Meredith Deighton Is a Ray of Light in Delightfully Dark Dracula

Meredith Deighton (Mina) comforts Keith Firstenberg (Harker)

“This Dracula is dark. It's sexy. It's full of mind-blowing effects and I couldn't be more ecstatic to be working on this particular version.”  So says Meredith Deighton, who plays Mina in the Farmington Players production of Dracula.  Meredith had no interest in playing in a “campy” Dracula, saying, “I was hesitant when I saw the audition notice, thinking it would be more along those lines.” But director John Boufford assured her that his Dracula would be very faithful to Bram Stoker’s original, right down to the last bloody detail. 

Boufford also used the image of a duck – calm on the surface, paddling like hell under the water – to describe her character.  As Meredith says, “There is an innate calm about Mina. Even in her darkest hour, she remains steadfast, calm and hopeful. She is referred to as a ‘light’ by several characters in the show. I absolutely agree she is a light. She has this wonderful juxtaposition about her in that she has this ethereal aura, yet I feel is one of the most grounded characters in the show.”

To find the strength she needs to play this role, Meredith recalls a quote by the great actor Meryl Streep, who once said, “acting isn't about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.”  Like Meryl, Meredith “tries to find bits of myself in every role I play. The challenge for me in playing Mina will be tapping into my inner warrior – the fearless, yet grounded part of myself – and put that into my character.”

While Meredith is making her Barn debut in Dracula, she is certainly no stranger to theater.  Meredith tours the midwest nine months out of the year with the Michigan Shakespeare Festival's productions of Romeo and Juliet (as Juliet) and Macbeth.  She also performs at Performance Network in their Children's Network series show Big Bully (Betty). She has worked professionally in several local and regional theaters, and her film credits include All of My Friends on Barrett Street (Kelsey) and Five Year Engagement (Thanksgiving guest).

The Farmington Players' production of Dracula is proudly sponsored by Weinstein Jewelers.  The show runs October 11 through November 2. Tickets can be purchased online at www.farmingtonplayers.org or by calling the box office at 248-553-2955.