Page 40 - Flathead Beacon // 10.21.15

EVENTS 42 MOVIE REVIEWS 43 SIDE DISH 46 FACES & PLACES 47 PAWS & CLAWS 48
Arts&Entertainment
FVCC Theatre Presents
‘Dracula’
College opens its fall season with a cinematic telling of the iconic vampire story
Tanner Fortre, playing Dracula, performs with Beki Hafemeyer, playing Lucy, during a dress rehearsal at FVCC. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
BTY CLARE MENZEL OF THE BEACON
he Flathead Valley Community College Theatre smells of garlic. The fabled vampire repellent is a classic prop for a classic story,
and while the company’s performance of American playwright Steven Dietz’s “Dracula” will feature modern touches and special effects, the script sticks to the original horror story written by Vic- torian novelist Bram Stoker.
“It’s a new telling,” said the show’s director, theater arts professor Joe Leg- ate. “But it follows the novel better than any theater script I’ve ever seen — It hangs close to the story.”
The ageless story of Dracula, the soul- less, centuries-old vampire who was once a Transylvanian nobleman with a good heart, is one we know well.
“He’s evil, he eats people, and we get him in the end,” said Legate. “It’s not a surprise.”
The excitement comes not from a sus- penseful storyline, but from the modern telling.
“This script is very cinematic,” said Legate. “It moves fast, with short scenes and constant musical accompaniment. There are special effects all over the place, explosions and lights.”
Even so, the power of the show is rooted in Dietz’s dedication to Stoker’s story.
“Other scripts are disappointing,” said Katie Keller, the student who plays Mina
Murray, the story’s virtuous, clever her- oine. Some scripts place the characters in the wrong era, change relationships between them, or omit plot twists.
Tanner Fortre, who plays Dracula, agreed. “I loved the script,” he said.
“When I came across the script, I knew the kids would have a field day with it,” said Legate. After almost 40 years of directing shows, Legate says he’s going down his bucket list, putting on all the shows he’s always dreamed of.
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