Spooky season has officially begun on the Hilltop! As students prepare for Halloween, they should consider going to see the Abbey Players’ performance of “Dracula” to get them in the mood. What is more on theme for Halloween than vampires, blood, and good, old fashioned, gothic horror? For those who are interested, the play opens at 7pm on Friday night, October 31st and there will be more to it than a normal Abbey’s production. There will also be shows on Saturday, November 1st at 7pm and Sunday, November 2nd at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at tickets.anselm.edu or at the ticket office in the Dana Center lobby before the start of each show.
Every year, the huge amount of work and effort the Abbey Players put into their shows is evident and this year will be no different. As the opening night looms over them like the ominous shadow of an undead creature, the Abbeys can be found preparing at their weekly rehearsals late into the evening.
Mason Abboud, who is playing the infamous Count Dracula, commented on the extensive preparation. His preparation involves “A whole lot of accent work, running lines between classes, and practicing sucking blood!” He has been practicing “at least a little almost every day. Rehearsals have been every weekday for the past month and a half, and days we don’t have rehearsal, I’m either pacing around my apartment practicing physicality or running lines with castmates.”
Professor Jesse Saywell, the director of the Abbey Players, also spoke on the hard work of the cast and crew: “This cast is fantastic – they’ve done such a remarkable job of tackling some challenging themes and subject matter, while leaning into the scary fun that should always be present in Dracula. Rest assured, they have done a fantastic job of raising the stakes and sinking their teeth into this story every night. It’s a bloody good time!”
While the play itself will certainly be amazing, there will also be more spooky and fun things happening. Mason thought that the audience should look forward to “the atmosphere” because “we are going all in on the Halloween vibes.” On Friday and Saturday night, scare actors will be lurking before the show and at intermission.
Jesse Saywell said “This production has been so much fun – I love the old Hollywood monster movies, so I want our guests to be immersed in the world of Dracula from the moment they arrive.” The scare actors are not part of the actual play, but they are definitely part of the experience of the show. Saywell commented that “they’re more creepy than scary – no one will be jumping out of the shadows. But they will add to the overall ambiance of the evening. The Sunday matinee will be a sensory-friendly performance – our ghouls are tamer in the daylight, of course.”
If students want to have a fun and creepy night, they should get tickets for either the Friday or the Saturday show. If an amazing, but less terrifying show is a better choice, the Sunday afternoon show is the one to buy tickets for.
Another thing the audience can get excited about is the bar with themed drinks. Jesse Saywell confirmed that “for our opening night performance on Halloween there will be a bar available for patrons before the show and at intermission offering beer, wine, and themed cocktails, as well as mocktails for purchase. Of course, valid ID will be required to purchase alcoholic beverages.” Even if you do not make it for the opening night, the play itself is still something to look forward to. Mason said that he is most excited about “The costumes, they look absolutely incredible. Oh, and the fog machine.”
That much hard work and preparation certainly deserves to have a huge audience, so students should tell their friends and families and buy tickets. What better way is there to celebrate Halloween than grabbing a spooky drink, getting scared by a ghoul, and watching a fantastic production of Dracula? The only way it can get better is by taking a moment to appreciate and think about how hard these students work to create such an amazing show for their audience.