Ian Greenlaw has sung on opera stages around the world, including La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera.
His latest role, however, is something a little different.
This month, Greenlaw is taking the stage at the Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City.
Video: Greenlaw as Mercutio in a production of "Romeo et Juliette" from Atlanta Opera.
He's playing "Actor 2" in the community theater's production of "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors."
His role as "Actor 2" in the play includes several different characters, such as a ship's captain, Dr. Westfeldt and Renfield.
"In all my years of performing, I've never been in a straight play," Greenlaw said. "It seemed like a nice challenge."
Even though he's performed on opera stages around the world, Greenlaw said that he's impressed with his experience at Old Town Playhouse.
"I've been amazed at how professionally this company treats the process," he said. "Everyone takes it very seriously - in some ways, more seriously than some of the professional productions I've been in."
There are challenges, though. He discovered that memorizing spoken lines is a very different process than memorizing music.
"Unwittingly, I don't think I realized how much I was relying on the score to help me learn my lines," he said.
Greenlaw will do some singing during the production, but be forewarned: the singing will be for laughs.
"Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors" opens Oct. 23 at Old Town Playhouse and runs through Oct. 31.
