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Aside from sophomore Connor Bohne’s sexed-up Count Chocula accent (which is itself worth the price of admission), there are plenty of other reasons to brave the cold and see the latest Hamline Theatre production.

“The visual effects are fantastic, [it’s an] all-around great production, and a visual spectacle to say the least,” said second-year Hannah Steblay, who plays Lucy.

Stoker’s novel was adapted by Steven Dietz, a local playwright, and follows Dracula from Transylvania to England where he wreaks havoc and proves that vampires do exist.

This is not the first time that Dietz has appeared on a Hamline playbill--his play More Fun Than Bowling was staged last year by the theatre department, and Dracula director Joel Sass has also worked with a Dietz script.

The play has a fright factor, but also carries sexual undertones that unfold as Dracula establishes a connection with his victims.

According to a few Dracula myths, the theatre department found vampires can be “excommunicated people, unbaptized children, criminals, babies born with teeth, witches, magicians, and the seventh son of a seventh son.”

Joel Sass said in his director’s note that “the vampire myth has provided endless opportunities for writers and artists to contemplate the nature of evil, and the uneasy relationship that exists between spiritual knowledge and modern science.”

The theatre department went all-out for this production, and included elements of a great night of horrorčvampire teeth, stakes, creepy set, dead trees, tons of blood and really solid visual effects that keep you entertained and thoroughly spooked.

Several of the actors wear microphones that echo their voices across the auditorium, which gives the blood-curdling screams and evil laughter a very spooky and disconcerting effect.

Dracula features a mix of Old English costumes and accents with a contemporary twist on the dialogue and humor to give the audience a break to laugh amidst the terror.

Robin Starch, theater director for Hastings High School, brought her Drama Club to see the Saturday night performance to get a feel for what a college production is like.

Cayla Wolpers, a Hastings senior, said that “the acting is really good, and I thought most of the actors would be theatre majors, but they’re not, which is really cool.”

Starch said, “I love the set design, love the music underscoring, and the actors are doing a good job of being consistent with the director’s style.”

This specific, focused style is the result of director Joel Sass taking on the role of both director and set designer for Dracula. He is renowned in both of these categories and recently won an Ivy Award for his design concepts in the play The Last of the Boys, also written by Steven Dietz. Sass is a McKnight-Artist Fellowship recipient and has worked at the Mary Worth Theatre, the Jungle Theater and the Guthrie.

He had a big vision for this play and because he took on both the role of director and designer, the vision and final production worked together nicely to create a solid overall picture and experience.

Sophomore Caitlin Ray, who works for the theatre, said that Sass “had his hands in on everything,” and had lots of help from the students.

Sophomore Katie Mayer, who works in the box office, said Dracula is “a big-name show that suits Hamline very well in that we have such a large work-study staff, so many people got to learn the craft and learn about the technical aspects of theatre.”

The hard work showed off in the impressive design, which included a rebuilt proscenium arch on the stage that made it look like a giant picture frame.

The play has been doing extremely well thus far, according to the box office. Opening night sold out completely, and first-year worker Kastina Morrison said that there were so many people on opening night they even had to “turn some away which is exciting but also sad.”

Near the end of the play, Reinfeld says that once a fear is planted it lives forever. Dracula feeds the old time fear of what goes bump in the night and delivers a thrilling spook that will live on with you foreverčor at least long enough to give you a nightmare after seeing it.

Performances will be in the Anne Simley Theatre. Dates scheduled are: Thursday, November 9, Friday, November 10 and Saturday November 11. All performances will take place at 7:30 p.m.