MHS to perform Dracula! “On Air”

Students rehearsing for high school's first ever "radio play"

Jennifer Sommer
Posted 10/19/17

MENDOTA – Sit back, relax, and maybe even close your eyes for the auditory performance of “Dracula!” at Mendota High School Oct. 26-28.

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MHS to perform Dracula! “On Air”

Students rehearsing for high school's first ever "radio play"

Posted

Left to right, Jessica Geske, Lelani Landeros, Allison Olczak, Matthew Grenter, Kole Buckley, Patrick Foley, Dekin Walter, and Jacob Stohr practice for the upcoming production of “Dracula!” at Mendota High School Oct. 26-28 at 7:30 p.m. Limited tickets are available at the door. Not pictured are Hunter Gonzales, Olivia Eddy, Amy Lewis, and Maddy Pappas. (Reporter photo by Jennifer Sommer)

MENDOTA – Sit back, relax, and maybe even close your eyes for the auditory performance of “Dracula!” at Mendota High School Oct. 26-28. The Golden Age of radio will come to life as cast members perform Phillip Grecian’s radio play based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker.

The audience will travel back in time to the 1940s as WMHS studios tells the tale of Whitby, England in 1888. Listen as Dracula steals the souls of others, Dr. Ban Helsing struggles to stop him, and Dr. Seward defends the honor of his betrothed, Lucy.

In this play, cast members and sound crew are challenged with the task of producing vocal expressions and sound effects as if the play were going to be “On Air.” “There is no action. It is just reading. Dracula will look like a 1940s style man, not Dracula,” said new MHS drama sponsor, Courtney Jonsson.

But that does not mean the audience will not be engaged with this performance. A black box style theatre space in which the audience will sit on stage around the cast will offer an intimate setting and up-close visuals of the actors and sound crew. “Come with an open mind and ready to listen,” said Jacob Stohr who will be reading the part of Dr. Jack Seward.

“It’s going to be super cool,” added fellow cast member, Kole Buckley as Count Dracula.

Jonsson said the cast has had to face new challenges to prepare for this production, including standing still and maintaining focus during an entire production. Students often do not have an opportunity to participate in black box style theatre until college, she noted. “You can’t drop character. The whole time you have to be in that setting.”

At the performances, the cast will have their scripts in front of them, but they have been rehearsing with their lines memorized. “Because the sound is the only thing drawing the audience in, I don’t want the cast to sound like a book on tape,” commented Jonsson.

Allison Olczak, Leilani Landeros, and Jessica Geske as sound crew and MHS graduate Michaela DeLong on piano, will help create the mood of the show. “We have done a lot of research on making the sounds,” said Olczak.

All of the sounds will be reproduced using props and not electronics, she added.

“I honestly hope the audience just sits back, maybe closes their eyes and just takes it all in,” said Jonsson.

Additional cast members include Hunter Gonzales as Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, Olivia Eddy as Birdie, Matthew Grenter as Williams, Dekin Walter as Jonathan Harker, Amy Lewis as Mina Harker, Patrick Foley as R.M. Renfield, and Maddy Pappas as Lucy Westerna.

Cost for the show is $5 for adults, $3 for children under 12, and free to MHS students. Seating is limited. Tickets will be available at the door.