KC Rep’s “Dracula” takes on a new vision of the classic story Nov. 2 at the Copaken Stage through a feminist lens and intentional theatrical design.
Playwrights and co-directors Vanessa Severo and Joanie Schultz aimed to develop the characters that were previously one-dimensionally written.
“Older versions of Dracula pigeonhole the female characters as weak, valued mostly for their beauty and innocence. We threw those rules out. We stripped the story down to its bones and reimagined it,” said Severo in an interview by Jana Lilies, the Director of Marketing and Communications for KC Rep.
The show would not have been the same if not for the actors giving life to the characters from the script to the stage.
“Dracula” follows the story of heartbreak and obsession. The original story focuses on the relationship between Mina and her fiancée, Jonathan.
Dracula becomes obsessed with Mina, who looks like his deceased wife, and lures Jonathan away. Meanwhile, he is hunted by Van Helsing, who has an obsession with Dracula in a different way.
The retelling focuses on a new character’s lens Lucy, who experiences haunting dreams of Dracula and is eventually turned into a vampire.
“We wanted to talk a lot about Lucy as a person beyond what you see portrayed in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”. She’s oftentimes hypersexualized or just ends up being the friend or the girl in the bed,” said Elaine Clifford, who plays Lucy.
Lucy and Mina’s friendship becomes a symbol of innocence and support. When Lucy is losing her humanity, she calls out to Mina, the only one who saw her as a person, not only an object.
“A lot of times, if you have a female relationship portrayed on stage, there’s a sort of girliness to it and that’s not how women interact with each other. We wanted to bring that element of reality into their relationship as well,” said Clifford.
Severo, who stars in the show as Van Helsing, takes a new perspective on the character, adding a gender fluid spin to a traditionally masculine character.
“Gender in this adaptation – it slips, reshapes and restabilizes old power structures. At its core, this story is about claiming agency over one’s body, identity and fate,” said Severo and Schultz.
Everything in the show is intentional from the set and lighting design, to the movements on stage.
The moment the show opens, smoke is coming from the floor and it continues throughout. The set design, although appearing minimal, combines a series of moving parts.
“The pattern painted on it was rendered in ink by hand and uses no repeated images. It took dozens of people and hundreds of years of combined experience to produce the set,” said Mark Exline, the scenic designer.
The paneling on the walls opened to allow people through and to create a ghostly effect. Set pieces are motorized, allowing them to move on and off the stage seamlessly.
“I have always loved old-timey theater magic. Dracula is as much of the earth as he is spirit, and blurring those things visually, is astounding,” said Severo.
The costume design reflects character growth throughout the show. For Lucy she is longing to be free from the constraints of a world where she is thought of as an object. Her costume becomes free after she is bitten by Dracula, resembling a bird.
From the eerie singing that ties the beginning to the end, it sets up the timeless world in a meaningful way.
Audience members are encouraged to dress up in costume to bring Halloween spirit throughout the theater. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the door.
