Strange Cargo: Dracula's dark voyage comes to City Lit Theater
Sun. October 12, 2025 1:32 PM by Gerald Farinas
actor brian parry
photo credit // steven townshend of distant era
Enjoy gothic horror on stage for spooky season
CHICAGO, ILL. -
City Lit Theater’s 45th season continues with a voyage straight into gothic terror. Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter, a new play by Chicago playwright Timothy Griffin, reimagines one of the most haunting chapters in Bram Stoker’s Dracula—the doomed sea journey that carried the vampire from Transylvania to England.
The story of the Demeter has captivated audiences for generations, recently inspiring a 2023 box office film adaptation and a 2020 BBC miniseries that both explored the crew’s mysterious fate.
Now, Chicago audiences will experience this terrifying tale live on stage in a bold new world premiere co-produced by City Lit Theater and Black Button Eyes Productions, directed by Ed Rutherford. The production runs from October 10 through November 23 at City Lit Theater in Edgewater.
In Griffin’s adaptation, Captain Gorodetsky, played by veteran Chicago actor Brian Parry, commands the Russian schooner Demeter. When a mysterious passenger named Count Dracula boards with his eerie cargo, the voyage soon descends into nightmare. One by one, the sailors vanish, paranoia takes hold, and the captain must face an unspeakable horror. With storms, madness, puppetry, and swashbuckling action, Strange Cargo promises a suspenseful, cinematic experience perfect for the Halloween season.
The ensemble cast includes Alex Albrecht, Robert Howard, Ross Compton, Nathaniel Kohlmeier, Riles August Holiday, Andrew Bosworth, Jennifer Agather, Cameron Austin Brown, and Herb Metzler.
The creative team features Ruby Lowe (scenic design), Beth Laske-Miller (costumes), Liz Cooper (lighting), Joe Griffin (sound), DJ Douglass (projections), and Jeremiah Barr (properties and puppetry), under the stage management of Hazel Flowers-McCabe.
Tickets are $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances, with discounts for students, seniors, and military on their website or by phone at 773-293-3682. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., with Monday shows on November 10 and 17. More information is available at citylit.org.
City Lit Theater is located at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in the Edgewater Presbyterian Church New Community House.
Founded in 1979 by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt with just $210, City Lit Theater holds a unique place in Chicago’s cultural landscape. It is the eighth-oldest continuously operating theater in the city—just behind legendary institutions like Goodman, Court, and Steppenwolf.
It was also the first in the nation devoted exclusively to stage adaptations of literary works. Over its forty-five seasons, City Lit has brought fiction, essays, poetry, memoirs, and novels to the stage, championing storytelling that values imagination and intellect.
From its earliest productions, City Lit has celebrated the written word as a living art form. Its founding was even marked by a congratulatory letter from Tennessee Williams, signaling the high regard for its mission.
Today, under Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor, City Lit continues that tradition, staging works that honor both literary heritage and social consciousness.
City Lit’s performances take place inside the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church anchoring the corner of Bryn Mawr Ave. and Kenmore Ave. in Edgewater Beach—a century-old building that still hums with community life.
The congregation, over 130 years old with roots in the Church of Scotland, has long welcomed artists and activists alike. The building was intentionally built with theater space for the performing arts, and spaces to provide services to the greater community—a progressive idea in 1920s Chicago for any church.
True to its inclusive spirit, the church’s governing board is led by an LGBTQ individual, reflecting a commitment to diversity and belonging. Together, the theater and the church embody Edgewater’s creative and progressive heart—where art, faith, and community converge.
The story of the Demeter has captivated audiences for generations, recently inspiring a 2023 box office film adaptation and a 2020 BBC miniseries that both explored the crew’s mysterious fate.
Now, Chicago audiences will experience this terrifying tale live on stage in a bold new world premiere co-produced by City Lit Theater and Black Button Eyes Productions, directed by Ed Rutherford. The production runs from October 10 through November 23 at City Lit Theater in Edgewater.
In Griffin’s adaptation, Captain Gorodetsky, played by veteran Chicago actor Brian Parry, commands the Russian schooner Demeter. When a mysterious passenger named Count Dracula boards with his eerie cargo, the voyage soon descends into nightmare. One by one, the sailors vanish, paranoia takes hold, and the captain must face an unspeakable horror. With storms, madness, puppetry, and swashbuckling action, Strange Cargo promises a suspenseful, cinematic experience perfect for the Halloween season.
The ensemble cast includes Alex Albrecht, Robert Howard, Ross Compton, Nathaniel Kohlmeier, Riles August Holiday, Andrew Bosworth, Jennifer Agather, Cameron Austin Brown, and Herb Metzler.
The creative team features Ruby Lowe (scenic design), Beth Laske-Miller (costumes), Liz Cooper (lighting), Joe Griffin (sound), DJ Douglass (projections), and Jeremiah Barr (properties and puppetry), under the stage management of Hazel Flowers-McCabe.
Tickets are $30 for previews and $38 for regular performances, with discounts for students, seniors, and military on their website or by phone at 773-293-3682. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., with Monday shows on November 10 and 17. More information is available at citylit.org.
City Lit Theater is located at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in the Edgewater Presbyterian Church New Community House.
Founded in 1979 by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt with just $210, City Lit Theater holds a unique place in Chicago’s cultural landscape. It is the eighth-oldest continuously operating theater in the city—just behind legendary institutions like Goodman, Court, and Steppenwolf.
It was also the first in the nation devoted exclusively to stage adaptations of literary works. Over its forty-five seasons, City Lit has brought fiction, essays, poetry, memoirs, and novels to the stage, championing storytelling that values imagination and intellect.
From its earliest productions, City Lit has celebrated the written word as a living art form. Its founding was even marked by a congratulatory letter from Tennessee Williams, signaling the high regard for its mission.
Today, under Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor, City Lit continues that tradition, staging works that honor both literary heritage and social consciousness.
City Lit’s performances take place inside the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church anchoring the corner of Bryn Mawr Ave. and Kenmore Ave. in Edgewater Beach—a century-old building that still hums with community life.
The congregation, over 130 years old with roots in the Church of Scotland, has long welcomed artists and activists alike. The building was intentionally built with theater space for the performing arts, and spaces to provide services to the greater community—a progressive idea in 1920s Chicago for any church.
True to its inclusive spirit, the church’s governing board is led by an LGBTQ individual, reflecting a commitment to diversity and belonging. Together, the theater and the church embody Edgewater’s creative and progressive heart—where art, faith, and community converge.