DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS Comes to Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara has announced the first production of its 2024/2025 season, the hilarious Off-Broadway hit comedy with plenty of bite, DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS, written by Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen and directed by Jamie Torcellini.

Ever wondered what would happen if you took Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale and put in into a blender with the comedic influences of Mel Brooks, Monty Python and The 39 Steps? That’s just what happens in this lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud 90-minute gender-bending, quick-change magical romp. Famed female vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and her motley company chase Count Dracula from the English countryside to Transylvania to “other frightening places.” Their antics brim with enough tongue-in-cheek mayhem to fill your cup of giggles. DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS will perform from Thursday, October 10 through Sunday, October 27, 2024 (with a press opening on Saturday, October 12 at 8:00pm) at The New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria Street.

“I could not think of a better way to start our season of Legends and Legacies, that with a recent off-Broadway comedic hit about one of the fall seasons greatest villains, the count himself - Dracula,” said Scott DeVine, ETC’s executive director. “ETC is building on its momentum and recognition for producing award-winning, high-quality performances of the latest trending theatrical works in our Santa Barbara home.  We are aiming to outdo ourselves and this thrilling young comedic version of Dracula is laced with ‘fangtastic’ artistry and talent that is sure to set the stage for an incredible season.”                                                                                                  

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Jamie Torcellini (Director) has directed ETC productions of A Christmas Carol, The 39 Steps, and Tell Me on a Sunday, and starred in The Mystery of Irma Vep, and School for Lies. He has performed in many Broadway shows since 1980, including CATS (“Mr. Mistoffelees”), Little Johnny Jones (Standby to Donny Osmond), Me and My Girl (Standby for Jim Dale), Jerome Robbins Broadway, Man of La Mancha (“Barber”), Beauty and the Beast (“LeFou”), and the original company of Billy Elliot. Jamie’s Regional credits include Drag - The Musical (“Drunk Jerry”), Hamlet, Young Frankenstein (“Igor”), Spamalot (“Patsy”), My Fair Lady (“Alfie Doolittle”), The Producers (“Max Bialystock”), You Can’t Take it With You, Tuna Christmas, Man of La Mancha (“Sancho”), and starred in a dozen productions of Me and My Girl. As a Director, Jamie has mounted several productions of The 39 Steps, The Mystery of Irma Vep, My Fair Lady, The Producers, Me and My Girl, How to Succeed..., West Side Story, Life Could Be a Dream, The Andrews Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Deathtrap, Matilda, Something Rotten, Tarzan, School of Rock and Beauty and the Beast. He also assisted on both of the Stuart Little films starring Gena Davis and Hugh Laurie. He has been a teacher of Musical Theatre and Tap at AMDA, Comedy Improv for several institutions, and for 2 years toured internationally as a backup singer/dancer for Liza Minnelli.

Gordon Greenberg (Playwright) has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in London’s West End, written for television and stage, and developed, directed and produced new works for arts institutions across America. Most recently his directing/writing projects include The Heart of Rock and Roll, which ran on Broadway in Spring of 2024, the hit off-Broadway show Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, a new musical about Picasso, the NBC television series Most Talkative, Crime and Punishment, A Comedy for The Old Globe, a London revival of The Baker’s Wife, Single White Female (A.T.G.), The Wedding Banquet, Ghost Tour, The Play and the new comedy podcast series “Rolling Calls.” His acclaimed revival of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolfat The Geffen Playhouse won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Revival. Other work includes the North American premiere of Piaf/Dietrich for Mirvish in Toronto (Dora Award, Best Production), Barnum, The Secret Party: Jacques Brel 1968, Secret of My Success for Universal Pictures Stage Productions, and Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big [Your Town Here] Christmas Show! in its third season at The Old Globe. His West End revival of Guys and Dolls was nominated for six Olivier Awards. Greenberg co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn at Studio 54 for Roundabout Theatre Company, Universal Pictures Stage Productions and PBS Television's Great Performances. Other directing work includes the revisal of Working (Drama Desk Award, adapted with Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda), Jacques Brel…(Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award nominations), Terms of Endearment with Alfred Molina and Calista Flockhart (Geffen Playhouse), the stage adaptation of Tangled (Disney), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown), Stars of David by Jeanine Tesori, Tom Kitt, Tony Kushner (Daryl Roth), Pirates!(created with Nell Benjamin, Huntington, Paper Mill, Goodspeed, MUNY), Band Geeks! (Goodspeed), The Baker’s Wife (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), 1776 (Paper Mill), Floyd Collins (Signature), the Klezmer-Rock reimagining of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yentl (Asolo Rep), Blue Sky Boys by Deborah Breevort (Capital Rep.), the professional premiere of Edges The Musical (Capital Rep.), the acclaimed reimagining of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Billy Porter (Helen Hayes, St. Louis MUNY), the U.S. national tour of Guys and Dolls, Disney’s Believe, the Disney Fantasy Christening (with Neil Patrick Harris & Jerry Seinfeld), West Side Story (MUNY, Circle Award nom), Happy Days, A New Musical (Paper Mill, Goodspeed, U.S. National Tour), Vanities, A New Musical (Theatreworks Palo Alto – San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Award), We The People (Lucille Lortel Theatre & Paper Mill Playhouse), Rags (Roundabout, workshop), and the all-female workshop of Man of La Mancha (Mirvish, Toronto). Other writing work includes Herbie Rebooted for Disney, Emerald City Music Hall, an original movie musical for Nickelodeon Television and Scramble Band, an original movie musical for the Disney Channel, The Single Girls Guide for Dallas Theatre Center, Ars Nova, Capital Rep, the podcast Theatre Camp for Sirius XM, Killing Time, an At Home Play Commission from The Old Globe, and the new book of Meet Me In St. Louis for the St. Louis MUNY's 100th Anniversary. 

Steve Rosen (Playwright) has previously collaborated with Gordon Greenberg on the musical The Secret of My Success (co-book, Joseph Jefferson nomination), the plays Crime and Punishment – a Comedy and Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show (both at The Old Globe, San Diego), as well as podcasts Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors and Rolling Calls (Broadway Podcast Network). He has also co-written (with David Rossmer) the book, music and lyrics of Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation (Seattle's 5th Ave) and The Other Josh Cohen, which was nominated for six Drama Desk Awards, as well as the Lucille Lortel and Off-Broadway Alliance Awards for Best New Musical. He also co-created the long-running Broadway improv/variety show Don’t Quit Your Night Job, devising original comedy material for artists like Sting, Zachary Levi and Ariana Grande. Other regional theaters that have produced his work include Theater Under the Stars (TX), Denver Center (CO), Paramount Theatre (IL), Paper Mill Playhouse (NJ), Maltz Jupiter Theater (FL), Geva (NY) and Bucks County Playhouse (PA).

ETC has assembled a cast to die for, featuring Casey J. Adler (MIX-MIX: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy at the Los Angeles Theater Center and  Henry V [Shakespeare Orange County]) as “Actor 1,” Janna Cardia (Emma and “Ghost of Christmas Past and Others” in  A Christmas Carol, both at ETC) as “Actor 2,” Regina Fernandez (“Christmas Present/Belle/Fan” in A Christmas Carol at ETC and “Luciana” in The Comedy of Errors at Orlando Shakespeare) as “Actor 3,” Adam Hagenbuch (The Thanksgiving Play at ETC and “American Horror Story”) as “Dracula,” and Josh Odsess-Rubin (A Shayna Maidel at Laguna Playhouse and Photograph 51 at South Coast Repertory) as “Actor 4.” 

The production’s design team includes scenic designer Stephen Gifford, lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg, sound designer James Ard, costume designer Marcy Froehlich, intimacy coordinator Amie Farrell, props design by Kevin Williams and dramaturgy by Ward LeHardy. The production stage manager in Kristal Georgopoulos.

Producers for DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS are Gwen and Henry Baker and Dana White is our Visionary Producer for the season.

 

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