Red Carpet Season Opening Featuring Off-Broadway Farce with Fangs on the Spriet Stage
October 14, 2026 – London, ON – One night a year, the Grand Theatre rolls out its Richmond Street red carpet to mark the new season’s Grand GRAND Opening Night. On Friday, October 23, the theatre launches its 2026/27 Season: All in Grand Time with Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. Director Krista Jackson helms the all-new, London Made production of the off-Broadway hit, mad-cap comedy with bite on the Grand’s historic Spriet Stage.
“Dracula in our Halloween season feels just right. I love comedy but I am picky about farce. To that end, I am 100% a fan of this modern, campy, non-stop laughs adaptation by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. They have taken a timeless story and inserted energy, speed, and zaniness that guarantee a great night out,” shares Rachel Peake, Grand Theatre Artistic Director. “The amazing Krista Jackson (Imago Theatre, Stratford Festival, and former Associate Artistic Director at the Grand) is directing this gorgeous production with a small, clever cast. Expect all the delight that Grand audiences love in a comedy, with a bass note of smart social commentary.”
“This play is a whirlwind chase where a multitude of characters - played by 5 actors with a frenzy of costume changes – discover a vampire in their midst and have to save themselves before time runs out,” reveals Jackson. “It's modern, it's fresh. We looked a lot at Drag Race and Dragula. We are playing up something that everybody loves. Everyone loves Dracula, everyone loves vampires. And of course, Dracula himself would love this version of the play because he’s the star of the show.”
And who better to play the drop-dead gorgeous (and he knows it), pansexual, egotistical narcissist prince of the night than Jesse Gervais. Grand audiences first met Jesse in Grand Ghosts (2022/23) as Ambrose J. Small, the infamous theatre impresario who built London’s Grand back in 1901 and then later disappeared, presumed murdered, never to be seen again. The next season, he was back as the Butler who stole the show and took absolutely forever to die in the Grand’s smash-hit production of Clue.
Gervais is part of a small, tight-knit cast of five fast-on-their-feet actors who are even quicker with their wits. Reena Jolly, who audiences will also remember from Clue as the show-stopping Miss Scarlet, will play Dracula’s spoken-for love interest, Lucy. Nathan Howe makes his Grand debut as Lucy’s feckless fiancé. Also making his debut, Constant Bernard will play Lucy’s lusty sister as well as the fearless, forthright, and unapologetically female Dr. Jean Van Helsing. Rounding out the hilarious five-some is none other than Nora McLellan, fresh from her final season as Sister Rose on Son of a Critch and returning to the Grand, a stage that she has come back to over and over throughout her career.
“I am excited to welcome back fantastic artists who are part of the Grand family (who can forget Jesse Gervais’ death scene in Clue?!) and to be bringing some incredible artists to you for the first time,” shares Peake. “Starting a season has excitement in our spaces for so many reasons, but this one feels extra special. Some of that excitement comes from the fact this show has been in the works for longer than most – our talented shop team built this set last season to get ahead of the demands of also building School of Rock and A Christmas Carol. Our excitement also comes from the immense talent of this world-class company of artists.”
Director Krista Jackson and cast are joined by Set Designer Joshua Quinlan, Costume Designer Joseph Abetria, Lighting Designer Leigh Ann Vardy, Sound Designer & Composer John Gzowski, Movement Director Cameron Carver, Associate Director Keith Fernandez, Fight & Intimacy Director Jennifer Dzialoszynski, Dialect Coach Jane Gooderham, Stage Manager Jordan Guetter, Assistant Stage Manager Lore Green, and Apprentice Stage Manager Zoe Daca.
“We are thrilled to open the doors and welcome everyone back to the Grand Theatre for another season of laughs, storytelling, big musical moments, and unforgettable experiences on both stages,” says Lyndee Hansen, Grand Theatre Executive Director. “With more than 7,000 subscribers already committed to the season ahead, we know that audiences are looking forward to everything in store for 2026/27 at the Grand. School of Rock was a hit as this season’s Grand Theatre High School Project, a ridiculously fresh and fun Dracula kicks off our Spriet Series of plays and musicals, our first night of the Grand Laughs comedy series is sold out, and we’ve recently announced Young & GRAND, a new theatre festival for young audiences coming in March 2027.”
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors plays on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre from October 20 to November 7. Subscriptions, packages, and single tickets (starting at $25) can be purchased online at grandtheatre.com, by phoning the Box Office at 519.672.8800, or by visiting the Box Office in person at 471 Richmond Street.
The Grand Theatre is grateful to offer Canada Life Pay What You Can pricing for performances of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors on Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m.
The Grand’s popular six-show Spriet Series subscription remains available and continues to offer the best pricingand best theatre experience. Audiences may also purchase a particular title from the season’s roster or bundle three or four shows together to build their own season at the Grand for additional savings.
To learn more about Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at the Grand Theatre, visit grandtheatre.com/event/dracula-comedy-of-terrors. Follow along with the season and peek behind the scenes by following @thegrandlondon and #GrandTheatre on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, YouTube, & TikTok.
The Grand Theatre’s upcoming 2026/27 Season: All In Grand Time is made possible through the generous support of Season Sponsor BMO, Downtown Community Partner Old Oak Properties, Pay-What-You-Can Presenting Sponsor Canada Life, Emerging Artist Talent Sponsor TD, Student Club Presenting Sponsor Lexus of London, Holiday Wish for Kids Presenting Sponsor Sifton Family Foundation, Lerners Stage Sponsor Lerners, Apparel Partner New Era Grafix, our 2026/27 Season Title Sponsors Linda & Bill Ross, BlueStone Properties, Digital Extremes, London Hydro, and McCormick Canada, and public funders the City of London, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the Province of Ontario, and all our community partners and business sponsors.
DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS
By Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
October 20 to November 7 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre
Title Sponsor: Bluestone Properties
CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Krista Jackson
Set Designer – Joshua Quinlan
Costume Designer – Joseph Abetria
Lighting Designer – Leigh Ann Vardy
Sound Designer & Composer – John Gzowski
Movement Director – Cameron Carver
Associate Director* – Keith Fernandez
Fight & Intimacy Director – Jennifer Dzialoszynski
Dialect Coach – Jane Gooderham
Stage Manager – Jordan Guetter
Assistant Stage Manager – Lore Green
Apprentice Stage Manager – Zoe Daca
*Position funded by Canada Council for the Arts
CAST
Mina Westfeldt / Dr. Van Helsing & Others – Constant Bernard*
Dracula – Jesse Gervais
Jonathan Harker & Others – Nathan Howe
Lucy Westfeldt / Kitty & Others – Reena Jolly
Dr. Westfeldt / Renfield & Others – Nora McLellan
* Fight / Intimacy Captain
Media Inquiries can be directed to:
Melissa Mae Shipley, Communications and Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
office: 519.672.9030 ext. 266
cell: 519.280.4008
PHOTOGRAPHY
*Production photography will be available Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
MEDIA CALL
When: Wednesday, October 21 at 1 p.m. (Cameras, please arrive at 12:30 p.m. to set up)
Where: Spriet Stage, Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond Street, London, Ontario
What: Photo, video, and interview opportunities for media.
The Grand Theatre is located on the traditional territories of the Original storytellers and caretakers of this land and the Nations, both settler and Indigenous, who continue to uphold the various treaties of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapéewak. We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations, and all of the Original Peoples of Turtle Island (colonially known as North America), and acknowledge the traditional lands upon which we live, work, share, and tell stories together.
ABOUT THE GRAND THEATRE – WORLD CURIOUS. LONDON MADE.
The Grand Theatre is known for world-class theatre created and built in London, Ontario. As southwestern Ontario’s premier producing theatre and one of the most beautiful theatre spaces in Canada, the company has deep ties to the community and to its artists, artisans, and technicians.
As a vibrant cultural hub and not-for-profit professional theatre, the Grand serves to gather, inspire, and entertain audiences in London and beyond. At our home in downtown London, we create productions on two stages: the Spriet Stage (839 seats) and the Auburn Developments Stage (144 seats). The Grand season of theatrical offerings runs from September to May, and we collaborate with companies and artists across the country through our co-productions that see London Made artistic and creative work travel to audiences nation-wide. Through our successful New Play Development Program, the Grand is committed to developing and premiering new, original works and supporting the growth and reach of theatre writers and creators. Our recently renovated venue offers a contemporary and welcoming environment that is also home to several successful music series, community arts rentals, and cultural and special events.
A cornerstone of the organization is our place as a teaching theatre, exemplified in our many mentorship programs and highlighted in our annual Grand Theatre High School Project. As the first program of its kind in the country and currently in its twenty-eighth year, the High School Project involves as many as one hundred high school participants annually from schools across the region. These students participate at no cost and take on roles both on stage and off, in a fully realized mainstage production under the direction of a professional creative team.
