Portland Ballet will present a new interpretation of Bram Stoker’s classic “Dracula” this fall. Pictured are dancers Grace Koury and Eugene Mesheryakov. Photo by Zack Bowen and courtesy of Portland Ballet

Can’t stop thinking about the election? Planning your Halloween costume? In the mood to rewatch your favorite movie?

This fall, there is something for everyone on stage in Maine.

IF YOU’RE FEELING CREEPY

As the days get darker, so does the drama.

Theaters in Maine will present spookier shows and darker themes this fall. The tone shift just feels natural with Halloween on the horizon and a chill in the air.

“It’s fun to explore these dark themes at the time of year when you start to turn inward anyway,” said Nell Shipman, artistic director at Portland Ballet. “The weather gets cold. You stay more inside. It feels right to get into that side of things. … I’m not huge into the gore, the icky stuff, but there’s a part of nature that is dark and spooky and creepy. It’s a primal instinct to be a little bit cautious in the dark, and it’s interesting to explore that. You can find out more about yourself, but it’s also fun. It’s fun to get scared. It’s fun to allow yourself to put your hand into the dark and see what comes out on the other side.”

Shipman is choreographing a new version of “Dracula” for Portland Ballet to be performed at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center on Oct. 25 and 26. Tickets are $35 with discounts available for students, children and seniors. It’s a popular story this year with multiple interpretations in theater as well, so vampire fans won’t have to sate their appetite. Public Theatre in Lewiston will present “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” (Oct. 11-27, $15-$35) and Footlights Theatre in Falmouth will offer “Dracula: Mark of the Vampire” (Oct. 24 to Nov. 9, $20).

Portland Ballet’s version will involve the full company of 20 dancers, and Shipman said fans will recognize the story from Bram Stoker’s novel but will also see a unique take. She said she wanted to adapt this story because it is rooted in fantasy but evokes real emotion.

“Sometimes with scary stories in which the action is based in reality and could be real, it’s recognizable that the fear would be real,” she said. “But a story that without a doubt is fictional and has the power to stir real feelings is incredibly fun to get into. Dracula is not real. There are no such things as vampires. Regardless, it’s immensely frightening. That is a story that is exciting to tell. That, coupled with the haunting atmosphere of the story, makes it such an inspiring fit for ballet.”

Horror can still be humorous. Take “Little Shop of Horrors” at Ogunquit Playhouse through Sept. 21, which artistic director Brad Kenney described as “hysterically funny.” Tickets cost between $50 and $160. Director Hunter Foster starred as Seymour in the original Broadway production in 2003; now, he will return to Ogunquit to put his own touch on the show. The story centers on a carnivorous plant with a craving for human blood. Most productions use a puppet, Kenney said, but Ogunquit Playhouse cast drag queen Latrice Royale, who is best known for appearances on “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.”

“It’s a way to see ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ like no one has seen before,” Kenney said.

Mad Horse Theater Company chose to launch its season with the play “Witch” by Jen Silverman in October. It’s a modern retelling of the play “The Witch of Edmonton,” first published in 1658. Allison McCall, who was recently named artistic director, said she hopes it “lights a fire in the bellies of everyone who sees it.” The company follows a pay-what-you-can model for tickets, and it also launched a new subscription package for this season at $250 for two tickets to all four plays.

“The story is focusing on what happens to a woman who is ostracized by society, by things that men did and said to her,” McCall said. “It’s looking at those gender roles in the context of very early colonial America. It’s been hundreds of years, and we’re still having those conversations, and we’re still fighting this fight.”

Portland Ovations will present a family-friendly, bilingual performance of “Sugar Skull! A Día De Muertos Musical Adventure” on Nov. 12 at Merrill Auditorium. Photo by Dave Titensor and courtesy of Portland Ovations

Also on stage this fall is “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at City Theater (Oct. 4-20, $30) and the family-friendly “Sugar Skull! A Dia De Muertos Musical Adventure” (Nov. 12, $20), presented by Portland Ovations at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.

Portland municipal organist James Kennerley will also perform two fitting fall concerts on the Kotzschmar Organ at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium. Kennerly will perform a program inspired by “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” on Oct. 25, and tickets are $25 with discounts available. Then he’ll give a “Spooktacular Songs and Storytime” concert on Oct. 26, which is free. Guests are invited to wear Halloween attire to both events.

IF POLITICS ARE ON YOUR MIND

Portland Stage will tell the story of a well-known Maine politician with “Conscience” (Sept. 25 to Oct. 13) by Joe DiPietro. Tickets cost $20 to $73. The play centers on former U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith during the Cold War at the time of her most famous speech – the “Declaration of Conscience” in 1950, when she became the first member of the Senate to denounce the anticommunist crusade led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

“It’s actually this tightly woven, fast-paced political drama,” artistic director Anita Stewart said. “It’s this chess game, in a sense, that they’re all playing, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

Stewart said Portland Stage is partnering with organizations such as the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan and hopes to have Maine’s delegation at the show as well. She noted that the theater selected this play before anyone knew that a woman would be on the ballot for the presidency in November. Still, she said “Conscience” is less about any specific candidate and more a chance to highlight the women who have long been active in politics in Maine.

“This has always been in our political DNA,” she said.

Portland Stage has also partnered with the Maine-based Dramatic Repertory Company to present “Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika” from Oct. 23 to Nov. 10. Tickets cost between $20 and $73. The story centers on the AIDS crisis in New York City in the 1980s. Stewart said playwright Tony Kushner’s second installment can be seen independent of the first, and the story deals with themes that still feel “so relevant” to 2024.

Michela Micalzio in “Angels in America: Part One” at Portland Stage Company. “Part Two: Perestroika” is on stage this fall. Photo by James A. Hadley and courtesy of Portland Stage Company

Maine playwright Kevin O’Leary deliberately planned to stage his latest work “God Less America” (Oct. 9-19) during the weeks before the presidential election. All seats are $25 at The Studio Theatre at 25A Forest Ave. in Portland, and tickets will be available on Eventbrite starting Sept. 23.

The story follows two families – one white, one Indian and Filipino – as they grapple with racism in their small town. O’Leary said he spent months researching the play and working with friends at the Indian Hindu Temple in Westbrook to develop the script. The timing of the debut was important, he said, and he hopes audience members think about the message as they go to the ballot box.

“We are at a crossroads,” he said. “We are at a place of decision-making. In my humble opinion, if we are to achieve a more perfect union as our founding citizens promulgated all those years ago in that hot Philadelphia room, if we are to realize that more perfect union, then we have to acknowledge our imperfections with grace. We have to become the America that we’re supposed to be.”

Also on stage this fall is a new original work by Vivid Motion Dance titled “QUEER: An exploration of LGBTQIA+ experiences through dance” on Sept. 14 at the Hill Arts in Portland. Tickets are $25 in advance and $29 at the door; all proceeds will benefit Camp Pride Florida. Organizers write, “The political climate in Florida is exceptionally hostile to queer people, and especially targets youth. QUEER 2024’s co-director Oliver Jones has been a part of Camp Pride Maine almost as long as he’s been a part of Vivid Motion Dance, and knows how deeply transformative and beneficial programs like these are for our queer youth.”

IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE A FAVORITE MOVIE LIVE

This fall, Ogunquit Playhouse is staging a world premiere of a musical version of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (Sept. 26 to Oct. 27). Tickets cost $50 to $160. Ron Bass, the movie’s original screenwriter, partnered with playwright Jonathan Harvey to develop the book for this adaptation of the 1997 romantic comedy. The Ogunquit Playhouse supported the project, which had been in the works before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenney said Ogunquit Playhouse has been investing in new works for a decade and was excited to launch this production.

“We have a whole budget line that funds those processes for these actors and creators,” he said.

Kenney described the musical “My Best Friend’s Wedding” as ” ‘Mean Girls’ meets ‘Mama Mia.’ ”

“You get all the songs you want, but not all the characters behave as they should,” he said. “Maybe a heroine doesn’t have to be a Disney princess.”

Also on stage this fall is a rendition of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” (Sept. 13-29) by the Portland Players, the oldest community theater in Maine. For more information, visit portlandplayers.org or call 207-799-7337.

IF YOU WANT A WHOLE WEEKEND OF MUSIC

The Portland Symphony Orchestra turns 100 this year, and the season will open with a weekend of celebration. The kickoff is a free block party at 5 p.m. Sept. 20 at City Hall Plaza and on Myrtle Street with musical performances, an instrument “petting zoo,” a craft station, food trucks and a beer garden. Also free is a community sing-along Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. The orchestra will perform two concerts on Sept. 22 and 24 that will feature Anna Clyne’s “Quarter Days,” a co-commission by the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. For more information about ticket prices and packages, as well as the full season schedule, visit portlandsymphony.org.

The Portland Conservatory of Music will hold the third annual PianoPalooza from Oct. 18-20 at 28 Neal St. in Portland. The program includes performances by Duo Mundi George & Guli, Neil Pearlman and Jeremy Denk. Piano is the most popular instrument at the conservatory, and students will perform at a free recital Oct. 19. For more information about the schedule and tickets, visit pcm.org or porttix.com.