I've been getting John DiDonna's myspace bulletins about Bathory: The Blood Countess for weeks now and finally read one. The story sounds pretty neat:
On December 29th, 1610 a small party led by the Lord Palatine, Count George Thurzo, arrived at Cachtice Castle only to find the battered and bloody remains of a variety of women who had died ferociously within those walls. The Hungarian show trials that were to take place within days revealed the horrid realities of torture, bloodletting, and the murder of over 600 women. It was these events that would lead to the centuries old legend of a woman thought to be one of the most evil to have ever lived, Countess Erzsebet Bathory – called by legend and folklore ‘The Countess of Blood”.WHAT: Bathory, The Blood Countess
The servants who assisted Erzsebet, commonly called Elizabeth, were put to death, but for political and economic reasons, Bathory herself was never even tried. Sentenced in abstentia she was to live out the remaining days of her life walled into her rooms at the castle, where she died in August of 1614.
Utilizing what historical facts still exist, the transcripts of the trial testimonies, as well as centuries of folklore and legend, DiDonna and his collaborators meld horror, psychology, witchcraft, and even compassion into what is sure to be a roller coaster Halloween ride.
WHEN October 19th – Novemeber 3rd
WHERE The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Loch Haven Park – Orlando, FL
CALL 407.328.9005 for Reservations