A new adaptation of Dracula receives its London premiere in February 2019 at the historic London Library – the venue where Bram Stoker spent seven years researching his gothic masterpiece and creating one of fiction’s most enduring characters.
This atmospheric site-specific production, by Oxford-based Creation Theatre, transports the narrative to the 1950s, set amongst the emotional and social restrictions of the era. We meet a young couple reeling from their encounters with the demon Count. Jonathan struggles with his role as husband and protector, while Mina rails against the limitations placed on her as an intelligent woman.
Directed by Helen Tennison and adapted by playwright Kate Kerrow this production puts Jonathan and Mina’s relationship at its heart.
Creation Theatre, Oxford’s largest producing theatre, has for the last 22 years established a growing reputation for their innovative theatrical adaptations of famous books with performances taking place in dramatic and unexpected locations.
Innovative audio-visual design will convey the sense of dread induced by the unseen vampire presence. The staging takes place in the Reading Room of The London Library and takes on a macabre significance following the recent discovery that numerous books still on the Library’s shelves are the original copies that Bram Stoker used to create his masterpiece.
Philip Spedding, The London Library’s Development Director who made the discovery commented “The books we have found show that Bram Stoker drew heavily on The London Library’s collection to help research Dracula. It appears beyond doubt that his extraordinary tale of the Transylvanian undead has many of its origins in the quiet confines of St. James’s Square.”
Dracula is at The London Library 2nd February to 3rd March.
