Scary Play Features Bloodsucking Vampires And Flying Bats
The first play in the Miami Dade College Kendall Campus season aims to frighten audiences this October. The eight-member cast of Dracula has the challenge of presenting a scary beloved classic that could teeter on funny if not done carefully.
Bram Stoker first published Dracula in 1897. The novel is a collection of journal entries and occasional newspaper clippings of a small group of people who vow to rid the world of an evil vampire. In the 1922 silent German film Nosferatu, Count Orlock imports coffins filled with dirt and plague rats. In the 1931 black and white American version, Bela Lugosi as Dracula struck fear in the hearts of the Transylvanian villagers.
Bloodsucking Good: The eight-member student cast performing Dracula this October at Kendall Campus poses with director and theater professor Lowell Williams (pictured sitting in the front row).
The frightening tale held appeal decade after decade. In 1974, Jack Palance starred in the role. In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola’s version takes place in England, where Dracula drains the life from Lucy. In 1994 Tom Cruise starred in Interview With A Vampire based on the novel by Anne Rice.
On a recent evening the student cast of Dracula rehearsed their lines in Act One. Old-fashioned chairs, a couch and a desk were the only decorations on the bare stage of the Kendall Campus Studio Theater meant to be a library.
“Stop! Freeze! You want to make it look realistic,” director and theater professor Lowell Williams shouted at student actors, Carlos Ortiz performing as The Attendant, and Hector Montoto playing Van Helsing, as they rehearsed on the stage. “Alright! All quiet on the set, lights are going down, we’re in full darkness and lights are slowly fading away. And we are up.”
Williams followed along with the script open on a table in front of him.
“[The biggest] challenge is making amateurs look professional”, said Williams, who holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in psychology and counseling psychology from Kent State University and a MFA in Acting from Temple University.
The Miami New Times named Williams Best Director in Miami in 2012 for his work directing the show Harlem Duet with the Miami-based, African American M Ensemble. His theatrical resume includes Knock Me a Kiss, Dead Man’s Cellphone, This Is How It Goes, and Safreeta Mae and The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman versus Mammy Louise. He has taught acting and directed at the National Black Theater in Harlem and the Freedom Theater in Philadelphia. Williams came to MDC from the University of Miami theater faculty.
“Lowell is an amazing director,” said student Valerie Lopez who plays the role of Lucy. “He allows his actors to have enough creative input [and] freedom to really know and become our characters and explore our talent. He is a natural professor and is constantly teaching us even when he does not realize it. He pushes us to try new things and brings stuff out of us that we might not have even known we had inside of us.”
Lopez thinks Williams makes the working environment fun and focused for the student actors.
“I would describe Lowell as quite a hands on director,” said student Satyen Singh who plays the role of Harker. “He never hesitates to let his opinion be known. He is big on specificity. He always wants us as actors to find an exact reason why our characters say a certain line or justify our movements. If he sees something that’s not working, he’ll be sure to stop, and relay his thoughts.”
Williams teaches introduction to acting and theatre appreciation at Kendall Campus. Previous academic posts include adjuncting at New York University and Temple University.
He has been heavily involved in the Screen Actors Guild union. Williams won an OBIE in 1983 for his work in the critically acclaimed apartheid inspired play Poppie Nongena. He has also performed in regional theaters around the country and several soap operas.
“Lowell Williams is a dedicated professor of theatre,” said Deborah Mello, coordinator for the MDC Theatre Department at Kendall Campus. “His attention is on bettering the students theatrical abilities. He opens the actor up to new ideas and acting styles. One of his admirable strengths is his attention to details.”
Dracula will be performed in Building M, Room 113 on Oct 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 8 p.m. and October 19, 26 at 2 p.m. Sunday shows cost $3.00.