An Interview with East Lynne Theater Co.'s Vampire Killer

Now that "Dracula," after enjoying many sold out evenings and ovations, is in its final week, the actor playing Van Helsing, James Rana, had time to answer a few questions asked by Gayle Stahlhuth, East Lynne Theater Company's artistic director who also directed this spellbinding play based on Bram Stoker's gothic novel.

To the question about his thoughts on "Dracula" and particularly Van Helsing, he responded:

"I consider the play very much operatic. The stakes are high from the start. Van Helsing is an early form of the "new age doctor." I am reminded of visionary scientists of that period, such as Tesla, but specifically the German silent film shaman Dr. Caligari."

As for his favorite piece of dialogue:

"It's the line that best describes him, which is "The superstitions of today are the scientific truths of tomorrow." How interesting that so many physicians today are leaning towards new age approaches over standard medicine."

When asked how he became interested in theater, he answered, "Growing up, I lived in my imagination. I was a sick kid, so I watched movies on television late at night. Peter Sellers and Charlie Chaplin were huge influences. When I was older, my mother and aunt took me to plays in New York City, not far from our home."

The first show he saw was the Broadway revival of "Forty-Second Street" directed by Gower Champion, followed shortly after with the Off-Broadway production of "The Fantasticks."

At Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he received the Young Alumni Award, he majored in radio and television, while performing in plays. For graduate work, he majored in theater at Trinity Rep in Providence, RI.

"Between college and graduate school," Rana explained, "I landed my first Actors' Equity union job. It was "Comedy of Errors" at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA. I played three different characters and I had a ball. I love to play a variety of roles and multiple characters in one production."

Soon after leaving Trinity, James performed with the Classical Theatre of Harlem in "Marat/Sade," "Mother Courage," and "Macbeth."

"Classical Theatre of Harlem is known for its gritty productions," added Rana, "and their "Macbeth" was invited to perform in Germany at the Bonn Biennale Festival and at The Globe in Neuss. It was great. I had the good fortune to be in another production that traveled overseas: "Love's Labor's Lost," set in India, with The Shakespeare Festival in Washington D.C. We took it to Stratford, England at the request of the Royal Shakespeare Festival."

Rana has extensive stage and film credits and his television work includes "Third Watch" and "Chicago Fire." Recently he shot a guest role on the new USA series "Falling Water" which airs in October.

"One of the most interesting roles I've ever played was on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," he explained. "It was an episode called "Hate" about racial profiling. I played an Arabic journalist whose wife was murdered, and everyone assumed that my character had killed her. I hadn't. It was one of their most popular episodes with quite a few air dates."

After auditioning for ELTC's 2011 season, James mentioned he was writing a play based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, and would the company be interested in producing it. "The Poe Mysteries" was part of the 2012 season, and thus began a partnership. For ELTC he adapted "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" for 2013; "Zorro" for 2014; and "Huckleberry Finn" for 2015. The partnership continues in 2017 when ELTC will produce his world premiere about World War I to commemorate the United States' entry into The Great War. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New Jersey Historical Commission, and The New Jersey Theatre Alliance asked ELTC to head up the creation of this play.

He was also the featured performer at ELTC's annual November fundraiser in 2011, greeting people on stilts as they entered the restaurant, and in 2013 through 2015, as a co-host with Mark Edward Lang. ELTC has invited him back to host its Masked Gala on October 31, 2016 at Aleathea's Restaurant.

"Dracula" runs every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. through September 3 only, at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, Cape May, where ELTC is in residence. Tickets are $32 for general admission; $27 for seniors; and $17 for full-time students. To encourage whole families to attend, anyone age 12 and under is free. To make a reservation, call ELTC at 609-884-5898, or visit www.eastlynnetheater.org.

Pictured: Samuel Douglas Clark and James Rana in East Lynne Theater Company's production of "Dracula." Photo by Gayle Stahlhuth.

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