By Aya Hashiguchi Clark

They’re back. Those entertaining actors (and a playwright) who taught Burien-area audiences to embrace the combination of wine tasting with original, locally-written theater are at it once again.

After a two-year hiatus, Breeders Theater is making a comeback with a brand new comedy about vampires and the business world called BLOOD PUDDING. A failing company brings in a new CEO who happens to be from Romania (home of the infamous Transylvania). She is a corporate turnaround specialist who takes companies that had been publicly owned, and privatizes them.

The company also brings in a Chief Financial Officer, who, during the course of the play, gets to know his CEO....in more ways than he ever imagined.

As with any Breeders Theater production, expect plenty of laughs along with some good-natured groans and perhaps some eye-rolling moments. Oh yes, and expect some biting (pun intended) satire about big business and all things vampire.

Breeders Theater managing director and chief playwright T.M. Sell is glad to be back in the saddle once again. After taking two years away from his semi-annual shows at the E.B. Foote Winery in Burien, Sell was approached by the City of Des Moines about producing a show at the city’s Beach Park Auditorium.

“It had been since 2011 that we had done a show in the winery, when they finally closed,” explains Sell. “But, the city of Des Moines has event space that they want to make use of, and they want to raise funds toward the continuing restoration of the beach park. So, I wrote my first draft in the Spring.”

Big business and vampires may seem like an unlikely pairing for the subject of a play. To Sell, the combination is natural. “People will sometimes say to me, ‘you should write about vampires.’ So I started to read the original Dracula, which is a typically atrocious piece of 19th century writing with a lot of words and excruciating details.” said Sell.

The Bram Stoker novel eventually made him want to shout, oh stop! “So, I marveled at the interest in vampires. I don’t get it.” confesses Sell. “ give you something that you eventually become addicted to, and then, it kills you. They’re like drug dealers, aren’t they? It’s kind of silly, so it was an easy subject for parody.”

“This is also a play about business, one of my favorite subjects. But I don’t think you have to know anything about either business or vampires to enjoy the show.” says Sell. “We have attempted to explain some things along the way.”

Breeders Theater fans who enjoyed the wine tasting portion of the evening will not be disappointed. Wine will still be available for purchase at the show, which will benefit the Beach Park Historic District.

Just in time for the Halloween season, the comeback of Breeders Theater will be a welcome addition to the cultural scene in Des Moines. “We will miss the winery,” laments Sell, “but the [Beach auditorium has heat.”

The play features the acting talents of Martin Mackenzie, Steve Coffey, Steve Davis, Adrienne Grieco, Erica MsAdams-Roth, Amber Rack and Amanda Rae.

BLOOD PUDDING runs Oct. 25, 26 and Nov. 1 and 2 at 7 pm, and Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 at 2 pm. Tickets are still only $20 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are also available from the City of Des Moines at the Des Moines Field House Recreation Office, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm, or by calling 206-870-6627.

The Des Moines Beach Park Auditorium is located at 22030 Cliff Ave. S. in Des Moines.