View Proposal
Production Type: Mainterm
Season: Term Time 11/12
Show Details
Show Name: Dracula
Author: Dominic J. Allan after Bram Stoker
Cast Male: 7
Cast Female: 5
Approx Running Time: 1.5 hours
Preferred Week: 10
Team
Producer: Rosie Curtis
Director: John Rushton
Technical Manager: Lewis Eason
Stage Manager: Anncy Thresher
Blurbs
Publicity Blurb: We fear no man, no superstition and no story. Except one.
Proposal Blurb: In the decaying ruins of a church, a band of gypsies have made their den. Any weary travellers are welcome to join them; there are seats to rest weary bones, and stories to pass the time… Tonight they tell the darkest, and greatest, tale they know.
Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” tells the story of a horrifying vampire’s efforts to relocate from his native Transylvania to England. A young lawyer, Jonathan Harker, is sent to oversee the sale of to Count Dracula, however he quickly becomes a prisoner in Dracula’s decaying castle, falling under the power of his vampiric Brides. Upon arriving in England, Dracula begins to prey upon Harker’s fiancée, Mina, and her friend Lucy. When Lucy grows ill her doctor, concerned by her symptoms, calls for his old friend and mentor, Professor Abraham van Helsing. Unfortunately he arrives too late to save Lucy, but determines to lead a coalition of friends to track down and destroy the monster once and for all.
“Dracula” is rich with interesting characters, and tells a fantastical, beautiful and exciting story, which has entertained and terrified for over a hundred years. This new adaptation comes from award-winning Belt Up Theatre’s Dominic Allen. Here, the aim is to make the storytelling innovative, immersive and unsettling. The storytellers will be timeless gypsy travellers who perform the characters as the tale is told, giving scope for a large cast, as well as the disturbing prospect that some of the storytellers may not be trustworthy, instilling a sense of uncertainty about where the story is going .
This adaptation also ventures deep into the character of Dracula; he is a somewhat tragic figure, remembering the glories of his past, of his conquests, yet he cannot find his place in the modern world. Here the character is largely based on the historical figure of Vlad the Impaler, with his eternal undead hunger for blood borne out of the bloody, tyrannical reign he oversaw while alive. When he regains his strength, we see the military dictator of his past glory, rather than the high-collared cape so often seen.
Bedlam’s church architecture makes it the perfect setting for this production. We’ll be emphasising this element, playing with the dark and the derelict, working with a palette of muted and earthy tones (browns, beiges, purples, dark reds) to create the traveller’s den and costumes. We also intent to undertake a theatre conversion, with the play staged in the disrupted round, having five performance areas arranged into a quincunx, allowing for exciting staging of the action in and around the audience. Given the immersive nature of the piece, simple, yet effective, lighting will be used, accompanied with live music played by the gypsy ensemble.
Posters and publicity will feature dark, sinister, and bloodied images – pushing the terrific nature of the production to its limits. The current fundraising plan is to have a horror movie marathon to keep our dark theme consistent, potentially followed by a sleepover (complete with scary stories around a space heater).
“Dracula” is a dark, scary and sinister piece, which will draw the audience into the gothic world of Bram Stoker’s most famous creation, exploring a variety of issues, and breathing fresh life into the undead…
Requires Rights: Yes
Rights Available: Yes
Budget
Royalties: 150
Publicity: 175
Tech: 130
Set: 450
Costume: 200
Props: 50
Admin: 60
Contingency: £121.50
Total Budget: £1336.50
From EUTC: £850.00
From other sources: £486.50
Time Submitted: Wed 1st Feb '12 at 19:09:52
Approved By: Alex Fernandes
Passed By: The Company
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