Print Version - Taproot Theatre Company

2015 JEWELL MAINSTAGE
PLAY GUIDE
WELCOME
Welcome to a new school year and a new season at Taproot Theatre.
It’s the decades old tale of good versus evil, but what do you really know about the story of Dracula, other than that Dracula is evil? He’s not having an existential crisis, or in high school and he
most definitely does not sparkle.
As you delve into this Play Guide, pay special attention to the other characters in the play. These
characters are what Dracula is really about. It’s the story of strangers who come together to defeat
an ancient evil.
Join our heroes as they venture through the underbelly of London in search of a fearful foe who
will stop at nothing to conquer the world.
Isaiah Custer
Communications & Group Sales Manager
P.S. We would love to hear from you! Tag us on any of the social media platforms listed below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
JEWELL MAINSTAGE
204 N 85th St
Seattle, WA 98103
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
212 N 85th St
Seattle, WA 98103
THE AUTHOR & PLAYWRIGHT
4
5
Bram Stoker
Nathan Jeffrey
THE PLAY
206.781.9707 Box Office
206.781.9708 Group Sales
206.781.9705 Administrative Office
6
7
10
WWW.TAPROOTTHEATRE.ORG
CULTURAL CONTEXT
A Play Guide published by
Taproot Theatre Company
12
13
14
15
RESEARCHER: Sonja Lowe
EDITOR: Isaiah Custer
PRODUCTION PHOTOS: Erik Stuhaug
All rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use by
teachers and individual personal use, no part of this Play Guide
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers. Some materials published herein are
written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted by
permission of their publishers.
Play Guides are produced by the Marketing Department at
Taproot Theatre Company.
Inquiries about reproducing materials may be directed to the
member of the Marketing Department listed as the editor for
that Play Guide.
This play guide may be updated periodically with
new information. Last update 9.28.2015
Synopsis
Characters/Costumes
Setting/Place
Time
Time
Time
Time
Period:
Period:
Period:
Period:
The Victorian Era
Mina Murray
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing
Dr. Jack Seward
AROUND THE WORLD
16
17
18
19
The Vampire Myth
The Vampire Myth - Symbolism
Dracula on Film
Seattle Public Library Recommends
QUESTIONS
20
Post-Show Reflection Questions
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
21
22
About Us
What’s Next
THE AUTHOR
BRAM STOKER
November 8, 1847 - April 20, 1912
Bram Stoker was born Abraham Stoker on November 8, 1847, in Dublin, Ireland, to father
Abraham Stoker and mother Charlotte Matilda Blake Thornley Stoker. He was one of seven children. In 1864, Stoker enrolled at the University of Dublin—founded by Queen Elizabeth I in
1592—where he attended the university's sole constituency, Trinity College. He graduated with
honors from Trinity College in 1870, earning a mathematics degree. Not long after, he was hired
as a civil servant at Dublin Castle, home to British royals in Ireland from the early 1800s to the
early 1920s. Stoker's father had also worked as a civil servant at the castle, and helped his son
land a position there.
While working at the castle, Stoker began juggling another role: In the evenings, he worked as
an unpaid writer for a local newspaper, the Dublin Evening Mail (later the Evening Mail), penning
reviews of various theatrical productions in the City of Dublin.
After nearly 10 years in civil service, Stoker left his position at Dublin Castle. Around that same
time, Stoker established a friendship and working relationship that would soon prove to be a pivotal step for his career, inspiring his literary prowess and, ultimately, his most acclaimed work.
Bram Stoker.
http://s567.photobucket.com/albums/
Stoker was introduced to famed English actor Sir Henry Irving after reviewing a production of
ss113/salv_photo/?
the Shakespearean play Hamlet, in which Irving was cast. The two quickly became friends, and in
action=view&current=bramthe late 1870s, Irving offered Stoker a management position at his production company/venue in
stoker.jpg&newest=1
England, the still-famous Lyceum Theatre in London's West End. His duties as manager included
writing letters—sometimes up to 50 per day—for Irving, as well as traveling worldwide on Irving's tours.
Newly inspired by his travels and exposure to the arts, in 1875, Stoker published his first horror story, The Primrose Path. He
continued to publish writings while managing the successful Lyceum Theatre, including the story Under the Sunset (1882) and the
novel The Snake's Pass (1890), earning modest acclaim. More notably, he garnered public praise for his many roles dedicated to
the arts.
In 1897, Stoker published his masterpiece, Dracula. While the book garnered success after its release, its popularity has continued to grow for more than a century. Deemed a classic horror novel today, Dracula has inspired the creation of numerous theatrical, literary and film adaptations.
Following the release of Dracula, Stoker quickly began work on new writings. He would publish 19 novels before the end of his
life. Among Stoker's later works are Miss Betty (1898), The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (1879), The Mystery of
the Sea (1902), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1904) and The Lair of the White Worm (1911), which was later published under the
title The Garden of Evil.
Final Years
Stoker served as Lyceum's manager for nearly 30 years, until Irving's death in 1905. Seven years later, on April 20, 1912, Stoker
died in London, England.
Bram Stoker. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:27, Jul 20, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/bram-stoker-9495731.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
What are some of your favorite movies adapted from
books?
PAGE 4
THE PLAYWRIGHT
NATHAN JEFFREY
Nathan Jeffrey is thrilled to have his first full-length stage adaptation produced on the
Taproot Mainstage! Nathan is the Director of Education and Outreach at Taproot, where
he directs productions for the Touring Company and works with teachers in the Acting
Studio. His recent directing credits include Pretty Fire and Jeeves Intervenes (Taproot
Theatre), A Christmas Carol, The Innkeepers’ Christmas, and The Mark of Immediacy
(Taproot Touring), Godspell and Doubt (Driftwood Players).
MONSTERS AND HEROES:
ADAPTING BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA FOR THE STAGE
Reflections from Playwright, Nathan Jeffrey
I think the first monster I met as a child was The White Witch in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe. She terrified me. The White Witch made me scared for Lucy,
for Susan and Peter, and most of all for Edmond. The Chronicles of Narnia birthed my love
for high fantasy, and the stories of courageous men and women who struggle against
great evil in the face of overwhelming odds.
Playwright Nathan Jeffrey.
I began working on the adaptation of Dracula in 2013. I had never read the novel, and
my initial response was dubious. I confess my distaste for the sexualized characterizations
of vampires in modern paranormal fiction: Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, Underworld, etc. So I approached the project with a fair
degree of cynicism. But, as I read and adapted the novel, I was struck by two things which dramatically separate Bram Stoker’s
Dracula from many of our modern vampire tales.
The first is the very structure of the novel. Like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the story of Dracula does not center on
the title character. Dracula isn’t a story about Dracula, but rather the everyday heroes who come together to thwart
Dracula. I must admit that I fell in love with this strange little band of British men and women. They are ordinary people—
doctors, lawyers, professors and school teachers—thrown into extraordinary circumstances and struggling to make the right
choices. So in adapting the novel to the stage, I have tried to capture the courage and sacrifice of those who willingly pitted themselves against a stronger, cannier and more powerful foe.
My second discovery revolved around the character of Dracula himself. Encountering this monster for the first time as an adult, I
had a similar reaction to my encounter with The White Witch as a child. He terrified me. Vampires in modern culture seem
cursed by fate and deserving of our sympathy, but Stoker writes Dracula as a monster, who feeds on the blood of the innocent to
maintain his eternal youth. Like The White Witch of Narnia, the presence of Dracula’s evil transforms his environment, leaving it
barren and devoid of life. It is this very quality which forces Dracula to leave Transylvania for the verdant feeding grounds of London.
When I think about the heroes that I venerated in my youth, they all have one thing in common: they faced a great evil with
courage and a willingness to give themselves for what was right. The Pevensies face down The White Witch. Frodo and Sam take
the Ring to Mordor. David stands before Goliath.
To understand the courage and sacrifice of a hero, we also have to understand the darkness that they faced. I think this is why
we all love stories about good and evil. They give us the courage to fight for what is right. They give us the hope that good will
prevail. They inspire us to be ordinary heroes every day of our lives.
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 5
THE PLAY
SYNOPSIS
Jonathan Harker is a young solicitor
living in London in 1897. His law firm is
contacted by a foreigner, Count Dracula,
who lives in Transylvania. The Count informs them that he wishes to move to
London. Jonathan is sent to Transylvania
to meet the new client and to get him to
sign deed papers for a house. When Jonathan arrives at Castle Dracula, an ancient
fortress on top of a huge cliff.
Jonathan stays at Castle Dracula for a
whole month helping to prepare papers,
documents etc. for the Count’s move to
the new house in London. Among other
things the Count is very particular about
needing to ship “ten boxes of earth” from
his chapel graveyard. Jonathan begins to
notice strange things about Count Dracula.
His skin is very cold. He never seems to
eat. He always stays in the shadows of the
room and avoids direct sunlight. Fear begins to wear down Jonathan’s mind and
body. He feels that he is going mad. Finally he manages to escape from Castle
Dracula by scaling the cliff below the castle. Jonathan is taken into a hospital in
Budapest, but he is raving and delirious
and the nurses think that his story about a
“great demon” is just a part of his delirium.
Meanwhile, back in England, Jonathan’s
financé Mina Murray is visiting her best
friend Lucy Westenra at the seaside
town of Whitby. Lucy has two suitors who
are competing for her hand in marriage:
Arthur Holmwood and Dr. Jack Seward. Lucy becomes engaged to Arthur. At
about the same time, a mysterious ship is
blown into the Whitby Harbor by a terrible
storm. A large dog leaps over the bow of
the ship and runs away before anyone can
catch him. Everybody else on the ship is
dead. The only cargo that the ship is carrying is “ten boxes of earth” with instructions
to be delivered to a house in London.
Mina and Lucy begin to hear a large dog
howling around their house at night. Lucy
starts to walk in her sleep; always trying to
get outside. One night Mina discovers that
Lucy is gone and runs out to search for
her.
Chris Shea, Melanie Hampton, Aaron Lamb, Rob Martin, Daniel Stoltenberg and Jeff Berryman.
Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
Mina sees Lucy with a dark, cloaked figure leaning over her, but the figure is gone
by the time Mina gets there. After this incident, however, Lucy begins to change.
She is weak from blood loss and her personality starts to shift. Mina, Arthur and Jack
Seward think that she has some kind of illness. Jack calls in his old teacher and
mentor, a Dutch scientist named Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing recognizes the symptoms of a vampire attack when he sees Lucy. He does not tell the
others right away, because he is not sure that they will believe something so supernatural. When Lucy dies, however, she becomes one of the Un-Dead. Van Helsing,
Arthur and Jack must kill the vampire body in order to save Lucy’s soul.
While the men are dealing with Lucy, Mina receives a letter from the hospital in
Budapest informing her of Jonathan’s condition. She rushes to his side. Jonathan is
weak and still recovering from the shock. He believes that his memories of Castle
Dracula are all part of a delusion and he does not want to talk about them. Mina
vows to remain true to Jonathan. They are married in Budapest and return home to
London.
Van Helsing’s next task is to try and track down the vampire that attacked Lucy,
but he has no clues to go on. He contacts Mina hoping that, as Lucy’s best friend,
she might remember some details about Lucy’s illness that will help him. While
speaking with Mina, Van Helsing learns that her husband Jonathan was in Transylvania, was ill and is still troubled by nightmares and delusions about a “great demon.”
After learning more about Jonathan’s story, Van Helsing realizes that the Count
Dracula that Jonathan met in Transylvania must be the same vampire who came to
England on the ship at Whitby and who attacked Lucy. Now Van Helsing knows that
Dracula is living in a house in London!
Van Helsing calls all of the friends together. Jonathan, Mina, Jack and Arthur must
combine their knowledge and work together to track down Dracula and defeat him
before he attacks anyone else.
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 6
THE PLAY
CHARACTERS/COSTUMES
Authors of novels or short stories will often include character descriptions as part of the story. In a play, the costume designer is responsible for creating the first impression of a character. As soon as an actor walks out on
stage you can guess something about their character. Are they old or young? Are they rich or poor? Are they from
another time period or dressed in modern clothes?
Jonathan Harker…………………………………...………………………………….……………………………………….…...A young solicitor
Mina Murray……………………………………….…………………………..…..….A schoolteacher, Jonathan’s finance and then wife
Lucy Westenra…………………………………...…………………..…………………………..Mina’s friend, a girl from a wealthy family
Arthur Holmwood…………………………………………………………………...………..One of Lucy’s suitors, an English nobleman
Dr. Jack Seward………………………………….……………………..………….One of Lucy’s suitors, in charge of a mental asylum
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing…………………..………………..……...A Dutch scientist & philosopher, Jack’s friend and mentor
Mrs. Ellen Renfield……………………………..………………..………………………………………..A patient in Jack Seward’s asylum
Count Dracula…………..………………………………….......…………………………………………………………………………….A vampire
Jonathan Harker is an intelligent and ambitious
young lawyer, who is hardworking and devoted to his
wife, Mina. Jonathan has an eye for details and is good
at following paper trails. As the only member of the
company who has had previous experience with Dracula, Jonathan must overcome his fear and trauma to
fight against him.
Mina Murray is a school teacher; well-educated,
quick-witted and has a great desire to be useful. She
and Jonathan are devoted to each other and trust one
another completely. Mina is particularly good at putting
the pieces together. In our story, it is Mina who first
reads all the journals, compiles them and makes the
connections between them to discover clues about
Dracula.
Dr. Jack Seward is a serious young man; already a
successful doctor in charge of his own asylum. Jack is a
product of the Victorian’s “scientific age.” He believes in
things that he can measure and prove—this is a problem
when dealing with vampires—but it means that the detailed observations recorded in his case studies of Mrs.
Renfield and Lucy are quite helpful.
Aaron Lamb as Count Dracula and Melanie Hampton as Mina Murray.
Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 7
THE PLAY
CHARACTERS/COSTUMES
Authors of novels or short stories will often include character descriptions as part of the story. In a play, the costume designer is responsible for creating the first impression of a character. As soon as an actor walks out on
stage you can guess something about their character. Are they old or young? Are they rich or poor? Are they from
another time period or dressed in modern clothes?
Ellen Renfield is an older woman, but still physically
powerful and has an aggressive, moody temper. Renfield catches flies, then uses the flies to catch spiders
and the spiders to catch birds. She eats the progressively larger animals in an effort to absorb their lifeforce. This delusion makes her a perfect tool for Dracula. When Dracula comes to London, Renfield accepts
him as “lord and master;” bowing to his superiority as a
creature who also absorbs the life-force of others.
Arthur Holmwood is the son of a wealthy English
nobleman. Our story doesn’t give many details about
Arthur’s background but it is clear that he is a man of
strong emotions, devoted to his fiancée Lucy and heartbroken at her death.
Lucy Westenra is a friend of Mina’s. Lucy is lively,
beautiful and clearly enjoys the attention of her three
suitors. Her childlike innocence inspires everybody
around her with a desire to protect her. Lucy becomes
the example of innocence corrupted by evil. As a vampire, her natural beauty is enhanced, but Stoker describes her “sweetness” turned into “cruelty” and her
"purity" into "wantonness."
Pictured clockwise: Rob Martin, Chris Shea, Daniel Stoltenberg, Jeff Berryman and Pam Nolte.
Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 8
THE PLAY
CHARACTERS/COSTUMES
Authors of novels or short stories will often include character descriptions as part of the story. In a play, the costume designer is responsible for creating the first impression of a character. As soon as an actor walks out on
stage you can guess something about their character. Are they old or young? Are they rich or poor? Are they from
another time period or dressed in modern clothes?
Dr. Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor who was Jack’s
mentor in medical school. He is a brilliant scientist and a
devout Catholic. Van Helsing is abrupt in manner and a
master of obscure knowledge, including folk remedies
and superstitions. As the driving force behind the hunt
for Dracula, it is his knowledge and leadership that organizes the company against the monster.
Count Dracula is completely ruthless. He regards
himself as a superior being for whom humans are simply
nourishment. He is immensely powerful, physically as
strong as a dozen men; he has the ability to hypnotize
others, to influence the weather and to change his own
shape. He appears to be an old man at the start of the
story, but he grows younger as he consumes the blood
of his victims.
Visit our Pinterest Page
to see inspirations for
these costume designs.
@Taproot Theatre Company
Chris Shea as Arthur Holmwood and Anastasia Higham as Lucy Westenra.
Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 9
THE PLAY
SETTING/PLACE
LONDON IN THE VICTORIAN ERA
While life in Victorian England changed dramatically during the industrial revolution, the biggest social change was felt in the
cities. Thousands of citizens left the rural life and came to the large metropolises for the guaranteed jobs which manufacturing
offered. This influx of people into the city centers made for rapid growth and prosperity. However, there was also a very negative
aspect as the crowds of workers had to be accommodated and cared for in a system which was not prepared to do so.
Here are some examples of things in the city of London which our characters would see every day:
Victorian Houses
Tenement buildings were quickly built in Victorian London for factory workers and their families. Large houses were turned into
flats. The cost of rent was extremely high, especially when a worker wanted to live within walking distance of his place of employment. Conditions were often cramped as many members of a single family would live in one room. Many landlords were indifferent to the appalling conditions their tenants were living in and with housing so difficult to find, few tenants made a fuss. Running
water, sanitation facilities, even cooking arrangements were rough-shod at best. With tenements consisting of many floors, Victorian Londoners lived cheek-by-jowl with their neighbors. Wealthier families, however, were able to enjoy single homes which often
featured bay windows, running water and even electricity.
Public Buildings
With the increase of people in the city, Victorian London began to build public facilities. The ease of transportation was helped
with the construction of "The Tube" in 1863. Tower Bridge became a reality in 1894. Public squares were offered for pleasure, and
for privacy to homeowners. The present Trafalgar Square was completed in 1845, after moving the royal stables elsewhere. Grosvenor Square, originally built to only be enjoyed by homeowners in the area, was improved and is now a public park. The Royal
Albert Hall began to offer music in 1871. Buckingham Palace became the monarch's main London residence while Victoria was on
the throne. To keep everyone on schedule, Big Ben, the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament was built in 1859.
Shopping
In the early part of Victoria's reign, shopping (for the better off at least) was more a matter of getting into your carriage, arriving
at the store front, and having the proprietor come to you. Along with him would come samples of what he had to sell, and transactions were done on the curb-side. Victorian London food shopping was handled in the same fashion, although the baker or
butcher would bring his food to the servants entrance of the home. From there, the housekeeper or cook would make the purchase. By the mid 1800's, the idea of "Department Stores" took hold. Spending a day inside a shop, instead of outside on the
curb, enabled a person to see more articles for sale. Wares were beginning to be displayed in shop windows, enticing the wouldbe purchaser to come through the front door.
The Great Exhibition of 1851
Under the auspices of Prince Albert, England hosted a grand 'world's fair'. Showcased were goods not only made in England, but
from other parts of the globe. Housed in the Crystal Palace (which burned to the ground in 1936), over 13,000 exhibits were
available for viewing - from an envelope machine to kitchen appliances. Visitors were able to enjoy flower shows, dog and cat
shows, and even a motor car display. With the profits the six month Great Exhibition produced, land was purchased in Kensington. The Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum owe their existence to Prince Albert's idea of showing the world
what England could produce.
http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-london.asp
How has the industrial revolution changed your life? How has the tech revolution changed your life?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 10
THE PLAY
SETTING/PLACE
Chris Shea as Arthur Holmwood, Melanie Hampton as Mina Murray, Aaron Lamb as Count Dracula, Rob Martin as Jack Seward,
Daniel Stoltenberg as Jonathan Harker and Jeff Berryman as Van Helsing. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.
In a novel or a short story the setting is usually established by the author’s description indicating time and place. At most theatrical productions the program will briefly list the setting and time period of the play, but after that it’s up to the set designer to
create a visual representation of the location that the story is set. A good set designer will create a set that gives the audience
clues about the story even before the actors come on stage.
Visit our Pinterest Page
to see inspirations for
this set design.
What can you guess about the setting (location and/or time period) of
this play by looking at the set design above?
@Taproot Theatre Company
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 11
CULTURAL CONTEXT
TIME PERIOD - THE VICTORIAN ERA
Knowing more about the time period can help us understand specific characters within a story. This general overview
gives us an idea about some of the thoughts and beliefs that our heroes in Dracula would approach life. The following
four pages are excerpts from articles that give us more information about individual characters in our story.
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE
article by Anne Shepherd
Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was the first English monarch to see her name given to the period of her reign whilst still living.
The Victorian Age was characterized by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere - from advances in medical,
scientific and technological knowledge to changes in population growth and location. Over time, this rapid transformation deeply affected the country's mood: an age that began with a confidence and optimism leading to economic boom and
prosperity eventually gave way to uncertainty and doubt regarding Britain's place in the world. Today we associate the nineteenth century with the Protestant work ethic, family values, religious observation and institutional faith.
For the most part, nineteenth century families were large and patriarchal. They encouraged hard work, respectability, social
deference and religious conformity. While this view of nineteenth century life was valid, it was frequently challenged by contemporaries. Women were often portrayed as either Madonnas or whores, yet increasing educational and employment opportunities
gave many a role outside the family.
Politics were important to the Victorians; they believed in the perfection of their evolved representative government, and
in exporting it throughout the British Empire. This age saw the birth and spread of political movements, most notably socialism,
liberalism and organized feminism. British Victorians were excited by geographical exploration, by the opening up of Africa and
Asia to the West, yet were troubled by the intractable Irish situation and humiliated by the failures of the Boer War. At sea, British supremacy remained largely unchallenged throughout the century.
During the Victorian heyday, work and play expanded dramatically. The national railway network stimulated travel and leisure
opportunities for all, so that by the 1870s, visits to seaside resorts, race meetings and football matches could be enjoyed by
many of this now largely urban society. Increasing literacy stimulated growth in popular journalism and the ascendancy of the
novel as the most powerful popular icon. The progress of scientific thought led to significant changes in medicine during the
nineteenth century, with increased specialization and developments in surgery and hospital building. There were notable medical
breakthroughs in anesthetics - famously publicized by Queen Victoria taking chloroform for the birth of her son in 1853 - and in
antiseptics, pioneered by Joseph Lister (1827-1912). The public's faith in institutions was evident not only in the growth of hospitals but was also seen in the erection of specialized workhouses and asylums for the most vulnerable members of society.
Whilst this brief overview can only partially summarize some characteristics of the nineteenth century, it does illustrate that society was disparate and that no one feature can serve to give a definitive view of what it meant to be "Victorian".
How would you define the United States in 2015?
What are some defining characteristics of the 21st Century?
http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Victorians/article.html
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 12
CULTURAL CONTEXT
TIME PERIOD - MINA MURRAY
In our story, we learn that Mina is a school-teacher, a stenographer and a typist. These are very striking accomplishments for a Victorian woman. In her post “The Type-Writer Girl”, Evangeline Holland talks about the rise of
the “Working Woman” in Victorian England.
THE TYPE-WRITER GIRL
Posted on January 28, 2011 by Evangeline Holland / Posted in Occupations
It was no coincidence that with the rise in female education, female employment would also rise in prominence. Something
monumental happened to English society with the passing of the Education Act of 1870, wherein schooling was provided to all
children between the ages of five and twelve, with elementary school made compulsory in 1880, and free in 1891. Add to this the
founding of women’s colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, the granting of degrees to women from other colleges and universities
(something Oxbridge did not do until the 20th century), as well as the fight for secondary education and the founding of girls’
public schools and high schools, and you have a veritable revolution in thought! As a result of these monumental changes, women
and teenage girls of the Edwardian era were the first generation of females to be educated along the same standards as males.
And this came at the perfect time for late Victorian and Edwardian women. By the 1860s and 1870s, the “Surplus Woman Question” was the subject of countless articles, lectures, and pamphlets. Despite the age-old opinion that women were meant for marriage and motherhood, the uncomfortable reality that hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of women would not wed because
of poverty, age, physical appearance, lack of position, and especially a shortage of eligible men, frightened society. However, no
one offered any real solutions besides devoting one’s self to one’s aging parents, or becoming a caretaker/governess for the
household of one’s married brother or sister. Women of the 1880s revolted against this dreary existence and slowly, but surely,
began to infiltrate the workforce as shop-girls, teachers, librarians, journalists, nurses, etc. Of course, though there was a bit of a
struggle against women “de-feminizing” themselves by having a job, the rapid modernization of technology and business made
their entry much easier than in the past (for example, the growth of ocean liners meant stewardesses were needed for female
passengers; the growth of department stores over individual shops meant female employees were needed in certain departments,
etc).
One profession which reigned king (or queen) above all was the type-writer girl, or typist. As one of the better paying and most
“genteel” of positions, it was highly coveted by professional women. A woman possessing skills in typing, dictation, and shorthand
could work as a private secretary, an authors’ amanuensis, a copying clerk to a solicitor, or for the Government. To equip women
with the necessary skills, business schools and classes were founded, and after a stated period of time, the student was awarded
a certificate, which verified to prospective employers that the applicant was trained and experienced in the aforementioned skills,
as well as light book-keeping, business terms, business arithmetic, and précis (the summarizing of “a document in the fewest possible words, consistently with clearness and accuracy”).
http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/occupations/the-type-writer-girl/
What information does this give us about Mina and
her character?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
How is her life and position different from Lucy’s?
PAGE 13
CULTURAL CONTEXT
TIME PERIOD - DR. VAN HELSING
Medical knowledge and treatments in the Victorian Era were vastly different from our modern medicine. It seems surprising, for example, that Dr. Van Helsing performs a blood transfusion directly from Arthur to Lucy. What if Arthur
and Lucy didn’t have the same blood type? Blood transfusions were still very experimental at the time. Below is an
article that gives information about what may have inspired Bram Stoker to use blood transfusions in his novel.
MIXING HUMOURS: IRELAND’S FIRST BLOOD TRANSFUSION
by Mary on April 20, 2012 in Latest News
Ireland’s first (recorded) blood transfusion took place on this day in 1865 when, in a last-ditch attempt to save a girl’s life, a doctor gave her some of his own blood. It wasn’t a success . . . but it may have inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The story begins a
few weeks earlier…
On March 27th 1865, 14 year-old Mary Ann Dooley mangled her arm in a roller at the paper mill where she worked. She was
admitted to Jervis Street Charitable Infirmary in Dublin city, but later developed serious lock-jaw (tetanus). Violent spasms prevented her from eating or drinking, and treatments with tobacco, chloroform, valerian and deadly nightshade were to no avail.
In a last-ditch attempt to save her life, Dr Robert McDonnell decided to give her some of his own blood, and on April 20th he performed Ireland’s first blood transfusion. He took 12 fluid ounces of blood from his left arm; stirred the blood, strained it through
muslin, then pumped it “into the corresponding vein in the patient’s left arm” using a syringe and piston. The young girl, conscious throughout, is said to have described “feeling an agreeable sensation, an undefined sensation of warmth”. The spasms continued, however, and she died the following day.
Undeterred, McDonnell conducted a dozen transfusions over the next decade, and recommended the procedure for treating various illnesses including cholera. Transfusing was safe and simple, he said, and the blood donor could be a patient’s relative or a
willing medical student. (This was 200 years after the first recorded blood transfusion: in 1665, Richard Lower in Oxford transfused blood from one dog to another.) Incidentally, McDonnell’s experiment was probably the basis for the blood transfusion described in Bram Stoker’s Dracula; Stoker could have heard of the experiment from his brothers who were surgeons in Dublin at
the time.
http://ingeniousireland.ie/2012/04/mixing-humours-ireland%E2%80%99s-first-blood-transfusion/
“Efforts during the remainder of the 19th century were directed towards the development of (usually) unproved devices for direct
transfusion or the refinement of surgical procedures to facilitate direct transfusion…one of the chief exponents of a more direct or
immediate manner of transferring blood was an obstetrician in America, Dr. James Hobson Aveling (1828-1892). His apparatus
was described and illustrated in an article published in 1873. It consisted of a simple tube with a central bulb, which provided a
pumping action produced by squeezing the bulb together with the tube at alternative sides of the bulb. Aveling described the apparatus as being extremely convenient, so much so that he wrote, “I carried the apparatus around in my pocket to every confinement I attended for eight years until at length the opportunity for using it arrived”. (From this statement it may be correctly inferred that the concept of sterility was unknown at this time)
http://www.ishim.net/Articles/Blood%20Transfusion%20in%20History.pdf
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 14
CULTURAL CONTEXT
TIME PERIOD - DR. JACK SEWARD
Jack Seward studied psychology and is now a doctor in charge of his own mental asylum. Psychology was a relatively
new science in the Victorian Era. Below is an article that gives a description of the science and the treatment of
“madness” in the Victorian Era.
NINETEENTH-CENTURY PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION
Alvin Wee ‘05, University Scholars Programme
and John van Wyh
National University of Singapore
Madness in the Victorian Era
The Victorian Era was the beginning of scientific study of mental illness, although treatment was not known for being as
"enlightened" as it is today and conditions in asylums were dismal. "The 19th century, in the context of industrialization and
population growth, saw a massive expansion of the number and size of insane asylums in every Western country, a process
called 'the great confinement' or the 'asylum era'. Laws were introduced to compel authorities to deal with those judged insane
by family members and hospital superintendents. Although originally based on the concepts and structures of moral treatment,
they became large impersonal institutions overburdened with large numbers of people with a complex mix of mental and socioeconomic problems.”
Mental Asylums pre 1850
Before the mid-eighteen hundreds, common belief was that those who suffered from mental illness suffered because they had
a “disease of the soul” (Goldberg, 24). Their madness supposedly stemmed from an evil within, and they thus were treated as
animals. Patients in these early asylums were kept in cages, given small amounts of often unclean food, had little or no clothing, wore no shoes, and slept in dirt. Because the patients could often live many years in such conditions, the caretakers became more confident that these human beings were in actuality closer to animals and thus deserving of such abuse (Ussher,
65).
Mental Asylums post 1850
During the mid-eighteen hundreds, a movement to reform the mental asylums began to permeate throughout society as
popular belief began to change about the mentally ill. Those who suffered from madness were no longer suffering because God
deemed them ill, but because of a disease of the brain, one that could be studied and eventually cured. Thus, reform began.
Patients started being fed well, were given clothing and shoes, and were removed from their chains. Thus, this humanitarian
treatment and change in the very perception of mental illness fuelled scientific development.
http://www.victorianweb.org/science/psych/psych.htm
What might this information tell us about Jack and about Mrs. Renfield his patient?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 15
AROUND THE WORLD
TRACKING
THE CLEVER
SERVANT
THE VAMPIRE
MYTH
Vampire myths go back thousands of years and
occur in almost every culture around the world. However,
the vampires we are familiar with today, although mutated
by fiction and film, are largely based on Eastern European
myths. The vampire myths of Europe originated in the far
East, and were transported from places like China, Tibet
and India with the trade caravans along the silk route to
the Mediterranean. Here they spread out along the Black
Sea coast to Greece, the Balkans and of course the Carpathian mountains, including Hungary and Transylvania.
Our modern concept of the vampire still retains threads,
such as blood drinking, return from death, preying on humans at night, etc in common with the Eastern European
myths. However many things we are familiar with; the
wearing of evening clothes, capes with tall collars, turning
into bats, etc are much more recent inventions.
The Slavic people including most east Europeans from
Russia to Bulgaria, Serbia to Poland, have the richest vampire folklore and legends in the world. The Slavs came
from north of the Black Sea and were closely associated
with the Iranians. Prior to 8th century AD they migrated
north and west to where they are now…The origin of
Slavic vampire myths developed during 9th C as a result of
conflict between pre-Christian paganism and Christianity.
Christianity won out with the vampires and other pagan
beliefs surviving in folklore.
[According to these folktales] the causes of vampirism
included: being born with a caul, teeth, or tail, being conceived on certain days, irregular death, excommunication,
improper burial rituals etc. Preventative measures included: placing a crucifix in the coffin, or blocks under the
chin to prevent the body from eating the shroud, nailing
clothes to coffin walls for the same reason, placing millet
or poppy seeds in the grave because vampires had a fascination with counting, or piercing the body with thorns or
stakes.
Evidence that a vampire was at work in the neighbourhood included: death of cattle, sheep, relatives,
neighbours, exhumed bodies being in a lifelike state with
new growth of the fingernails or hair, or if the body was
swelled up like a drum, or there was blood on the mouth
and if the corpse had a ruddy complexion. Vampires could
be destroyed by staking, decapitation (the Kashubs placed
the head between the feet), burning, repeating the funeral
service, holy water on the grave, exorcism.
Today everyone is familiar with vampires, but in Britain
very little was known of vampires prior to the 18th century. What brought the vampire to the attention of the
general public? During the 18th century there was a major
vampire scare in Eastern Europe. Even government officials frequently got dragged into the hunting and staking
of vampires. This controversy was directly responsible for
England's current vampire myths. In fact, the word Vampire only came into English language in 1732 via an English translation of a German report of the much publicized
Arnold Paole vampire staking in Serbia. At this time Western scholars seriously considered the existence of vampires for the first time rather than just brushing them off
as superstition. It all started with an outbreak of vampire
attacks in East Prussia in 1721 and in the AustroHungarian empire from 1725-1734.
Two famous cases involved Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold
Paole. Plogojowitz died at the age of 62, but came back a
couple of times after his death asking his son for food.
When the son refused, he was found dead the next day.
Soon Plogojowitz returned and attacked some neighbours
who died from loss of blood. In the other famous case
Arnold Paole, an ex-soldier turned farmer who had been
attacked by a vampire years before, died while haying.
After his death other people began to die and it was believed by everyone that Paole had returned to prey on the
neighbours.
These two incidents were extremely well documented.
Government officials examined the cases and the bodies,
wrote them up in reports, and books were published afterwards of the Paole case and distributed around Europe.
The controversy raged for a generation. The problem was
exacerbated by rural people having an epidemic of vampire attacks and digging up bodies all over the place. Many
scholars said vampires didn't exist - they attributed reports
to premature burial, or rabies which causes thirst.
However, Dom Augustine Calmet, a well respected
French theologian and scholar, put together a carefully
thought out treatise in 1746 which said vampires did exist.
This had considerable influence on other scholars at the
time. Eventually, Austrian Empress Marie Theresa sent her
personal physician to investigate. He said vampires didn't
exist and the Empress passed laws prohibiting the opening
of graves and desecration of bodies. This was the end of
the vampire epidemics. But by then everyone knew about
vampires and it was only a matter of time before authors
would preserve and mould the vampire into something
new and much more accessible to the general public.
http://www.thingsthatgoboo.com/monsters/
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 16
AROUND THE WORLD
THE VAMPIRE MYTH - SYMBOLISM
Bram Stoker was not the first novelist to use the vampire monster in his stories. But his novel, Dracula, has become one of the most famous vampire stories. In addition to being a Gothic thriller, Stoker’s novel is PACKED with
symbols and metaphors. Some of these symbols are common to all the vampire myths and some have changed
throughout the centuries. Here are just a few thoughts about some of the motifs in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Blood
This is a fairly obvious one—but the use of blood as a symbol of life is a common theme across all cultures and all traditions of
the vampire myth. Blood has been associated with life since the earliest forms of literature. And that’s partly what makes the vampire myth so scary—this idea of a monster who literally “drains your life away.” In Stoker’s Dracula, Renfield explains this mysterious connection to Mina when he explains why he attempted murder: "I tried to kill him for the purpose of strengthening my vital
powers by the assimilation with my own body of his life through the medium of his blood—relying, of course, upon the Scriptural
phrase, "For the blood is the life." (18.16)
Communion and the Sacred Wafer
Holy Communion is a reenactment of Jesus's last meal with his disciples the night before he was crucified. He ate some bread
and had some wine, shared it with his friends, and told them that the bread represented his body and that the wine represented
his blood. He also instructed them to remember him whenever they had wine and bread. Christians of almost every sect perform
some version of Communion, eating bread or wafers and drinking wine. However, one of the main differences between Catholic
Communion and most Protestant Communion is the Roman Catholic belief that, during the rite of Communion, the bread and wine
consumed actually change to become the body and blood of Jesus. (This is called "transubstantiation," for the
"changing" ["trans"] of substance.) When Van Helsing comes from Amsterdam with the "Sacred Wafers," what he has are Communion wafers (bread) that have already been blessed by a priest. And since Van Helsing is Roman Catholic, he believes in transubstantiation—that the wafers only look like wafers, but are actually the body of Jesus.
So, within the vampire legends, the action of a vampire (drinking somebody else’s blood so that they can live forever) is placed
in direct opposition to Christ’s sacrifice (giving his blood so that all mankind can live forever.) This is the reason that so many
myths and traditions of the vampire use the sacred objects of the church as weapons against the vampires (cross, holy water,
communion wafers etc.) all of these objects are powerful because they represent a holiness that is opposed to the vampire’s evil.
Windows and Doors
In so many scenes of Stoker’s novel the tension hinges on doors & windows that are locked, unlocked, protected, guarded, left
open etc. Part of this is a way to establish the “spookiness” necessary to a horror story. You never know when you’re safe, who
can get inside, who is waiting just outside, there are locked doors that trap you in a castle, windows surrounded by garlic, open
windows that a bat flies through etc. etc.
But all the doors and windows also serve to highlight one of the most intriguing aspects of the vampire myth. The vampire is a
monster that must be “invited in.” In Stoker’s novel (and in other versions of the vampire myth) part of the metaphor of the vampire is the “seductiveness of evil.” The vampire becomes the sin that you want but don’t want; the temptation that you are drawn
to but that will ultimately destroy you.
Technology and Superstition
If you read the novel, Dracula, you’ll notice that Stoker is obsessed with trains, travel and timetables. In the world of Dracula,
trains are representative of Stoker's wider interest in the latest, most up-to-date technology. It's hard for modern readers to remember, but all the technologies mentioned in Dracula—Seward's phonograph, the telegrams, the trains, the blood transfusions,
Mina's typewriter and even her shorthand—were super high-tech in 1897.
But even though the heroes in Dracula are able to use technology to their advantage in many cases, it has its limits: The blood
transfusions don't save Lucy's life, and a blip in the telegraph system keeps Seward from getting Van Helsing's message in time to
rush to Lucy's aid. Technology and science, it seems, don't have all the answers. In fact, Van Helsing, Seward, and the others actually have to get over their faith in science, logic, and modern technology in order to defeat Dracula. They have to accept, first of
all, that vampires exist, and they have to re-educate themselves, learning ancient traditions and superstitions, to figure out how to
kill a vampire.
http://www.shmoop.com/dracula/technology-superstition-symbol.html
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 17
DRACULATHE WORLD
AROUND
DRACULA ON FILM
Many people who have never read Bram Stoker’s novel are familiar with the character of Count Dracula
from films and television shows. Here are a few of the film adaptations of Dracula.
Nosferatu, 1922
Director: F.W. Murnau
Count Dracula played by Max Schreck
This silent film is still chilling to watch. The names of the characters have been changed but the story is still very similar to
Stoker’s novel. This was the first version of Dracula to introduce the idea that vampires can be killed by sunlight. This new “rule”
was different from Stoker’s novel, but it has remained a part of the vampire myth ever since.
Dracula, 1931
Director: Tod Browning
Count Dracula played by Bela Lugosi
This black and white film is perhaps the most famous portrayal of Dracula. Bela Lugosi was an Hungarian actor who built a career
on stage and in film. Dracula became his most famous role. It was this movie that first introduced the “Dracula costume.” In the
movie Lugosi wore a long dark cloak with a high collar. This iconic cloak has been associated with Dracula ever since.
Horror of Dracula, 1958
Director: Terence Fisher
Count Dracula played by Christopher Lee
This color film makes good use of the color red. Horror of Dracula was the first in a whole series of “Hammer Horror” films that
starred Lee as Dracula. He died at the end of each movie to be given ever more ingenious methods of resurrection in the next.
Dracula, 1979
Director: John Badham
Count Dracula played by Frank Langella
The time frame for this movie is shifted to the 1920’s and the storyline is quite different to Stoker’s book.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Count Dracula played by Gary Oldman
This was an all-star, big budget version of the Dracula story. It is gorgeously filmed, but the story is quite different from Stoker’s
version. This story portrays Dracula as a sympathetic anti-hero. He is a vampire cursed with eternal grief for his wife who died
tragically. Mina Harker is the reincarnation of Dracula’s former bride.
Movie Details pulled from: “Vampires” by Joules Taylor
Taylor, Joules. Vampires. Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, 2009
The character of the vampire has also evolved completely outside the “Dracula” story. What are some other books, films, and
television shows that have vampire characters? How are these vampires different from each other? How are they different from
Dracula?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 18
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY RECOMMENDS
DRACULA - RELATED WORKS
BOOKS
Who Was Dracula? Bram
Stoker’s Trail of Blood by Jim
Steinmeyer
An acclaimed historian digs up folklore, history and other source material
on Count Dracula.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Is Dracula still hanging out in presentday Europe? Try the audio version of
this novel.
Fledgling by Octavia Butler
The grand dame of science fiction reimagines the classic tale with an unexpected twist.
INTERNET RESOURCES
Orson Welles retells the story in July
1938 on The Mercury Theatre on the
Air http://www.mercurytheatre.info/
FOR KIDS AND TEENS
Little Vampire and Vampire
Loves by Joann Sfar
Even the undead need friends. Colorful, wise and funny stories for kids and
teens.
Dracula: The Graphic Novel
Classic Comics tells the entire story, or
take a shortcut with the Saddleback
version.
The Big Book of Vampires by
Denise Despeyroux
A beautifully illustrated collection of 13
vampire stories from around the
world.
DVDs
Bloodlines: Dracula’s Family
Tree
The History Channel follows the
strange search from the 15th century
till today.
Nosferatu the Vampire
Werner Herzog directs and Klaus Kinski stars in the 2002 German version.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at
Night – 2014, Persian, subtitled
The people of Iranian ghost town Bad
City are stalked by a lonesome vampire.
Find more Dracula related resources compiled by Seattle Public Library here:
https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/list/share/76366729_greenwoodadultlibrarian/463515512_vampires_for_taproot
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 19
QUESTIONS
POST-SHOW REFLECTION QUESTIONS
The Question: Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, was published in 1897, but vampire myths and stories have existed in every ancient culture and we still tell vampire stories in books, movie and films. Why do you think people
like vampire stories?
1. Were there any moments in this story that were scary for you? What makes a story scary?
2. In the novel, Renfield is a man, however, in our production Renfield is a woman. How do you think that changes the character and Renfield’s interactions with other characters?
3. Although it is titled Dracula, we don’t actually see much of Dracula on stage. Who are some of the main characters who
fight Dracula? Did you have a favorite character in the play? Why was that character your favorite?
4.
In the play, Mina discovers that the “power of sacrifice” is able to defeat Dracula because Dracula doesn’t understand the
kind of love that would make a person risk their own life to save someone else. She describes Dracula as “selfish”. How is Dracula
selfish? Can you think of other stories where the heroes sacrifice themselves to save someone else?
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
PAGE 20
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
MISSON STATEMENT
Taproot Theatre Company creates theatre experiences to brighten the spirit,
engage the mind and deepen the understanding of the world around us
while inspiring imagination, conversation and hope.
ABOUT US
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Taproot Theatre Company was founded in 1976 by
six friends, five of them graduates from Seattle
Pacific University. From its humble beginnings as a
touring group, the company is now Seattle’s largest
mid-size theatre company. Today Taproot Theatre
serves over 150,000 people annually throughout
the Pacific Northwest with its Jewell Mainstage
season, Isaac Studio Theatre season, Touring
programs and Acting Studio.
In-School Residencies & Workshops

From drama games to acting classes to putting
on a production, Taproot Theatre’s residencies
can range from several weeks to months, or an
entire school year. Whether during the school
day or after school as an enrichment program,
let Taproot’s trained teaching artists introduce a
whole new world to your students.

Our theatre arts professional will visit your classroom for a workshop that will inspire and excite
your students. They will develop basic acting
skills and explore non-theatre curriculum using
theater as a medium.
STAFF CONTACTS
In-School Residencies & Workshops
Nathan Jeffrey, Director of Education & Outreach
206.529.3669
[email protected]
Touring Productions
Shelby Parsons, Associate Director of Education
& Outreach
206.529.3668
[email protected]
Midweek Matinees
Isaiah Custer, Group Sales Manager
206.529.3666
[email protected]
General
Box Office: 206.781.9707
Administrative Office: 206.781.9705
Fax: 206.297.6882
Taproot Theatre Company
P.O. Box 30946
Seattle, WA 98113
www.taproottheatre.org
TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY: PLAY GUIDE
Touring Productions


The Road Company – performing plays for
elementary and secondary schools focusing on
issues such as bullying prevention, substance
abuse, and friendship skills.
Family oriented productions and improv comedy
for churches, clubs, office parties and other
groups.
Camps & Classes

Taproot Theatre Company’s Acting Studio is a
year-round instructional program for theatre
artists of all ages and experience levels. We are
devoted to the wholeness of the artist with the
goal of creating a nurturing environment to help
each student develop his or her unique gifts.
PAGE 21
NEXT ON THE JEWELL MAINSTAGE:
This Christmas
Leah has the perfect Christmas Eve
planned. But her husband is preoccupied, an
inept waitress could spoil everything, and the
evening rapidly spins out of control as uninvited
guests show up. This Christmas explores cultural differences, valued traditions and what
happens when those traditions have to change.
Age Recommendation: 10+
Tickets available at www.taproottheatre.org or
206.781.9707.
For group pricing: 206.781.9708 or
[email protected].
NEXT IN THE ISAAC STUDIO:
A Charlie Brown
Christmas
A Christmas Tradition Reinvented
Charlie Brown is depressed by the neverending commercialism surrounding the
holidays. Thankfully, Linus is there to help him
find the true meaning of Christmas in this
musical adaptation of the cartoon classic.
Tickets available at www.taproottheatre.org or
206.781.9707.
For group pricing: 206.781.9708 or
[email protected].
PAGE 22