Have you ever studied your own face in the mirror?
Issue 22: Such Things as Vampires
Hello Friend,
And now for something a little different. We blast open the new season with a world premiere collaboration sprung from the hearts and minds of four artists anchored in two different cities. Bram Stoker’s Dracula provides the point of departure for this folk-punk adventure. For this edition of Subscriber Insights, we turn to our ingenious marketing team, who have infiltrated the rehearsal room and tapped into the life-blood of this story, for a deeper gaze into the belly of this unknown beast.
Read on, if you dare,
Marcie Bramucci,
Director of Community Investment
Inside Such Things as Vampires
By Tori Harvey, Design & Digital Manager
What do you get when you throw a bunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans in a room with innovative theatre-makers and give them very loud instruments? You get the folk-punk, unapologetically feminist, Dracula-adjacent music-theatre event of your best nightmares. Just like Buffy uses supernatural allegories to tackle Big Questions served up with a side of deliciously campy humor, Such Things as Vampires uses Bram Stoker’s gothic novel as a springboard to ask some important questions for 2018:
Who are we free to love? How do we govern consent and bodily autonomy? How do we stop monsters from becoming monsters in the first place?
Photo by Mark Garvin
Our multi-layered story opens with The Preventers, a band of musical mavericks from the margins of society. There’s a malevolent presence lingering in the shadows of Malvern, but you’ll be safe with Larru, Washington, Sid, Ayla, Xander, and Dietrich to guide you through the evening.
A rare and exciting occurrence – all six performers are making their People’s Light debut! Get ready for the multi-talented Isa Arciniegas, Daniel Croix Henderson, Sam Henderson, Crystal Lucas-Perry, Alex Lydon, and Pearl Rhein to knock you back in your seat.
Crystal Lucas-Perry and Isa Arciniegas. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Co-creators Zak Berkman (People’s Light Producing Director), Stuart Carden (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane), Jessie Fisher (currently starring in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway), and Mary Tuomanen (Arthur and the Tale of the Red Dragon, Ghosts) collaborated to produce a “fusion of sounds for a fusion of audiences – fans of gothic literature, those who seek out new and surprising theatre, or anyone whose music collections include PJ Harvey, Fleetwood Mac, and The Savages.” Macie Poskarbiewicz (2016 Dramaturgy Intern) returns to People’s Light as Assistant Director.
Co-Creators Stuart Carden, Jessie Fisher, Mary Tuomanen, and Zak Berkman
Jamie Mohamdein makes his debut as Music Supervisor, Orchestrator, and Arranger. Arnel Sancianco’s beautifully detailed warehouse-meets-Victorian gothic set is the perfect foundation for Isabella Byrd’s lighting design, which ranges from haunting to electric, and Melissa Ng’s transformative costume creations do double and sometimes triple duty as the Preventers who wear them take on different characters throughout the play.
Sound Designer Lee Kinney fills in the breath between songs with some truly creepy soundscapes. Eli Lynn (Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty) serves as Fight/Intimacy Director. Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale dramaturgs, and has created perhaps her most ambitious lobby display yet for your pre-show enjoyment. Rebecca Kestel (Richard III) stage manages.
And for the very first time, we welcome EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Advocates Terrell Green and Amelia Parenteau to the team!
The Music
The music is to die for. (Sorry, vampire puns know no bounds!) But seriously, who knew that a song about Renfield could be so hauntingly beautiful? (Yes, that Renfield; the bug-eating "madman" in Stoker's novel.)
CRAVING OF ME
Spiders like the taste of milky flies
And flies all gather to my drops of sugar
Sparrows swallow the spiders with no conscience
Just as now my mouth is all full of feathers
And you call me by my true name
And you call me and I will wait
For the craving
For the craving of me
I have felt you feeding on my memories
And I have felt your mouth on my loneliness
You know the pleasure that can come from prison
When the outside world is your greatest threat
And you call me by my true name
And you call me and I will wait
For the craving
For the craving of me
Song by Zak Berkman
Produced and Arranged by Jamie Mohamdein
Erik Hellman
–
Guitars
Crystal Lucas-Perry
–
Vocals
Sam Quiggins
–
Cello
Ryan Vona
–
Vocals
This and other demos were recorded in Brooklyn at Restoration Sound.
You can give them all a listen on our website.
Surrounding Such Things as Vampires
More stuff! In addition to our regularly scheduled surround activities, there are some "Happenings" around campus to clue you in on:
Blood Drive: October 1st
We're leaving the actual blood-sucking to the professionals. The American Red Cross mobile unit will be parked outside the Congdon Center on October 1st from 1pm-6pm. Sign up to donate - there's a currently a critical blood shortage.
LGBTQ+ Night: October 5th
Enjoy tasty snacks and good company before the performance. Reception starts at 6pm in the lobby. Sponsored by the LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County.
Glam-Vamp Halloween Bash
Join us for A BLOODY GOOD TIME on All Hallow’s Eve. The October 31, 7:30pm performance will be immediately followed by an after party with seasonal drinks, gourmet desserts & light fare, a kicking playlist, and a costume contest.Tickets to the performance + party are $60.
Scoop on Wednesday
Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale hosts a member of the artistic team for a lively and informal conversation before the performance. Join us for a light bite and a chat beginning October 3rd at 6pm. Tickets are just $5, and are available online.
Thursday AfterWORDS
Stick around for informal post-performance conversations after Thursday evening performances.
September 27, October 4, 11, 18, and 25
More Access
People's Light is wheelchair accessible, service animal-friendly, and we offer assistive listening devices and large print programs at every performance.
Audio-Described Performance & Sensory Tour
October 20 at 2pm
Headsets provide commentary on the visual aspects of a performance (the set, costumes, and lighting effects, as well as the physical actions and body language of the actors) for our patrons with visual impairments. This supplemental narration interweaves with the real-time, spoken dialogue, so patrons won’t miss a moment of the performance. In conjunction with this service, the sensory tour offers the opportunity to experience up close and feel certain key props and costume pieces before the performance begins. Typically 45 min before curtain. Interested patrons should register with the Box Office at 610.644.3500.
Open Caption Performances
October 16 at 7:30pm
October 17 at 2pm & 7:30pm
October 18 at 7:30pm
October 19 at 7:30pm
October 20 at 2pm & 8pm
October 21 at 2pm
These performances feature an LED screen above the stage that displays dialogue in real-time. If you are interested in Open Caption services, please notify the Box Office when reserving your tickets so we can seat you in the ideal section.
NPF Spotlight: Eisa Davis in Kennett Square
In late-summer Eisa Davis joined us in Chester County, (primarily Kennett Square) for development of her NPF play-in-progress, Mushroom. Together with a cast of actors, we spent time at La Comunidad Hispana, The Garage Community & Youth Center, and at several mushroom farms to get the current lay of the land and reconcile Eisa’s past research and writing (beginning in 2013) with our present moment.
According to Eisa, “this play centers on the lives, loves, families and working conditions of Mexican mushroom pickers in Kennett Square, examining the recent strains placed on this cultural community by an oppressive governmental regime. It uses a series of experiments in form and non-linear storytelling to explore the characters' dreams and fears.”
To keep apprised of project progress, please respond back to this email and indicate your interest.
Cathy Simpson and Stephen Novelli feature in a limited engagement reading of The Laramie Project at Theatre Horizon (9/28-30) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death.
NPF writer James Ijames' "powerful play" Kill Move Paradise blasted open the Wilma's season. As a director, James' Villanova University production of The Book Club Play takes the Vasey stage until 9/30.
Fall theatre school classes begin this weekend on 9/29, led by teaching artists Nadira Beard and Claire Inie-Richards for young people, and Marcia Saunders for adults. Details here.
Ken Marini hits the green for the People's Light Annual Golf Classic, this year at White Manor Country Club on 10/1.
Mary Elizabeth "MB" Scallen portrays astronomer Williamina Fleming in Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson (author of I and You) at East Lynne Theatre Company in Cape May running now - 10/13.
Peter DeLaurier directs the "enormously entertaining" production of Hapgood, in which Christopher Patrick Mullen performs, at Lantern Theatre Company through 10/14.
Before heading back up to Princeton to get his "Scrooge" on, Greg Wood portrays "Da" in the Arden's production of Once until 10/21.
Last weekend, Marcia Saunders closed out Behold Her, a new Fringe Festival play from Half Key Theatre Company that explored Jewish beauty at all ages.
Kathryn Petersen is deep in the trenches of crafting a brand-spanking-new Panto for our 2019/20 Season! Kathryn teams up with fellow panto collaborating veteran (and venerable composer/lyricist) Michael Ogborn to bring you Little Red Robinhood: A Musical Panto. Stay tuned...
Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale's insightful interview with director Desdemona Chiang for Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC) appeared in SDC Journal this past spring.
NPF playwright Dominique Morisseau's Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations, for which she wrote the book, is set for a run on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre this spring! We will keep you posted.
Cinderella: A Musical Panto makes a triumphant return to the Leonard C. Haas Stage in November. Our most popular Panto for our 15th Pantoversary!
It's not all business as usual, though. We'll welcome 10 new faces to the cast, 7 of whom are making their Panto debut.
If you saw our production of The Diary of Anne Frank last winter, you've already met Caroline Strang (Margot Frank). In the much happier role of Ella Opfinder, her beautiful singing voice and 1920's dance moves will make you go "Wowzah!"
Caroline Strang will play ELLA
The Cast
SUDSY SQUIRREL
Susan McKey
FLEA
Christian Giancaterino
BIG GUS
Mary Elizabeth "MB" Scallen
TOM CAT
Christopher Patrick Mullen
OLIVER OPFINDER
Tom Teti
ELLA OPFINDER
Caroline Strang
BARONESS LUCRETIA
Kim Carson
POISIANNA
Nicole Stacie
INVASIA
Tori Lewis
HAZEL
Mark Lazar
PRINCE AIDEN
Tyler Fauntleroy
BARNABY
Luke Bradt
SWINGS
Stephanie Hodge
Mark Marrano
Ryan Hagen
Upcoming "In Community" Events
We recently supported La Comunidad Hispana’s “Let’s Get Healthy 5K” in Kennett Square, and are excited to sponsor the Charles A. Melton Arts & Education Center’s Founder’s Ball in celebration of the organization’s centennial year on October 13 in West Chester. Take a gander at the “In the Community” page of our website for more about upcoming celebrations and community offerings on the horizon.
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