College theatre season blends horror, heartbreak, and dark comedy
Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids Community College’s GRCC Players will take audiences from Transylvania to a movie set in the desert this academic year, with three productions that mix high-energy comedy, contemporary romance, and sharp, timely satire.
“This season gives our students and audiences a little bit of everything: slapstick comedy, raw emotional honesty, and biting social commentary,” said Tom Kaechele, Program Director of Spectrum Theater. “It’s a chance to laugh, to reflect, and to see our students tackle plays that stretch their skills in exciting ways.”
Audiences can experience that variety through three productions scheduled across the academic year:
Fall 2025 Main Stage: “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” - Nov. 6–8, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Spectrum Theater - By Gordon Greenberg and Steven Rosen
What happens when Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire story collides with the spirit of Mel Brooks, Monty Python and The 39 Steps? A lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud, 90-minute, gender-bending romp. When Mina falls ill with a mysterious blood disease, Lucy Westfeldt and her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, recruit famed vampire hunter Dr. Jean Van Helsing for a clever, quick-change chase after the dangerously charming Count Dracula.
Winter 2026 Lab Theater: “Orion” - Jan. 22–24, 2026, 7:30 p.m. at Spectrum Theater, Lab Theater (Room 201) - By Matthew McLachlan
After Sam and Gwen’s breakup, friends Scott and Abby help Sam navigate what comes next—while part of Gwen may not be ready to let go. Honest, charming and funny, Orion looks at the relationships that shape us at the start of adult life and the loves that end but never quite leave. Limited seating available each performance.
Winter/Spring 2026 Main Stage: “CONTINUITY” - April 9–11, 2026, 7:30 p.m. at Spectrum Theater - By Bess Wohl
It’s magic hour in the New Mexico desert, and a film crew is racing the sunset to shoot an “artsy blockbuster” set on an arctic (Styrofoam) ice floe featuring an eco-terrorist out to save humankind. Personalities clash, vision wrestles with studio demands, and the gap between fiction and science yawns wide in this dark, hilarious “play in six takes” about storytelling on a warming planet.
Tickets are available online or check the Spectrum Theater website for details. For more information, email jonathanwheeler@grcc.edu or call (616) 234-3946.
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