DRACULA: LORD OF THE VAMPIRES and FRANKENSTEIN: THE UNTOLD STORY are both adaptations from Evil Cheez Productions, starring some of your ECP favorites, and both are rated PG, so they’re safe for the kiddies! (Like, maybe don’t bring your toddler, but otherwise you should be good to go!)
The twin titans of terror, the two most famous (or is that “infamous”) names in horror history! Two performances, staged as old-fashioned radio plays…but which one will you see? We don’t know, and we won’t know until showtime! For the special matinee showing, the audience gets to vote on which of the two plays they’d rather see!
Dracula: The Lord of the Vampires
Everybody and their kid sister knows the story of Dracula…but you’ve never seen it like this! The Brides have expanded characters! Renfield is a woman! And they get rid of Jonathan Harker, the most useless character in all of literature! (Okay, it was actually the playwright who did that, but it’s worth the price of admission just to see Harker “bite” it!) Oh, and the vampire Count meets the man who revealed his identity to the world—Bram Stoker!
Performed as an old-fashioned radio play, but with the audience in the room, DRACULA: LORD OF THE VAMPIRES is the perfect spooky treat! Rated PG, so it won’t give the kiddies nightmares.
(Can you tell the writer doesn’t like Jonathan Harker?)
Frankenstein: The Untold Story
It’s the classic story you know and love, but with an Evil Cheez twist! Victor Frankenstein sought to create life, and instead created a Monster! But was the scientist’s hubris to blame…or his lack of empathy for the being he’d fashioned?
Performed as an old-fashioned radio play─but with the audience sitting in the recording studio!─FRANKENSTEIN: THE UNTOLD STORY reveals why it is the Monster ends up sharing the name of the mad scientist, and depicts the real-life scenario that resulted in 18-year-old Mary Shelley writing one of the greatest horror stories in human history.
Rated PG. Perfect spooky fun for the entire family.
PERFORMANCE DATES/TIMES
Shenanigans Comedy Theatre (2650 Leeman Ferry Rd SW suite a, Huntsville, AL 35801)
- Tickets ONLY: $10 (www.huntsvillelaughs.com)
- Friday, September 26th @7:30 PM – Frankenstein
- Saturday, September 27th @ 2:30 PM – Mystery Matinee (Which will you choose, Dracula or Frankenstein?)
- Saturday, September 27th @ 7:30 PM – Dracula
Carnegie Visual Arts Center (207 Church St NE, Decatur, AL 35601)
- Tickets ONLY $10 (Purchase tickets at the door or call ECP at 256-303-2972)
- Friday, October 10th @ 7:30pm – Frankenstein
- Saturday, October 11th @ 2:30pm Mystery Matinee (Which will you choose, Dracula or Frankenstein?)
- Saturday, October 11th @ 7:30 – Dracula
MEET THE CAST
Step into the shadows and meet the extraordinary performers bringing two of literature’s most enduring Gothic tales to life. Our staged readings of Frankenstein and Dracula celebrate the timeless power of these dark classics while showcasing the incredible talent of our local theatre community. Here, you’ll get to know the cast members who will give voice, heart, and humanity to the monsters, heroes, and haunted souls at the center of Mary Shelley’s and Bram Stoker’s masterpieces all through the theatre adaptations of Wayne Miller, Evil Cheez Productions’ founder.
Angel Baker Coleman
Angel is thrilled to be accepted on the stage alongside the incredibly talented actors that make up Evil Cheez. Her acting credits include Marjorie Baverstock in Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 and Elsa in The Sound of Music. Angel wishes you to call her dad, as she’s now in a cult.
Brett Richardson
Brett Richardson is an actor, writer, and political activist originally from the Shoals area who loves living in Huntsville (but not fighting the traffic) and working with Evil Cheez.
Byron Turner
Byron is an Alabama native and has been involved in local theater on and off for 20 years. He has been a part of multiple productions for Theatre Huntsville, including Clybourne Park, Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Radio Golf, God of Carnage, Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. He was also an assistant director of TH’s production of Stick-Fly and directed TH’s production of Mountaintop.
Greg Branham
Greg Branham is an elementary school music teacher. He has been a part of Evil Cheez for 10 years.
Greg is a man of few words…
Jason Summer
Jason discovered his love for community theater in 2010 and, other than a year here or there, has been acting ever since. Throughout the last 15 years, he has been fortunate to establish long-term friendships with his fellow actors, directors, and techs. He is absolutely looking forward to working with many of them again during this run of Dracula and Frankenstein. Jason hopes you enjoy these productions and hopes the camaraderie and connections between those involved are apparent as the stories are brought to life.
Jeremy Jerome Woods
Jeremy Woods is thrilled to be part of this production. While playing fun characters as Dracula and Fritz (in Dracula and Frankenstein, respectively) he is also serving as a Co-Director. “What can I say… I love theatre and I love Evil Cheez”. He thanks his Husband and Son for the love, jokes, and support. He also thanks his Mom and Dad for making him.
Enjoy the show!
Jonathan Bain
Jonathan is a leasing agent by day and an actor by night. Jonathan has been acting in community theater for 14 years, and some of his favorite roles have been Ty from Sordid Lives and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in A Christmas Carol. Dracula was his very first stage performance, and he is THRILLED to bring Jonathan Harker back to life (for now. )
Joy Whitt
Joy is an actress, writer, and barbecue cook. She loves doing shows with Evil Cheez, Theatre Huntsville, Bank Street Players… and anyone else who will have her in their show! Staged readings are just about as much fun as a full production, and she is so happy to be contributing to some Halloween feels with Frankenstein and Dracula!
Juan E. Bedolla
Juan is an animation director and producer. He is new to Cheez and to theater in general, but makes up for his lack of experience with eager enthusiasm and unearned confidence.
Nina Soden
Nina Soden is no stranger to the stage—or to keeping life dramatic in all the best ways. She’s appeared in and/or directed productions ranging from Dracula to Arsenic and Old Lace (because nothing says “fun night out” like fangs or poisoned elderberry wine). When she’s not wrangling actors, she’s wrangling her children… her husband… her clients and homes across North Alabama as a Realtor®—and yes, if you buy a home through her thanks to theatre, she’ll donate part of her commission right back to the local theatre company of your choice. Nina also hosts The Home Stretch, a weekly podcast, where real estate meets real talk (and the occasional caffeine-fueled monologue). Whether she’s behind the mic, on stage, hanging out with her family, or handing over house keys, Nina somehow manages to keep the drama where it belongs—on the stage—mostly.
Sarah Foltz
Sarah Foltz is excited to perform with Evil Cheez! Sarah is a recent UAH grad and is excited to be getting involved with theater in Huntsville. Sarah previously performed at Masquerade Theater in Union City, TN. Sarah also enjoys performing improv.
Tanja Lewis Miller
Tanja Lewis Miller, aka Queen Cheez, is super excited to bring back two of ECP’s favorites to usher in the spooky season and to revisit her some of her favorite characters, especially Alice Renfield. She sends all the love to her hubby and her Cheez family. And a special thanks to all of you, the Cheez supporters, for without you, Cheez wouldn’t be Cheez!
MEET THE CREW
While the actors bring the characters to life on stage, it’s the crew behind the scenes who make the magic possible. From lights and sound to staging and direction, every detail is carefully crafted to immerse the audience in the world of Frankenstein and Dracula. Their creativity, dedication, and teamwork ensure that each moment flows seamlessly, allowing the stories to shine. We are proud to recognize the talented individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes—because without them, the show could not go on.
Directors: Wayne Miller & Jeremy Jerome Woods
WJR Miller (“Wayne” to his friends and family; what his enemies call him wouldn’t be fit for inclusion here) is the owner/founder of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS, an independent theatrical company, and has written, directed, produced (and occasionally performed in) over two-dozen stage plays, running the gamut from Horror and True Crime (his specialties) to musicals, children’s plays, comedies, and even the historical biography of a murderous shark. Follow him at his WEBSITE “Sinister Urges”, FACEBOOK, or AMAZON.
Sound and Light Tech: Andrew Foxx
Sound Effects: Various cast members
LETTERS FROM THE DIRECTORS
As a child, the stories of Dracula and Frankenstein always intrigued me. The Idea that a writer could unlock doors in his mind and find these characters living and thriving was always amazing and felt just a bit out of reach. As a teenager, I was lucky enough to meet a writer/director who could do just that. This same published visionary wrote the show you are about to see. He took these already established characters and forged a new path. One that can ensure their survival for yet another generation. May they continue to enrich and haunt our dreams. Enjoy the show. ~Jeremy Jerome Woods
It sometimes surprises folks to learn that my adaptations of Dracula and Frankenstein are my two least favorite scripts that I’ve written, given how much I adore those characters and those books (and the thousands of movies that have been made about them). But it’s precisely because I hold the source material in such high esteem that I feel this way. These two works, you understand, are only adaptations. In my mind they are not 100% mine, and in my mind they can never measure up to the novels written by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley, respectively (nor those thousands of movies made about them). Still, in order for the stories to be brought to the stage, adaptations must happen, and several have. Some of them I hold in the same high regard, or close to it, as the original works. Others…not so much. I saw writing these scripts, then, as a way to craft the adaptations I personally always wanted to see on the stage. If Stoker and Shelley can’t write their own play versions (granted, I haven’t asked them; anybody got a Ouija board handy?) then the next best thing, I figured, would be to do it myself. I tried to create something the pair of them would approve of…or at least not hate too much.
I stand upon the shoulders of giants. Fortunately, their creations, their stories, lose little of their grandiosity when envisioned and interpreted by lesser talents. (And hey, concerning some of those other adaptations I mentioned, t’weren’t that hard to o’erleap the bars they set, if you catch my meaning.) I hope you enjoy these tales, then. They aren’t as good as the originals─no adaptation could be─but I daresay they’ll manage.
Least favorites? Yeah. But I’m still pretty dang proud of ‘em. ~WJR Miller
EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS
- Phone: (256) 476-6851
- Email: evilcheez2013@gmail.com
- Websites: http://evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com/ https://evilcheez.godaddysites.com/
- Founders: Wayne & Tanja Miller
Nina Soden 