Dracula-- Meet cast member Jeff Elmore!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Alexandria, but I’ve mostly lived in New York and Maryland since then.  I graduated with a film degree from American University in D.C., and I work at NOVA Community College.

What do you find appealing about this show?

The ambition behind it.  This adaptation is famously faithful to the novel, which most adaptations aren't.  The book is structured as a series of fictional journal entries and correspondences, and that is very difficult to convey well in a visual/auditory medium.  Most Dracula adaptations abandon that structure and rearrange it into a straightforward, linear narrative.  That can work well, but some of the pace and tension is often lost in translation.  This script keeps the non-linear structure of the novel and hopefully captures that suspense well.  I am very excited to be a part of bringing that to life for LTA.

How does Dracula differ from other shows you have worked on?

Dracula is easily the biggest show I’ve performed in.  Most of my performances have been in smaller, more intimate settings, or in short film projects.  I have worked backstage for a few larger productions, but this is the first time I’ve played a character on a set like this.  It’s also the first time I’ve ever eaten a bug (on-stage, at least).

What do you want the audience to experience when they come see Dracula?

I want audiences to be in suspense.  Part of what makes the story work so well is that the audience almost always has more information than the characters.  When somebody meets Dracula for the first time, the audience already knows what kind of monster he is, and I want audience members to be on the edge of their seat, wondering exactly what kind of terrible thing Dracula will do during that first meeting.

Who is your favorite vampire and why?

The entire cast of What We Do in the Shadows.  That’s how vampires would behave if they were real.

What made you get involved in theater?  How did you get involved with LTA?

This is my first LTA production.  I’m a recent addition to stage acting, but I’ve worked in theater and film since high school, backstage and behind the camera.  I started acting because I had a literary interest in Shakespeare, and a lot of my friends had performed in community productions of his plays and other classics.  Since I moved back to Alexandria, I’ve done a few staged readings with a company called Have Globe, Will Travel, and we did a reading of Dracula back in March.  I actually heard of LTA through that reading.

What advice would you give to others who are working in theater?

I’m not sure I’m really qualified to give advice in exhaustive detail, but I can say what’s worked for me so far.  I’ve learned that when you’re onstage, half the work is already done for you.  The audience wants to buy into your performance and they’re rooting for you to succeed, because if you don’t succeed, they’re losing out on good entertainment.  So all you have to do is meet them halfway and give them that performance.