By SYLVIA FRYE 
Theater Critic  
  Not since Sebastian Sly butchered “Madness at Midnight” has there been another stage play that bites as badly as “Varney the Vampire.” 
  This play sucks. Literally. 
  Varney is after all a vampire. He is a very scary character and not one bit funny. 
  The other characters, however, are hysterical. 
  The Put-in-Bay Dramatic Society in conjunction with the Put-in-Bay Arts Council celebrates its 10^th Anniversary with the production of “Varney the Vampire” on April 15, 16 and 17 at the Put-in-Bay Town Hall Opera House.  
  Curtain is promptly at 8 p.m. if they can get that hack Amy Huston to wrap up her shtick in time. 
  For the first time in a decade, the theater company’s spring production has lured half of its cast from the island’s high school.

   The Put-in-Bay Arts Council voted to expand the organization's Executive Board from five to nine at its April 1 meeting.
   The council, which oversees many theater, art and music programs at Put-in-Bay, currently has a President, Vice President, Secertary and Treasurer, plus a member-at-large elected last September.
   Council President Maggie Beckford said it is important that the community have more representation on the board and would like to see more people bringing ideas for events and activities to the table for consideration.
  The board will also review the council's current organizational documents and the bylaws. Beckford said the bylaws are too restrictive in some areas and need to be taylored as guidelines for the organization.
   "There's no need to spell every little action out," Beckford said. "Organizations sometimes handcuff themselves by being too specific in duties and membership requirements."
   Beckford invited anyone interested in the arts to contact Nikki Drake about seeking election to the board.
   "One of the first things we need to do is define our membership," Beckford said. "We've created a Patron category for supporting arts council programs and events and that will become the bases of our membership. We will draw from that base for future board elections, but right now we need more input on the board to increase community awareness and participation."
   The arts council meets the first and third Mondays of the month, May through October, at 7 p.m. at the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce offices in the Depot downtown.