This is the very first Director's Note I have ever written! I felt like it was necessary to start writing them because I want to give people a window into the reasons behind what we do. I truly love working with the students at PTHS and as I searched for our next play, I struggled to come up with something that would be meaningful both to them and to me. I love comedies, but so many of the plays I was reading were beyond silly...and this is coming from a very silly person! They were just too goofy. I was yearning for something more meaningful; something to be passionate about. When I eventually hit on the concept of Dracula, it appealed to me for several reasons:
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It's not a comedy — a challenge!
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The story is well-known.
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The play is based on the original Bram Stoker novel.
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The author of the adaptation specifically stated that he did NOT want to portray Dracula as a hero.
Here is an excerpt from the Production Notes, in the script:
"I believe Dracula is the story of a vicious and unscrupulous monster who thrives not only on the blood of his victims, but on their suffering. I find nothing campy or romantic about this character; I do not think a powerful male figure who brutally attacks young women is funny, attractive, or in any way sympathetic. I therefore set out to write an adaptation of this story that reflected that view of its central character."
I liked this concept, but then an additional stroke of inspiration "sealed the deal" for me: what if we did it in the style of Bridgerton? Dracula is such a dark story and the style of Bridgerton is so bright and airy. The show is set in Victorian times, but the colors are all vibrant. Everyone seems so young and attractive. The music sounds like it's from the period, because of the way it's orchestrated and performed, but it actually consists of modern pop songs. What would it be like if we told this classic story, using a similar, modern, "pop" sensibility? This concept really excited me and I knew that the students would be thrilled at the prospect.
I also knew that I had a great group of students who would welcome the challenge of presenting a non-comedy in a somewhat edgy, exciting way. I knew that they would be enthused about the process of figuring out how to make an audience squirm as a somewhat familiar unfolds. Furthermore, I knew that I had someone who could really give this production the special flair that it deserves: Julia Squier.
I have known Julia since she was a senior at PTHS. She was in the production of Spelling Bee directed by Nancy LaShure. I was not yet working at PTHS, but my son Liam was a freshman here and appeared in the ensemble. I learned that Julia was interested in pursuing a career in costume design and I eventually asked her to costume the first play I directed at PTHS: Puffs. Julia did such a wonderful job, assembling the odd assortment of costumes we needed, PLUS she custom-designed a hand puppet that could have it's head ripped off by a dragon! Her special interest in puppetry would be part of my reason for coming back to her when I took on this project!
