East Theater brings fangs to the footlights with fall play “Dracula”
East’s fall play “Dracula” ended successfully on closing night on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. after shows ran through Dec. 11 to 13 at 7:30 p.m. The show, a “comic thriller,” was presented in collaboration with Thespian Troupe 213 and was based on the original play written by Kent R. Brown.
“Dracula” is reminiscent of the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker but comes into its own through its story. The starring roles are assigned as Shirley Holmes (Karina Cowan (‘26)) and Jennie Watson (Zoe Kukafka (‘27)) – the nieces of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, who both vacation in the Belgian Congo. The plot begins after Count Dracula (Justin Malec (‘26)) and his Draculettes have terrorized Transylvania. Now, they have their sights on London, but not without opposition. Shirley Holmes and Jennie Watson intend to stop Dracula, joined by an entourage of other characters such as Sabrina Van Helsing (Shia Snyder (‘26)), the daughter of the vampire-slayer Dr. Van Helsing (Lukas Ortega (‘26)); Mina Murray (Ali Reddy (‘26)); Jonathan Harker (Jamiir Rose (‘26)) and the stern housekeeper Mrs. Dobrinski (Sarah Popescu (’27)). The audience is taken to Dracula’s imposing castle, and a race to London ensues– Dracula in his schooner and Jonathan in his carriage. In the entourage’s journey to stop Dracula, they meet all sorts of characters: Lucy Westenra (Isabella Myers (‘26)), who increasingly becomes allured by Dracula, Dr. John Seward (Dominic Esposito (‘28)), who runs an insane asylum, and Renfield (Michael Catone (‘27)), his inmate.
When, in Act 2, the heroes finally seem to prevail by puncturing Dracula with a stake in his coffin, the ending to the play reveals that he is still alive. His bloodthirsty reign continues.
The spectacle of the fall show is undeniable. The eerie atmosphere was established as soon as the curtains fell. Practical effects like frequent lightning flashes and fog were impressive, above all in the scene when Dracula’s schooner arrives in London. The set, Dracula’s castle, was fittingly gloomy and acted as the perfect background for the entire story. Costumes were detailed, gothic, and on-point– especially Dracula’s “Nosferatu” inspired outfit.
Malec, as Dracula, gave a convincing performance. His bellowing laugh practically echoed across the auditorium, and his skeletal demeanor was aptly vampiric. Additionally, Popescu’s overly solemn rendition of Mrs. Dobrinski brought a layer of comedic relief in between moments of terror. In fact, the entire cast brought “Dracula” to life in a captivating way.
However, at times, the thick accents of every character worked to the play’s detriment. Most of the first act was hard to follow, and, in general, the second act packed more thrill, suspense, and comedy than the first act did.
Nevertheless, “Dracula” resonated with its audience.
“I loved it; I was here for my son,” one parent said.
“My 20-year-old was giggling at the jokes,” another said, adding that she had seen the show once before.
A student visiting from Haddonfield Memorial High School, who is their Head of Costume Department, named Ollie, was impressed with the big cast.
“[It’s] chaotic in a controlled way,” Ollie said.
In short, “Dracula” was an enjoyable fall show that brought the horror as much as it did the comedy. East students and members of the community can expect East Theater’s next production, “Footloose,” in the spring of 2026. Dates are planned for February 27 and 28, as well as March 1 and March 6 to 8.
“Don’t hold back” – Advice that senior Justin Malec (‘26) would give to any freshman beginning their acting journey. Malec has been a vital member of the theater program at East, taking on roles such as Santa Claus in “Miracle on 34th Street” in December 2024 and, most recently, Dracula. Despite being opposite sides of the fear spectrum, Malec described the experience of these roles as the same.
Malec compared being the lead with being a part of the ensemble, saying that even though one may seem more important than the other on paper, it’s a team effort.
Malec starred as Santa Claus in the 2024 production of “Miracle on 34th Street”. He described playing Santa as a fun role because he, despite clearly not resembling Santa, got to transform into this jolly Christmas figure. This was his first starring role at that point in his theatrical career.
“I also just [researched] how other people have played roles and [got] ideas from that and [added] them to my own take on the character,” he said, detailing his preparation process for being a lead in a show.
Holding such an important role, Malec felt a huge responsibility on his shoulders to make the play what it was. He described it as rewarding, receiving compliments and standing ovations from the crowds. But even with a major role, he still gives flowers to the cast and crew that made the show possible.
“It feels the same whether you’re an ensemble member or a lead actor. It’s the same rush you get from being on stage.”
For many actors, whether in high school or professionally, they have been acting and involved in acting groups for a long part of their lives. For Malec, he only started doing theater in eighth grade in the Rosa International Middle School production of “Moana”, in which he had a minor role.
“Prior to East, I had not had any experience saying lines or anything. I had only been in small ensemble roles.”
Malec had always wanted to be a part of theater, having done choir for nine years, but only built up the courage to do so in eighth grade, which he attributed to the support of his friends.
“I just felt confident enough that I would succeed,” and since then, his confidence never faltered.
Malec joined East’s competitive acapella team Stay Tuned in freshman year, and is now an officer for that group. Being the only senior to have been a part of this team for all four years, he gives a lot of credit to Stay Tuned for his performance experience and confidence on the stage.
Through his time with Stay Tuned and theater, Malec has learned valuable lessons such as discipline, maturity, time management, and important life skills applicable in everyday life.
After the school year is over, he spends his summers doing what he does best, performing. He is a part of the Voorhees Acting Company, an ensemble of actors like him that put on productions in the summer. He described this as a carefree, fun, and rewarding experience. Additionally, he attends the Acapella Academy, a summer singing group that he plans to return to this summer.
Reflecting on his journey with acting, Malec is proud to have gotten the confidence and opportunity to join. He advises incoming freshmen and interested performers to give it all they can, make connections with the people around them, and to never hold back.
Malec has had a wonderful career in performances, and he does not plan on stopping anytime soon. In the spring, Malec will be playing the Reverend in East’s production of “Footloose”, while simultaneously applying and auditioning to colleges for music education, and one thing we know for sure is that he will not hold back.
Shia Rose Snyder played Sabrina Von Helsing in “Dracula”. She’s been a part of the theatre department since her freshman year. Her other roles include Catelyn Caussin in the 2024 spring musical “Mean Girls” and will play Rusty in East’s upcoming production of “Footloose”.
Zoe Kukafka starred as Jennie Watson in “Dracula”. A junior, she’s been a part of the theatre department for three years, playing Susan Walker in “Miracle on 34th Street”, a featured dancer in other productions, and Fannie in “Mary Poppins”. In the spring, she will be a featured dancer in “Footloose”.
Jamiir Rose starred as Jonathan Harker in “Dracula”, a key figure in the story and his first leading role throughout his past four years at East. He’s been a part of the theatre department since freshman year, taking on small ensemble roles in productions and Neleus in “Mary Poppins”. He absolutely loved every role he’s played, and will play Jeter in “Footloose”.
Karina Cowan played Shirley Holmes, paying homage to the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, in “Dracula”. She has been a part of theatre since her freshman year, and for all main stage productions she’s been part of the ensemble. She also played the Bird Woman in “Mary Poppins”, and had some great roles in One Acts and Crimson Theater. She is set to play Wendy Jo in “Footloose”.
Ali Reddy played Mina Murray, a member of East’s Theatre department since September of her freshmen year. She has been a part of every production since then, meaning all four productions each year, with her favorite roles including being a caroler and the student vocal director of the carolers in A Miracle On 34th Street, and also being the pessimistic Beth in A Girl With Two Minds during One Acts in her sophomore year.
When East students and members of the Cherry Hill community attend the performances of Dracula, they are often blown away by the acting and skill set of the performers. However, what they often do not notice is the backstage team, who work tirelessly to ensure the success of the production long before opening night.
Senior Madeline Olson (‘26) leads the backstage crew, the bridge between the actors and the stage crew team, through her position on the Thespian Society Troupe 213 board as Crew Liaison.
“I’m the tie between Thespian Society and Stage Crew,” said Olson. “I’m the person that lets the entirety of the society know about what crew is up to as actors may not go to crew calls as much as crew members.”
Olson is also heavily involved as one of the student technical directors, where she constructs and implements all design elements for the set alongside Liam Shilliday (‘26), Oliver Vazquez (‘26), and various other team members.
The technical theater crew is far more than just the physical building of the sets and painting them in preparation for the performances. It extends to multiple other facets of the show and requires several student members in order to be accomplished.
“It is not just carpentry and painting: the set needs lighting, so our lighting crew must come up with cues for our lights to match a scene, we need sound to make sure you get sound effects that might not come from an actor, music, and of course, the lines from the actors themselves,” said Olson. “The costume crew [also] gives the actors the costumes they need in order to fit a time period and match the show’s ambiance.”
While each department brings a unique feature to the performance, all of them must come together to support the storytelling onstage from the actors.
This collaboration increases over the course of the rehearsal period and even more leading up to the performances. As the cast approaches stage rehearsals, Olson begins training her crew to ensure they are organized and prooerly equipped for quick scene changes, making sure that everyone is on the same page at all times.
Olson also works closely with one of the directors, Mr. Petrushun, who oversees the crew members and coordinates their “crew calls”, sessions where the crew comes together and works on various aspects of the set. Mr. Petrushun will often create an agenda for every crew call, compiling a list of tasks to accomplish, and Olson will regularly send out reminders in Google Classroom and Remind to make sure that everyone is made aware of meeting times. During the performances, the crew follows the lead of stage manager Isabella Laster (‘27), who calls out cues when it is time for the sets to be changed for a new scene.
Although the audience will likely never see the crew or understand the amount of work they put in behind the scenes, Olson makes sure to always go out with positive comments, with the crew being brought on stage after the closing performance to receive applause as a small token of their appreciation.
“They might not be seen, but they are definitely appreciated,” said Olson.
Hover over the “info” boxes next to each name to learn more about the Thespian Troupe 213 board members!