speaking with director Kate Reedy, she shared Amick’s enthusiasm and spoke about the exciting things to expect from the play while also addressing some of the challenges that she and the crew have faced as they try to bring the production to life. For starters, not being a horror fan, Reedy was required to step out of her comfort zone as a director and put aside any fears related jump scares and blood. She explained that the process has been fun and a rewarding one. The next obstacle brought up was the makeup. Throughout the show, certain scenes require characters to interact with blood. Finding non-toxic costume blood for in and around actors’ mouths was important along with perfecting the art of removing fake blood in between scenes without ruining the rest of the makeup or costumes. Reedy explained that with the help of an amazing crew they have found solutions to all the problems that have risen.
Going into the theatre, one of the first things to catch your eye will be the detailed set pieces and fully functional second-story stage built by Trinity students. Reedy shared that the set is the largest in the department’s history and she can’t wait for the show to come alive on opening night. After talking about the many jump scares that can be expected during the show, Reedy opened up about her favorite part of directing at Trinity: “Seeing the leadership and growth from the upperclassmen as the rehearsals begin has always been one of my favorite parts.” Reedy continued that the moment she sees the show come together each go around is when the production is enjoyable with and without effects/costumes. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly on creating a show that promises to be entertaining for the audience and hope to see you at one of the shows.. Tickets can be purchased at Trinitydota.com.
