Dracula: Mina's Reckoning.

Dracula Mina's Reckoning - Photo credit Mihaela Bodlovic.

Dracula: Mina's Reckoning, written by Morna Pearson, and directed by Olivier award-winning Sally Cookson. Playing at The Belgrade Theatre 18 - 21 October 2023.

Preview by Arabella Neville-Rolfe.

The world premiere of Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning – produced by the National Theatre of Scotland and Aberdeen Performing Arts in association with the Belgrade Theatre – will come to Coventry from 18–21 October 2023 with a press performance on Wednesday 18 October.

Set in a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897, this unique Scottish adaptation places the character of Mina Murray at the centre of the action. Mina seeks refuge at the hospital to escape the horrors she has experienced, retelling her encounters with the most terrifying of beasts: Dracula. Mina is joined by the patients, an all-women and non-binary ensemble, and together they tell a unique version of Bram Stoker’s legendary tale. We are transported to a world where immortality and ultimate power is possible, even for women - but with terrible consequences.

Gothic-inspired set and costumes designed by Kenneth MacLeod - Photo credit Mihaela Bodlovic.

Based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning has been written by Morna Pearson, and directed by Olivier award-winning Sally Cookson. The story is by Morna Pearson, Sally Cookson and Rosie Kellagher, with additional material devised by the company.

This new take on Bram Stroker’s Dracula features an all-female and gender non-binary ensemble, with Danielle Jam as ‘Mina’, Ailsa Davidson as ‘Lucy / Elsie’, Liz Kettle as ‘Dracula’, Natalie Arle-Royne as ‘Van Helsing / Tichy’, Maggie Bain as ‘Dr Steward / Georgina’, Catriona Faint as ‘Jonathan / Annie’, Anne Lacey as ‘Mr Swails / Bella’ and Ros Watt as ‘Renfield / Katherine’.

The production features atmospheric, Gothic-inspired set and costumes designed by Kenneth MacLeod with video design by Lewis den Hertog, a dark, distinctive score from composer Benji Bower and visceral movement from Vicki Manderson.

Not for the faint-hearted, this classic tale is filled with Pearson’s trademark humour and taste for the strange and grotesque. This breathtaking gothic production transposes the action to Scotland amid the wild beauty of the landscapes of the North-East which originally inspired the novel.

Set in a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897. Photo credit Mihaela Bodlovic.

Writer Morna Pearson said: “I was excited to adapt Dracula and place it in the familiar setting of the North-East, the place where my writing feels at home. I wanted to examine themes of our times – fear, trauma, and powerlessness – in ways the horror genre lends itself to. With Stoker drawing influence from Cruden Bay, it felt appropriate to relocate the narrative to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, exploring the area and characters I find most inspirational. There is room for more horror and stories from the North-East in theatre, so I am thrilled that my first large scale production is a bold retelling of Dracula set there.”

Morna Pearson was born in the North-East of Scotland, in Elgin, and is an award-winning Edinburgh-based playwright and screenwriter. For years Dracula has been associated with Whitby and Transylvania, but recent research suggests that Aberdeenshire played a significant part in shaping the novel, and in particular Slains Castle which features an octagonal room like the one described by Stoker in Dracula’s Castle.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula was first published in 1897 and has since been adapted into numerous films and plays. Stoker himself wrote the first theatrical adaptation, which was presented at London’s Lyceum Theatre on 18 May 1897 under the title Dracula, or The Undead.

For tickets and to watch the trailer go to: https://www.belgrade.co.uk/events/dracula-minas-reckoning