Carleton University’s Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company announced its show lineup for the 2022-23 season at its launch party Sept. 6. The three shows included in the lineup are Dracula, Elephant’s Graveyard and Clue.
Dracula, the first play of the year, will take place Nov. 17 to 20 at the Kailash Mital Theatre in Southam Hall. The play is being directed by Naomi Badour*, Madi Edwards is the stage manager and Madonna Garang is the assistant stage manager.
In the stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula takes a gothic approach on themes of sacrifice, friendship and madness. The play will incorporate Badour and Garang’s own twists on gender roles while adhering to the play’s original subject matter.
Although the lead role is traditionally taken on by a male actor, Badour decided to take a different approach. Count Dracula will be played by actress Lindsey Keene.
Garang said the production team is still “playing around” with which pronouns they will be using for Count Dracula.
The Dracula cast and production team are excited in the early phases of the production, according to Garang.
“We had our first rehearsal last week,” she said. “We read through the script for the first time and got to see how it’s going to play out.”
Following Dracula, Elephant’s Graveyard will take place in the middle of January, with auditions set for Nov. 19 and 20. Exact dates have yet to be determined. Director Andrea Makris is joined by Samuel Singarayer and Annekee Schuurman as stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.
Set in September of 1916, Elephant’s Graveyard tells the true story of a struggling circus in the small town in Tennessee, which resulted in the only known lynching of an elephant. Combining history and legend, the play explores the American craving for spectacle and violence.
Schuurman said while Elephant’s Graveyard is a common play for theatres to put on, the production has many creative elements the cast and production team can expand upon within its 90-minute duration.
“The current plan is to follow the script. It’s a true story but of course it’s dramaticized so we have to somewhat stick to it,” Schuurman said.
This is Schuurman’s first production with Sock ‘n’ Buskin. She said she is excited to see the play come together in the coming months.
Clue, directed by Carleton alumna Martina Peterson, will close out the season. The play will take place in March 2023, with exact dates and location to be determined.
In the popular farce-meets-murder-mystery, six mysterious guests assemble at a remote mansion for a dinner party. When their host turns up dead, each guest becomes a suspect as they try to sleuth out the truth.
While Peterson is planning to follow the original Clue script, she said she is willing to incorporate anybody into playing any character.
“I’m going to announce that anyone can audition for anything,” Peterson said. “I think it would be super fun if someone is in drag, or to play with the characters.”
Peterson has been a member of Sock ‘n’ Buskin since her second year at Carleton. She said she is excited to bring her passion and theatre expertise to the cast and production crew coming out of the pandemic.
“I know what it’s actually like being able to use the theatre and do things in person,” she said.
Peterson said she has high hopes for a big turnout at this year’s performances with more students returning to campus.
“I’m really hoping this is the year we attract a larger audience for each of the shows,” Peterson said. “[Sock ‘n’ Buskin] does some pretty quality stuff.”
*Naomi Badour has contributed to the Charlatan.
This article was last updated on Oct. 24. An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled Lindsey Keene’s name “Lindsay.” The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured graphic by Angel Xing.
