Nick Lane’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is coming to the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin from 3rd-7th November, 2026.
Dracula opens at Reading Rep on 23 September before touring to the New Wolsey in Ipswich, Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre (3-7 November) and Cheltenham’s Everyman.
Blackeyed Theatre in association with Reading Rep Theatre has announced casting for the autumn revival of its production of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic thriller, Dracula, adapted by Nick Lane and directed by Hal Chambers, whose recent production of the The Last Five Years was nominated for a Whatsonstage Award.
Dracula
The time is 1897. Mankind is on the cusp of vast technological change, scientific mastery and media innovation. Poised between traditional beliefs, the threat of the unknown and the shock of the new world, an altogether darker fear is emerging. As a new shadow looms large over England, a small group of young men and women, led by Professor Van Helsing, are plunged into an epic struggle for survival.
Adapted by Nick Lane, this brilliant, theatrical treatment of Bram Stoker’s adventure blends Victorian gothic with the contemporary, showcasing Blackeyed Theatre’s trademark ensemble performance style and featuring a haunting soundscape, powerful performances and innovative design for an exhilarating theatrical experience.
Dracula: The Cast
The cast includes Maya-Nika Bewley (Offie nomination Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit) playing the roles of Mina Harker / Dr Hennessey, Pippa Caddick (The Weyard Sisters, Riverside Studios; Witches of God – Amazon Prime) as Lucy Westenra / Renfield, David Chafer (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Importance of Being Earnest – Theatre Mill) playing the roles of Abraham van Helsing / Count Dracula, Richard Keightley (Ben and Imo – Royal Shakespeare Company, Watch on the Rhine – Donmar Warehouse, Twelfth Night – National Theatre) playing the roles of Dr John Seward / Count Dracula, Nicholas Prasad (Death on the Nile – Fiery Angel UK Tour, The Comedy of Errors – RSC) playing the roles of Jonathan Harker / Quincey Morris and Harry Rundle (Ghost Stories – West End, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child – Palace Theatre) playing the roles of Arthur Holmwood / Count Dracula.
Dracula is adapted by Nick Lane (Associate Director and Literary Manager at Hull Truck from 2006 to 2014), directed by Hal Chambers – currently at Theatre Royal Stratford East as Associate Director (on placement) – with original music composed by Tristan Parkes. The production includes movement and intimacy direction by Enric Ortuño, set design by Victoria Spearing, costume design by Naomi Gibbs and lighting design by Oliver Welsh.
Artistic Director
Artistic Director of Blackeyed Theatre, Adrian McDougall said:
“Dracula is a really significant revival for us. As well as welcoming into the team Hal Chambers, a highly talented director I’ve long admired, the production marks our first collaboration with Reading Rep and our first visit to Ireland – and what better introduction than Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre at Halloween! More importantly though, the production is a tribute to the incredible Naomi Gibbs, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. The love and passion Naomi poured into all her costume designs, not to mention her humility and generosity of spirit as a person, made her a joy to be around and helped define Blackeyed Theatre over many years, and Dracula is an important part of her legacy”.
Writer and Director
Writer and Director Nick Lane said:
“I’m always excited to work with Blackeyed Theatre, and Dracula is such a cracking work – tense, dense and dripping with menace. I wanted to tell the classic story, but also to try and explore certain elements within it in a slightly different way. When you blend the familiar and the strange, as we did with Jekyll & Hyde and more recently the Sherlock adaptation ‘The Valley of Fear,’ what you’re hoping is that the fans of the story – whether in book, film or TV form – feel you’ve done Bram Stoker justice, while those that are coming to Dracula with no preconceptions are drawn in by the mystery of who Count Dracula is. And of course ultimately you want to give everyone a great night out.”
See here for further information.
And see here for more posts on the Writing.ie Wordspark blog.
