"A classic with a modern flair!" An interview with the creative forces behind Fabulist Theatre's "Dracula: A Modern Radio Play"
Brad Ho
October is officially the spookiest month of the year. There is no shortage of chilling plays, concerts, movies and live performances that will satisfy the horror fan in all of us.
Fabulist Theatre is no different, but are taking a unique twist on a literary classic. I chatted with Adam Darts (adapter of Dracula) and Damon Bradley Jang (Director and Fabulist Co-Artistic Producer)
OSB: What was difficult about adapting a classic?
AD: Many people feel they know the Dracula lore and story, but few have actually read the original. The difficulty therefore lies in both meeting the expectations of our listeners, whilst still being able to surprise them!
DBJ: For me it is about making this story relevant for an audience in 2019, with nods to the classic text and a film noir style.
OSB: What drew you to Bram Stoker's material
AD: Stoker's mastery of the language is beautiful and haunting. I tried to use as much of his original phrasing to maintain the style which has inspired so many other works.
DBJ: I let Adam run wild with the writing but we had a few writing consultants, along with myself and the cast to make sure the words and phrasing were adapted for a contemporary period.
OSB: Why a LIVE radio play? What challenges did you face in this process?
AD: Live theatre is our bread and butter at Fabulist. Live theatre allows actors to produce organic and adrenaline-filled performances which enraptures our audience. It’s hard to capture the dynamic atmosphere in a recording studio. Why wouldn’t we want to do it live?
DBJ: We're always thinking outside the box and wanted our main shows this season to be about original and adapted works.
OSB: What are the universal themes in Dracula that are relevant today?
AD: Fear of the unknown is something Stoker played upon throughout his work. He shows that success is only possible through having an open mind and seeking to understand that unknown. It is so relevant in our time where prejudice and bigotry continue to drive our society apart.
DBJ: I think the striving to uncover the truth in the world, and unconditional love rings true with anyone. And taking these classic characters and finding more humanity within them.
OSB: How has the world today influenced this modernization of this adaptation?
AD: It took the distance of a Romanian Castle to conjure a monster such as Dracula, but we live in a world which breeds powerful horrors who feed upon the weak, bringing the terror much closer to home.
DBJ: Even with all of the advances advanced technology and science, there are still mysterious and inexplicable phenomena that exist in the world today. I think people really do want to believe in the possibility of Vampires and I think Adam has done a great job creating a version that feels familiar but is uniquely different.
OSB: Without giving too much away, there are some bold casting changes and gender-swapping characters. How has that changed the story? Was the choice made during the writing process or after?
AD: Dracula doesn’t rely on any gender narratives, and I maintained that with my adaption. When writing it I swapped all the roles, which was hugely liberating when coming to the casting process. Certainly as a writer, you avoid ‘pre-casting’ and creating stereotyped descriptions which rely on ideas that conform to an artificial gender mold, which shouldn’t even exist.
DBJ: Part of Fabulist's mandate is to tell stories from everyone's voices, providing opportunities for diverse and marginalized performers, to be an advocate for representational casting to reflect the community we live in. Casting for all roles was completely open and we were excited at the freedom that gave to find the best performers.
OSB: Will audiences have a chance to hear it the way it was intended? As audio only?
DBJ: Due to union actors involved in the project, we are not broadcasting on the radio at this time, though we are looking into the logistics of private distribution, such as a podcast. And for our live patrons, we are providing complimentary (optional) blindfolds to allow patrons to experience the show "in the dark" and allow their mind's eye to create the show for them. We have also made sure to add plenty of described audio for patrons who are visually impaired.
You can catch Dracula: A Modern Radio Play for a limited engagement this weekend Oct 25th to 27th.
Oct 25 Preview at 2pm Opening at 8pm
Oct 26th 2pm maitnee, 8pm show
Oct 27th 2pm maitnee closing
Tickets at:
For more info on Fabulist Theatre, check them out on Facebook and Instagram @FabulistTheatre