Dracula set to be staged at city’s Northcott Theatre
Dracula: A small group of young men and women, led by Professor Van Helsing, are plunged into an epic struggle for survival. Image: Karl Andre.
Fans of Bram Stoker’s Dracula may remember how the heroic protagonist of the book very occasionally refers to Exeter within the dark pages of gothic horror. The Devon location hosts a team of solicitors who’re involed in the periphery of the plot.
Well, the city is now set to host Nick Lane’s acclaimed adaptation of Dracula as The Blackeyed Theatre brings it to life on the stage – with performances scheduled at the Northcote Theatre in April.
The play is set at the turn of the Twentieth century when mankind is on the verge of vast technological change, scientific mastery and media innovation.
Poised between traditional beliefs, the threat of the unknown and the shock of the new world, an altogether darker fear is emerging.
As a new shadow looms large over England, a small group of young men and women, led by Professor Van Helsing, are plunged into an epic struggle for survival.
‘I’m always excited to work with Blackeyed Theatre, and Dracula is such a cracking work – tense, dense and dripping with menace,’ explains writer and director, Nick Lane. ‘I wanted to tell the classic story, but also to try and explore certain elements within it in a slightly different way.’
‘When you blend the familiar and the strange, as we did with Jekyll & Hyde and more recently the Sherlock adaptation ‘The Valley of Fear,’ what you’re hoping is that the fans of the story – whether in book, film or TV form – feel you’ve done Bram Stoker justice, while those that are coming to Dracula with no preconceptions are drawn in by the mystery of who Count Dracula is. And of course ultimately you want to give everyone a great night out.’
‘High quality theatre:’ the cast of Blackeyed Theatre’s Dracula. Image: Karl Andre.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Embodying the struggle to break taboos
Stretching from London, through provincial England, to the mountainous wastes of Transylvania, Bram Stoker’s timeless gothic thriller embodies the struggle to break taboos, resist temptation and stop the unknown outside becoming the enemy within.
‘Dracula gives audiences a little bit of everything and really encapsulates what Blackeyed Theatre is all about – telling fantastic stories with passion, originality and unashamed theatricality,’ says Adrian McDougall, Artistic Director of Blackeyed Theatre.
‘And I’m proud that it furthers our mission to help ensure regional audiences get choice when it comes to high quality theatre.’
