Photo Coverage: The World Premiere of Vampire Heart

The World Premiere of the new musical Vampire Heart took place last month in Sarnia, ON.  Almost fifteen years in the making, the show is a rock-musical based loosely on Bram Stoker's Dracula. 

Allan David Hill, a local Sarnia composer, began working on songs for the show fifteen years ago. Glenn Kennedy (who plays Dracula in the production) came on board a few years ago to collaborate on the script. Glenn is a Sarnia based musician and actor, and went on to star in the production. The two worked at length until they had the base for what would become Vampire Heart.

In April of 2009, casting for the show began and in late July, Jay Peckham joined the team in the role of director and also as one of the main male castmembers. Jay brought his Production Company PoWer Theatrical Productions on board (with partners Dan White and Jo Ann Rutherford) and they were able to revise the script, reduce the running time and get dates set for an official opening. Along the way, the cast also had the addition of Roderick Brown, former star of the smash hit Toronto run of Mamma Mia and Sarnia local. The Equity Association allowed Roderick to participate, and his professional musical background served to help the rest of the cast as they worked to put the show together.

In the end, 24 original musical pieces were written for the show, with CDs and souvenirs being sold in the lobby during the run. Over 800 people came out to see the production - an impressive number for an original musical receiving its debut in a small town. The musical was fun and touching, with solid songs and impressive visual effects - and perhaps most importantly, an enthusiastic and talented cast who really put their heart and soul into the production.

BWW was on hand to get exclusive coverage of the show, and we bring you pictures of the cast and crew of this unique and determined production.  Credit to Jay Peckham, Stef Menard, Ian Alexander, and Melissa Upfold.

Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141

More Articles by This Author...