Dracula brings thrills, chills, romance, and laughter to Livingstone School

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Taran Findlater and Chelby Glen in "Dracula: The Twilight Years"
C. Davis photos

The Livingstone School Drama Club presented "Dracula: The Twilight Years”, a play written by Tim Kelly, at the school gym on the evenings of Thursday and Friday, May 24 and 25.

In this farcical interpretation of the classic tale, Dracula, played with infectious enthusiasm by Taran Findlater, is a once-sinister and powerful vampire with a flair for the dramatic that now keeps his teeth in a glass and sometimes forgets to wear his scary cape.  His nephew Bill, a nice guy played with frustrated charm by Ryan Mosby, battles bankruptcy and an uncle who still thinks of himself as a scary dude, which interferes with his attempts to keep the castle solvent, and also plays havoc with his budding romance with Joan, who is played with  vivacious bewilderment by Jessie Ferguson .

Nephew and Uncle have differing ideas about how to run Castle Dracula

Moana the housekeeper, played to maximum effect by Josee Wiebe, strives to keep things nicely creepy around the old place.  Hapless young tourists arrive, in Joan's care, willing to pay for lodging, and Bill tries to keep his uncle, Moana, and the local werewolf from scaring them off.  Frau Wienershnitzel, ably and officiously played by Chelby Glen, arrives from the bank with foreclosure papers and announces plans to level the castle to build a pickle factory.

That's scary stuff, right there.

Bad cleaners, good actors

Underemployed gypsy villagers depend on Bill and the castle  for employment,  and an inept cleaning crew tolerates their master's delusions of power while spreading dust instead of removing it.

Moana (second from left) doesn't appreciate visitors much

The plot resolves when Joan suggests  turning the castle into a tourist attraction, Draculaland.  Dracula's main victim, a gypsy girl named Sybil (also played by Chelby Glen), turns out to quite enjoy her role in his life, exchanging the occasional bite on the neck for immortality and a steady job.

Staging, sound, and lighting were  excellently executed.  The play itself seemed like an effortless endeavor, a true sign of the amount of work that must have gone into it beforehand.


The actors are to be congratulated for pulling off a professional, engaging, and virtually seamless performance.  They played it straight for the most part, letting the laughs come naturally.  Using a minimum of props, they brought the play to life with a commendable level of verve and charm.

A terrific cast and crew made this a play to remember
C. Davis photos

After Friday's show attendees, cast, and crew gathered in the lobby of Livingstone School to nosh on a delicious selection of confections at a dessert social.

"Dracula: The Twilight Years” cast and crew

Director: Mrs. Mary Krizan
Crew:

• Caty Paton
• Jilisa Finn-Fraser
• Kaelynne Verbaas
• Elisha Lowry
• Cole Schweb
• Kelsey Norman

Cast:

• Lance - Derrick Robinson
• Louis - Jarod Francis
• Moana - Josee Wiebe
• Bill - Ryan Mosby
• Joan - Jessie Ferguson
• Ryan - Tom Phillips
• Mindy - Katie McClung
• Jeff - Ryan Grove
• Lenny - Matthias Vanderplas
• Ken - Reid Mosby
• Werewolf - Ryan Mosby
• Dracula - Taran Findlater
• Sybil - Chelby Glen
• Gypsy 1 - Matthias Vanderplas
• Gypsy 2 - Derrick Robinson
• Frau Wienerschnitzel - Chelby Glen

The cast and crew were very appreciative of Mrs. Mary Krizan's
direction of the play.