Dracula- meet cast member Syed Murshed!

Tell us a little about yourself. Hello! My name is Syed; I am a grad student. I grew up in the Alexandria area and have been here almost all my life.

What do you find appealing about this show? Dracula has always been one of my favorite stories to read and now that I am part of the cast to bring the story to life, I am really thrilled. One of the most appealing parts of the show we are doing is that, even though it has many supernatural elements it is still very grounded; it’s rather a close rendition of Bram Stoker’s original work which is very nostalgic.

How does Dracula differ from other shows you have worked on? This would be the first show that I have worked on.

What do you want the audience to experience when they come see Dracula? I hope they see the characters in a way that they have never experienced before and really get immersed in the show.

Who is your favorite vampire and why? Gary Oldman from Dracula (1992); his range of acting is just simply amazing.

What made you get involved in theater?  How did you get involved with LTA? I write and have always been interested being part of a production for a show; during my undergrad years, I took couple of classes in theatre and acting as fine art electives, but I enjoyed them as much as any of my core classes.

I decided to take a class at the LTA where it sparked my interest in theatre again and I decided to go for the audition; I didn’t expect to get casted but here I am.

What advice would you give others who are interested in working in theater? If you don’t try, you will only be able to speculate; this was my first show, but I am enjoying it quite a lot. I recommend anyone who is interested to try it and see how it is to be part of theatre production.