October 2026 | Halloween Send-Up: Macbeth and Dracula
Something wicked this way comes, and this time it is not midterms. For October, the Classic Readings Series trades quiet reflection for a bubbling cauldron and at least one cape, as members of the Players, Manhattan University’s student theater troupe, bring two of literature’s darkest tales to life.
First, three students perform a reading from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a play about ambition, prophecy and spectacularly poor decision-making. Then a senior biology major delivers an original monologue inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel about a houseguest who will not leave. Watch if you dare.
Performers:
Macbeth: Sophia Whitmore, sophomore adolescent education major; Grace Coutu, senior childhood education and English major; and Amaya Castillo-Mills, senior sound studies major
Dracula: Nicholas Melendez, senior biology major
Read Macbeth and Dracula
| Work | URL |
|---|---|
| Macbeth | Read Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Library: Macbeth | Folger Shakespeare Library |
| Dracula | Read Dracula on Project Gutenberg: Dracula by Bram Stoker | Project Gutenberg |
About This Reading
Written around 1606, Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and easily his most efficient. A prophecy, a murder, a crown and a slow unraveling, with three witches stirring the pot the whole way through. Those witches, their cauldron and their famous chant have been unsettling audiences for more than four centuries and show no sign of retiring. In this reading, Sophia, Grace and Amaya take up the cauldron on behalf of the Players and demonstrate that two future teachers and a sound studies major can summon a convincing amount of toil and trouble.
Published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula told its story through letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, which means the Count has been cluttering people’s correspondence from the very beginning. The novel gave the world its definitive vampire and has never gone out of print, a feat of longevity the Count himself would appreciate. Nicholas Melendez, a senior biology major, delivers an original monologue inspired by the novel, bringing what we are assured is a purely academic appreciation for the circulatory system to the role.
Both works are in the public domain, which means you can read them for free, perform them for free and, if you are so inclined, be frightened by them for free. Our Lasallian Catholic mission calls us to educate the whole person, and we would argue that includes the part of the person that enjoys a good scare.
Filming support provided by Sam Wofford ‘26. Nothing was harmed in the making of this video except, possibly, Macbeth’s reputation.