Love Bites
A series of short scenes tells an unusual tale of love. A young woman named Vanesa endures unsuccessful dates that include a mummy, a ghost, and a zombie. Across town, Zack, a vampire, encounters a series of human women with equally monstrous results. Are the characters fated to search fruitlessly or destined to discover their hearts’ desire? Find out if romance rules…or if love bites!
Productions
Behind The Scenes
PLAYWRIGHT KEN PREUSS TALKS ABOUT LOVE BITES:
Q: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS PLAY?
A: I noticed a lot of people performing plays about zombies and a lot of people performing plays about bad dates. I decided to combine the concepts and write a play about a zombie on a bad date. Somewhere along the way, the zombie morphed into a vampire. (Wait a minute… a zombie morphing into a vampire? I think I just got an idea for another play!)
Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OR LINE IN THE PLAY? WHY?
A: I really like the flirtatious meet-cute between Zack and Vanesa. It’s a perfectly playful and romantic moment… until it turns horribly tragic and sad. (Sort of like my first kiss.)
Q: WHERE DID THE CHARACTERS COME FROM? ARE THEY BASED ON PEOPLE YOU KNOW?
A: The inspiration for the men came from a variety of sources. Leonard is Woody Allen as a mummy. Henry was “borrowed” from a classic novella. Zack is the forever-young, smooth talking, ladies’ man I always wanted to be. (Without the blood-drinking and painful death, of course.) The women were all inspired by dates I had in high school. I’m kidding. (I never had any dates in high school.)
Q: WHAT DID YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS PLAY?
A: I tried to create a fast and funny comedy with unusual characters and unexpected moments. I wanted to offer the cast and crew some creative choices and give the audience plenty of laughs and surprises. I also hoped that the short scenes might be used individually to provide performers with fun material for duet acting competitions.
Q: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
A: (Spoiler alert!) This is the first of my plays where the romantic leads don’t end up together. The ending should not be viewed as sad, though. Vanesa successfully achieves her goal, and a flurry of romantic couplings proves that happiness awaits everyone in some form. For those who feel sorry for Zack, please note that, although it is not written into the play, when he enters the Great Beyond, he meets a beautiful and compatible recently-dead lady vampire and lives happily ever after. For those who don’t feel sorry for Zack, he spends eternity sad and alone. (Like me on Prom night.)