Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company Presents:
The Vampire A Halloween Table Read

Youtube ✦ Twitch ✦ Facebook Event ✦ Premiered

Worlds Elsewhere presents a special Halloween treat: The Vampire, written by JR Planche, adapted and directed by Ilana Greenberg-Sud. Based on the novella by John Polidori – itself based on a Fragment written by Lord Byron – which tells the story of Lord Ruthven, the original literary vampire. Join us for a table read of the play, just in time for spooky season.

Lord Ruthven must marry and drain the blood of young maidens once a year or risk the destruction of his damned soul. Engaged to the lovely daughter of his good friend Lord Ronald, can Ruthven find another victim in time to save Margaret — and himself?

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Company Artistic Statement

Theatre, given its nature as a medium made of people in space, has always been a first victim during times of plague. When the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the world at the start of the year 2020, theatres closed, and millions were left unemployed. Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company was founded during this terrifying time. It is our mission to create theatre without a theatre - to create a space online that can serve as a theatrical one. Our company shall create an online space that serves the same function that theatre has served for millennia – as a place of catharsis and healing.

Support Our Company

Worlds Elsewhere is pleased to present this table read of The Vampire on a pay-what-you-can basis. All proceeds will go back into the theatre, to cover our costs of this and future productions, as we continue our mission to create unique, live performances in our digital age.

If you donate $10 or more before bows, you’ll be invited to a special talkback with members of our cast and crew about the vision and production of this show, to be held in a private zoom room after the curtains fall!

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If you’d like to support us and also get stuff, check out our merch shop! There you can buy items with two different designs for this show, plus designs that show your general support for WETC and also a few of our older shows. You can find all that on Redbubble.

WETC Merch Shop

We understand if you, like many people, are not in a position to offer your financial support at the moment; this is a difficult time. If that is the case and you would still like to support our mission, any of the following steps would be very welcome assistance:

About This Production

I wasn’t looking for this play, per se, when I sat down to find something spooky for us to perform for Halloween this year; I was merely looking for something that wasn’t Dracula, because of the copyright nonsense wrapped around that play. But play texts were treated as ephemera – and therefore not preserved – until relatively recently, and English speakers just two hundred years before us found different things scary than we do now, so it was slow going.

But then I stumbled upon this play, with the help of intern and AD River Lane, and it was a story I was vaguely familiar with, but knew very little about. It’s a quirky little thing, with a convoluted history and places in the text to twist it to reflect some more modern sensibilities, which was just what I was looking for. It took some time and some major changes to get the play up and running, but I think you all will enjoy what we’ve done.

~ Ilana Greenberg-Sud, Director

The Plot

Prologue

Lady Margaret, daughter of Lord Ronald, is asleep in Fingal’s Cave and finds herself visited by faeries, led by Unda and Ariel, who seek to protect her from a Vampire who she’s due to wed and be murdered by the next day. The faeries banish him, but with danger on the horizon.

Act One

McSwill and some of the kitchen staff are admonished for celebrating the return of Lady Margaret late into the night by Bridget, Lady Margaret’s servant. Lynn, Lord Ronald’s steward, reveals where they found Margaret, leading McSwill to tell the tale of another maiden who was found murdered there, possibly by a Vampire. Lynn laughs him off.

Margaret confides in Bridget about her bizarre dreams the night before when her father shows up and tells her about her betrothed’s brother, Lord Ruthven, who was like a son to him prior to his death after saving Lord Ronald from bandits. The Earl who shows up and is in fact Lord Ruthven, seemingly back from the dead. Margaret recognizes him as the Vampire from her dreams and retires in haste. Ruthven has a brief crisis of conscience regarding his love of Ronald, when Lynn comes in and asks him to attend her wedding to Effie as her father is his steward. Ruthven agrees, seeing a way to kill two birds with one stone.

At his own castle, Ruthven’s steward Andrew, his daughter Effie, and a variety of villagers await the Earl’s arrival after his presumed death. Effie is hoping Lynn is among the returning. Andrew is shocked to see Lord Ruthven, having also believed him to be dead. There are festivities for the double wedding, and amidst it Lord Ruthven tries seducing and enchanting Effie, and when both attempts fail settling on just kidnapping her. Lynn hears Effie cry for help, fatally shooting Ruthven and rescuing Effie. A “dying” Ruthven finds Ronald and asks him to tell no one of his death and to take a ring to throw into the water near Fingal’s Cave. Ronald agrees.

Intermission

Act Two

Lynn, Effie, and Andrew arrive at Fingal’s Cave, hoping to hide Lynn until explanations can be issued. Lynn tries to make herself comfortable after a touching goodbye with Effie. Ronald comes to fulfill his half of the oath, and happens upon Lynn. They fight, and while Lynn is disarmed and tossed into the sea, she clings onto the rocks as Ronald leaves.

Margaret, under Ruthven’s thrall, is excited to marry him, and while Ronald initially returns to tell her Ruthven is dead, he gets an eerie reminder to remember the other half of his oath. Ruthven appears and Ronald, having seen him pop back to life twice, accuses him of being a demon and tries to beg Margaret to come with him to little effect.

Andrew and Effie rescue Lynn and promise to explain to Ronald about Effie’s abduction. McSwill shows up and explains that Ruthven is alive and set to marry Margaret, and Ronald seems to be mad. The trio race off to save Margaret and leave McSwill to drink.

Margaret has pre-aisle jitters about her father’s absence but goes through with meeting Ruthven, a priest, and an audience at the chapel to go through with the wedding. Seeing the moon start to set, Margaret begs Ruthven to wait, to little avail. The cavalry appear and Ronald swears Ruthven’s a monster; Margaret falls into her father’s arms. Ruthven goes on the attack but Lynn challenges him. In the commotion the moon has set and the faeries are able to protect Margaret. Ruthven, having been denied his sacrifice, is destroyed.

Dramatis Personae

Narrator .................................... Justin Bailey
Lord Ruthven ................................ Eduardo Perez
Lady Margaret .............................. Jasmine Garcia
Lord Ronald ................................. Henry Kathman
Lynn  ...................................... Trinity Harris
Effie ........................................ Hannah Moran
Andrew .................................. Jeancarlos Aponte
Bridget/Ensemble 1 .................... Shamila Karunakaran
McSwill/Ensemble 2 ......................... Belinda Roddie
Unda/Ensemble 3 ............................. Callie Castle
Ariel/Ensemble 4 ........................... James Ketelaar
Ensemble 5 .............................. Ellie McConnaughy
Ensemble 6 .................................. Tino Chinyoka

Cast and Crew

Performers

Justin Bailey (Narrator, he/him) Elated to be able to perform again, this third shift worker’s acting primarily includes local productions or seasonal opportunities spanning well over a decade. Previous work with Worlds Elsewhere include the Soothsayer and Strato in Julius Caesar, and portraying Jean Valjean in Musica Universalis 1.

Eduardo Perez (Lord Ruthven, he/him) spends his days treating brain disease and his nights treating himself to a nice jug(ular) of blood. He is excited for his return to World’s Elsewhere after previously playing Anthony in Julius Caesar.

Jasmine Garcia (Lady Margaret, fae/faer/she/her) has been performing with WETC for four years, and is not only grateful for the amazing productions fae have been a part of, but the wonderful friendships it has brought her as well. When she’s not playing witches, chaos gremlins, or in this show’s case a would-be damsel in distress, faer the host of In Each Retelling, the podcast where we explore all the ways old tales are made new! Find out more on the podcatcher or your choice, or faeriviera on all the socials!

Henry Kathman (Lord Ronald, he/him) is a writer, educator, and video essayist who has been doing too many things online for the past seven years. Some of his work includes his writings on the Moomin series, hosting the Pink Aisle Podcast, and his writing for various tabletop rpgs. In between all of that work, he also has been a proud supporter of World’s Elsewhere. If you would like to see more of his work, you can view his portfolio at henrykathman.com.

Trinity Harris (Lynn, she/her) - bio coming soon

Hannah Moran (Effie, she/her) is overjoyed to be in this Worlds Elsewhere production of The Vampire! Past WETC credits include A Midsummer Night’s Charity Stream (Fairy), Lysistrata (The Corinthian), A Winter Cabaret (2020) (singing Joni Mitchell’s “River”), and the 2021 Summer Cabaret (singing an original song, “Take Care”). When she’s not acting in virtual theatre productions, she’s a teacher. Thanks to Ilana and the entire company of The Vampire! Enjoy the show!

Jeancarlos Aponte (Andrew, he/him): Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, a BA graduate from St. Bonaventure University. Excited to make his second appearance with Worlds Elsewhere Theater Company as Andrew in The Vampire. He played Gallipot in The Roaring Girl with Worlds Elsewhere Theater Company. Jeancarlos played Felipe in the production Visa Decline part of the Short Play Festival with Open Hydrant Theater Company. He made his first lead role appearance as Julie in the New York Theater Festival production Dancing On Ice at the Latea Theater. In addition, played Jose in the production Trilogy 2 at the Gene Frankel Theater. He is thankful to Ilana for giving him this opportunity, friends and family for their love and support throughout his acting career. Instagram: @jc_aponte

Shamila Karunakaran (Bridget/Ensemble 1, she/her/they/them) is an autistic Sri Lankan Tamil Canadian demigirl and a self-professed “jack-of-all-trades”. Most known for her behind the scenes work as assistant director for The Roaring Girl and Coriolanus, she made her onscreen debut as Suriya/Snow White in Musica Universalis Book 2: Regenerational Trauma.

Belinda Roddie (McSwill, they/them) is a writer, educator, musician, and actor residing in the San Francisco Bay area with their wife and two feline sons. They co-founded and currently serve as the artistic director of OK Zoomer Theatre Company, which was established in 2020 and is dedicated to providing accessible digital theatre for everyone. Belinda is also an avid TTRPG player, a staunch LGBTQ+ activist, an active cosplayer on Tiktok, and a cat lover.

Callie Castle (Unda/Ensemble 3, they/them) is excited to be part of their first table read with WETC. They have previously appeared in WETC and FWE’s collaborative production, Musica Universalis 2, as an NPC (Orpheus). They are based out of the Dallas, Texas area and are proud to represent the neurodivergent, queer, and disabled communities. They can be found guest-starring on several podcasts including In Each Retelling and Six Degrees of Star Wars. Their next project is a livestream TTRPG of Good Society set in a world of classic monsters; which will be on Nov 1st and 8th at 7pm CST, on twitch.tv/thetipsytiger. You can find their social media and projects they support at linktr.ee/calliecastle10.

James Patrick Ketelaar (Ariel/Ensemble 4, she/he/they) is an actor currently based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is James’ fifth show with Worlds Elsewhere, and she is so excited to be back! Elsewhere, you can find him as 1/4th of the Actual Play podcast Dangerous Times at Chillhaven High, or read their movie reviews on Letterboxd where he posts under the username DrProfessorman. Please follow her on Letterboxd? Please?

Ellie McConnaughy (Ensemble 5, she/her) is a writer, critic, dreamweaver plus actress from Stamford, Connecticut, who has been with Worlds Elsewhere more or less from the word go. When not acting, she runs the TTRPG spinoff of this theatre company, Fantasy Worlds Elsewhere, and hosts a podcast on Oscar winning films called the Biggest Night in Podcasting. She would like Ruthven to know he is way lamer than her girl Carmilla.

Tino Chinyoka (Ensemble 6, he/him) - bio coming soon

Production

Ilana Greenberg-Sud (Director/Adapter; she/her, they/them) is pleased (and a little dismayed) to say that she has been involved with every WETC production, in some way or another, from the company’s inception. She has, however, been honored to work with such an amazing, talented group of people, from all over the internet, and can’t wait to see what comes next. She intentionally has a small personal social media footprint, and has found it to be very restful.

River Lane (Assistant Director; she/her, they/them) is frequently in the middle of a movie, two books, three television shows, and four hockey games. They’ve appeared in Lysistrata and Musica Universalis 2: Regnerational Trauma for Worlds Elsewhere, but have chosen a behind-the-scenes role this time around. She’s the host of The Straights Aren’t Alright and can be found on Bluesky and Twitter (we’re not calling it X) at DreamsRebel and on Letterboxd at punk_skeleton.

Sam Marchiony (Producer; she/her/they/them) is a founding member of the WETC Repertory, having directed The Roaring Girl, and appeared in many of our mainstage shows, cabarets, and Actual Plays. While chronically online, Sam hosts Six Degrees of Star Wars, the podcast that explores any and all connections to the omnipresent space fantasy, and generally tries to put their very expensive pieces of paper saying that they are good at theatre to use. Also, this show is happening on her birthday, so technically, your donations can count as a birthday gift.

Addie Greenberg-Sud (Technical Director; she/her) is a software developer and digital streamer in Seattle, WA. She has been supporting Worlds Elsewhere’s technological needs since the company’s founding in 2020; credits include TD (She Kills Monsters, MacDeath, The Roaring Girl, Coriolanus, Musica Universalis), video editing (Winter Spooky 2021, Musica Universalis 2), and performance (Winter Spooky 2021, MacDeath, Musica Universalis 1 and 2). She’s very proud to offer her skills toward Worlds Elsewhere’s mission – live theatre, for everyone, everywhere. You can find her on her website, pigsflew.com, and on Bluesky and Github.

Callie Castle (Assistant Technical Director; they/them)

About WETC

Company Staff

Artistic Director / Co-Founder: Ilana Greenberg-Sud
Director of Digital: Adrianne Greenberg-Sud
Acting Director of Finance: Kyle Kallgren

Volunteer Staff

General
Sam Marchiony
Jasmine Garcia
Technical
Callie Castle
Financial
Ellie McConnaughy
Intern
River Lane

Native Lands Acknowledgment

Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company is based in New York City and Seattle, on lands home to the Munsee Lenape, Duwamish, and Coast Salish peoples.

In addition, cast and crew members of this production are located on the lands of the following peoples:

Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ
Coast Salish 
Duwamish
Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee)
Karkin Ohlone
Kaskaskia
Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett)
Mississauga
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
Miwok
Mohican
Munsee Lenape
Muwekma
Myaamia
Naumkeag
O-ga-xpa Ma-zhoⁿ (O-ga-xpa)
Patwin Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi)
Pawtucket
Pennacook
Quapaw
Schagticoke
Seminole
Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee)
Tawakoni Wichita N'dakina
Wabanaki Mohican
Wappinge
Wappinger 
Wendake-Nionwentsïo Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)
𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 𐒼𐓂𐓊𐒻 𐓆𐒻𐒿𐒷 𐓀𐒰^𐓓𐒰^ (Osage)

We acknowledge that this land came into government possession through acts of genocide, as part of our commitment to work towards addressing the impacts of those acts in our pursuit of social justice, and to foster a world where such injustices are truly consigned to the past.

Tribe names provided by Native Lands Digital

For more information, consult #HonorNativeLand — US Department of Arts and Culture

Attributions

Artwork

Music

MORE ATTRIBUTIONS COMING SOON