The cast and crew of the Hippodrome State Theatre’s “Dracula” stop for a ten-minute break from rehearsal after running through the show’s first act. Some go straight for their lighters, some for a drink, and Van Helsing, played by Eric Mendenhall, tests the sharpness of a stake he wields in the second act.
In the back of the theater, Dracula sits eating a sandwich.
Played by Justin Sease, the actor switches from an all-blood diet to a homemade lunch. It’s something packed with protein — after all, Dracula is shirtless in this production.
“I’m trying to gain muscle for the role,” he said.
Sease moved from New York City to Gainesville near the end of September to start rehearsing for the part he landed with an audition video sent to the play’s director, Lauren Caldwell.
Although a move to a small city like Gainesville might make some “I heart NY” T-shirt-wearing, big city folks nauseous, Sease said he has enjoyed the transition. For someone who grew up Harrisonburg, Va., a town with a population of about 44,000, the move to a smaller city has been more like a return home.
“It’s comforting in a way,” said Sease, who appreciates the small things you get out of small towns, like the smiles and greetings on the street.
He’s gotten to know the cast better over drinks and jokes during rehearsal, but he said the play is really what has connected them.
“We all have a common goal — to make the show as good as it can be,” he said.
After the rehearsal break, the cast and crew go back to working out the kinks of the production. The actors try to get scriptwriter Mac Wellman’s dialogue down while the lighting designer gets used to the new equipment.
“I love our new light board!” he said.
“Oh God, shut up,” Caldwell said.
As the director, Caldwell switches seats periodically to get different views of the performance, standing when the play comes to an especially intense part. She keeps quiet, except for the occasional laugh or to sing along to one of the songs playing in the background of the show.
The actors weave their way in and out of the blood-red metal, two-story set that looks like a mammoth elementary school jungle gym, except, of course, for the IV bags filled with blood wrapped around the dingy bars.
“The whole experience is a challenge,” said Jennifer Smith, a theater senior at UF, who is one of the three dancing vampyrettes. “You have a jungle gym for adults.”
But the challenge is worth it: “It’s going to be raining blood — literally,” she said.
The modern set brings familiar characters into an alternate world that’s cold, bleak and perfect for a play about vampires.
“It’s hard to not let this set upstage you,” said Nichole Hamilton, who plays Lucy in the show.
And then there are the physical demands of the set.
Not only do actors walk off the stage with bruises, but because of the openness of the bars, the cast has to be more discreet and in-character with the blood capsules they pop in mouths for the fang-tastic effect.
But Caldwell believes the downfalls are worth it for the visuals.
“You could almost turn off the dialogue and see the show,” she said. “The words are sort of the icing on the cake.”
But that doesn’t mean the dialogue should be ignored. Wellman’s script is sharp and rich, with lines that would make “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart’s head explode.
“[Writer] Mac Wellman deals in textures and images,” Caldwell said. “[Dracula] is a good nod to Mac Wellman. I mean, you hear the language.”
And in the midst of a pop culture-fueled fascination with all things undead, it’s the perfect blood bath.
The show runs until Nov. 7. For times and ticket information, visit www.thehipp.org.
