Vampire tales are all the rage right now, and the Prince Charles Secondary School drama department is jumping on the bandwagon with next week’s presentation of Dracula.
“It’s kind of a phase right now,” said director and drama teacher Brooke Douma. “Vampires are becoming popular again, and I thought it would be fun to do the origins of Dracula with the kids. … A lot of people don’t know the real story of Dracula.”
Based on the 1897 Bram Stoker novel, Dracula concerns the young and ambitious Jonathan Harker, who has been warned by his friend and scientist Dr. Van Helsing to be wary of his trip to Transylvania to close a real estate transaction with Count Dracula.
When Harker escapes Dracula’s clutches, the count follows him to England, where terror ensues.
More than 20 students are involved in the play, both onstage and behind the scenes, and Douma is pleased by how smoothly the cast and crew are working together.
“They work well as a team,” she said. “They’re a very ‘family-oriented’ cast.”
The theme of the play is quite different to the plays Douma typically produces, which are usually comedies.
“The content is serious,” she said “I haven’t done a drama in a long time.”
But the students don’t seem to mind the change, and are responding well to the story’s demands.
“The kids really enjoy being challenged by the serious work,” Douma said. “It’s much more of a challenge for them than comedy.”
Dracula runs at 7 p.m. March 3, 4 and 5 at Prince Charles Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students/seniors, available at Black Bear Books or PCSS.