Two McDaniel alumni are performing with The National Players, America's longest-running classical touring company, as they present "Dracula," by John Balderston and Hamilton Deane. The national tour begins at 8 p.m. Sept. 24 in WMC Alumni Hall for one show only.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. For tickets, contact the box office at (410) 857-2448.

Albert Pero, III '04 is featured as Dracula and Andrew Pecoraro '05 as Harker. Players' productions stick to strict traditions of touring theater: company members double and triple in roles and technical assignments including lighting, sound, and costumes. Pecoraro doubles as the show's master electrician.

"We're trying hard to make the best show possible. It's all about compromise and working together as a group," says Pecoraro.

Based on Bram Stoker's novel, "Dracula" tells the classic vampire story of Count Dracula preying on a young English woman he wants to keep as his undead bride, and the fight to drive a stake through his heart before it is too late.

The Balderston and Deane adaptation was written in 1927 and several of the main characters' relationships are changed from Bram Stoker's original 1897 novel.

For the last several years, McDaniel College has served as the first stop for the Players. They then travel state-to-state for audiences across the country: from inner-city schools to rural America.