SceneShop presents "Renfield: What Comes Next"

In Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel "Dracula," a young British solicitor travels to Transylvania, hoping to sell his firm's properties to a mysterious aristocrat. Later in the book, readers meet Renfield, a bug-eating mental patient enslaved by Dracula. That relationship does not end happily.

But what if Renfield had been the first solicitor dispatched to Eastern Europe? Would the troubled Englishman's own issues and inner torments have set in motion the same wheels of tragic inevitability? This is the premise of Steven Alan McGaw's "Renfield: What Comes Next," premiering October 26 and 27 at Arts Fifth Avenue.

Stephen Eyre heads the cast as William Renfield, a troubled traveler headed for an appointment with Destiny. Justin Rhoads portrays Count Dracula, the Romanian nobleman whose polished demeanor masks an unnatural agenda. Other members of the Ensemble, playing multiple roles, include Joshua Eguia, Natalie Gaupp, Seth Johnston, Peggy Bott Kirby, Kace Owens and Erika Lynne Durham. Playwright Steven Alan McGaw directs the show.
The scripts suggests a play-within-a-play, and the format is that of a reading, but with surprises and unexpected dynamics.

Performances begin at 8 pm, and tickets are $12, which may be purchased via the Events page at www.artsfifthavenue.org. Reservations can be made by phone, at 817 923-9500. The play is not suggested for persons under high-school age.