{"id":71084,"date":"2025-09-18T13:32:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T17:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=71084"},"modified":"2025-09-28T12:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T16:16:14","slug":"utc-theatre-co-presents-dracula-minas-quest-sept-30-oct-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/utc-theatre-co-presents-dracula-minas-quest-sept-30-oct-4\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC Theatre Co. presents \u201cDracula: Mina\u2019s Quest\u201d Sept. 30-Oct. 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dracula

Dracula is played by sophomore theatre minor Liam Phillips. Photo credit: Emma Hoffbauer\/UTC Theatre Co.<\/p><\/div>\n

A gothic classic takes on a new dimension this fall at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts Center\u2019s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre.<\/p>\n

The UTC Theatre Co. will open its 2025-2026 season with \u201cDracula: Mina\u2019s Quest,\u201d Steven Dietz\u2019s reimagining of Bram Stoker\u2019s novel. This version moves Mina Harker to the center of the story, casting her not as a victim but as the driving force in a mystery where Dracula\u2019s ultimate target is her soul.<\/p>\n

Performances will take place nightly at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30-Oct. 4, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, Oct. 4.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here<\/strong><\/a> and through the UTC Fine Arts Center Box Office\u2014in person or by phone at 423-425-4269. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students (with proof of student ID) and seniors.<\/p>\n

The UTC Fine Arts Center is located at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street on the UTC campus.<\/p>\n

The UTC Theatre Co. production is directed by Laurie Melnik Allen, Lyndhurst Chair of Excellence in Arts Education and professor of practice in Theatre Education.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaging horror live is a creative puzzle,\u201d Melnik Allen said. \u201cMost people know Dracula through film, but theater forces us to take risks and use inventive stagecraft. We want the audience on edge, surprised and fully immersed in the suspense of this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mina

Sophomore Cameron Schulz, left, as Mina and junior Kyra Hollmon as Lucy (photo credit: Emma Hoffbauer\/UTC Theatre Co.).<\/p><\/div>\n

For Melnik Allen, this production marks her return to directing for the first time since 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been exciting to come back to the stage with a fresh perspective,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve spent years researching creativity across disciplines, and that shapes how I approach this process. Our students are learning how imaginative problem-solving in theater connects to challenges in science, technology and other fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that the interdisciplinary nature of UTC makes this process especially meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis production has pushed us to think in unexpected ways,\u201d Melnik Allen said. \u201cDirecting a show like this feels almost like tackling a quantum research problem\u2014we\u2019re managing uncertainty and inventing solutions as we go. Sometimes that means wrestling with something as scientific as lighting design, and other times it\u2019s figuring out what to use for stage blood. Both require creativity, risk-taking and a willingness to think outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nine-person cast is comprised of the following UTC students:<\/p>\n