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Location: Oak Harbor High School Student Union Building (SUB)
Dates: Feb. 17-19, 24-26
Time: 7 p.m. (Doors Open at 6:30)
Tickets: Reservations are available at ohhsdramaclubreservations@gmail.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $12. Max capacity for this event will be 150 people.*Due to some scenes, small children are encouraged not to attend
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The Student Union Building at Oak Harbor High School lights is ready to shine bright again! After a two-year hiatus from a significant production, the Oak Harbor High School students are prepared to dazzle theatre lovers with their performance of Dracula, adapted by Laramie Dean from Bram Stoker.This haunting masterpiece stars senior Zoe Eisenbrey as Count Vlad Dracula and newcomer sophomore Sadie Marriott as the lovely Mina Murray Harker. As the tale seeks to find the potential good or evil in all of us, both Eisenbrey and Marriott give outstanding performances.
“I feel like there’s a little piece of me that’s come back to me by being back on stage,” Eisenbrey reflected. “To have that connection with my theatre family after being away from it for so long has been the best thing for my mental health."
We first meet Jonathan Harker, played by Spencer Grubbs, and his fiance, Mina Murray (Marriott), who set the table for what is sure to be an edge-of-your-seat performance. Grubbs is fantastic as one of the main protagonists as he slowly succumbs to the dark after traveling to Transylvania and is the first to encounter Count Dracula (Eisenbrey).
From there, we meet the always incredible AJ Gibson, who plays Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, and Alora Van Auken, who takes on the role of Lucy Westenra. No strangers to the stage, Gibson and Van Auken give outstanding performances in their final roles. Lucy leaves the audience breathless and scared during her transformation into a vampire and (spoiler alert) later destroyed. Gibson’s portrayal of Van Helsing is as classic as can be. With theatre in his blood and future, Gibson offers one final treat to audience goers who attend this masterpiece. Other notable performances are sophomore Maggie Garrett playing Renfield and the five lovely and terrifying brides Kayla Rassina, Dana Rivo, Jessica Turner, Kincaid Cochran, and Alyza Doctolero. The demonic screams and frightening crawls to their prisoners are nightmarish and kept this writer up all evening.
Additional shoutouts are for the entire crew, from stage manager Joseph Rettus and lighting technician Katie Tanner. You won’t want to miss the live pianist, sophomore Jack Culligan, whose performance added another layer of bone-chilling effects.
As always, Directors Eric George and Micki Gibson did an excellent job organizing and leading this incredible and talented group of students.
