Creative Team

Director — Lester Malizia
Sets — Bob Fetterman
Costumes — Brian O'Keefe
Lights — Annmarie Duggan

Written by Stephen Dietz
Adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker
Study Guide written by Gary Cadwallader

The Source

The source for Steven Dietz's 1996 play is the 1897 Bram Stoker novel of the same name, Dracula. The Dietz play follows the Bram Stoker novel very closely, including the dramatization of diary entries, which make up much of the dramatic action of the Stoker book.

The source for Bram Stoker's novel can be traced to several sources. The vampire legend became popular with readers throughout the 1800's with the publication of The Vampyre by Dr. John Polidori in 1819. In 1871, Sheridan Le Fanu, an Irishman from Dublin, published a popular short story titled "Carmilla." Stoker became intrigued by these dark stories and began his own research into the legends. He discovered the story of Vlad Tepes, a Romanian Prince, and based his story on the brutal 15th century ruler (see Who Is Dracula?).

The Playwright

Steven Dietz (born 1958) is a popular American playwright working out of Seattle, Washington, whose plays are produced in regional theaters throughout North America.

A common theme running through many of Steven Dietz's plays is an examination of real people or events. He has taken on the sinking of an iron-ore freighter (the Edmund Fitzgerald) in Lake Superior in Ten November (1987), the murder of Denver radio talk show host Alan Berg by Neo-Nazis in God's Country (1988), the American invasion of Grenada in Halcyon Days (1991), and the AIDS epidemic in one of his most popular plays, Lonely Planet (1992).

A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in theatre, Steven Dietz developed as a playwright and director in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While in Minneapolis, Dietz was a member of the distinguished Playwright's Center; a company devoted to supporting playwrights by giving financial and technical assistance for the development of new plays. Starting out as a director at the Playwright's Center, Dietz sometimes directed a play a week, before trying his own hand at writing plays.

Living in Seattle since 1991, Steven Dietz's other plays include, More Fun Than Bowling (1986), Trust (1992), The Nina Variations: A Play (1996), Private Eyes (1996), Still Life With Iris (1997), and Rocket Man (1998).

Steven Dietz's Dracula had its world premiere performance at the Arizona Theatre Company in 1995.

Cast of Characters

Count Dracula - an "un-dead" vampire who maintains vitality by sucking the blood from live victims. Dracula is from Transylvania and is many hundreds of years old.

Jonathon Harker - a young London solicitor (see glossary) who is sent to Transylvania to work on business transactions for Dracula. Jonathon is engaged to Mina Murray.

Miss Mina Murray - a young assistant schoolmistress and engaged to Jonathon Harker. Mina is short for Wilhelmina.

Miss Lucy Westerna - a young British woman of wealth and Mina's best friend. Lucy has a habit of sleepwalking.

Dr. John Seward - a suitor to Lucy and the head of the lunatic asylum.

Dr. Abraham Van Helsing - a doctor (both M.D. and Ph.D.) from Amsterdam with a profound knowledge of medicine, folklore, and the occult.

R. M. Renfield - a madman and patient of Dr. Seward who has previously been in contact with Dracula.

The Vixens - several un-dead women who reside in Dracula's castle.

Dramatic Action

Act I — The play opens with Mina Murray in intimate conversation with her best friend and confidante, Lucy Westerna. She is excitedly planning her new life with fiancé Jonathon Harker, a lawyer who is currently away on business in Transylvania. At this time, Lucy admits to Mina that she, too, is in love: with Dr. Seward, a charismatic young doctor in charge of a huge mental institution. Lucy, however, is not sure that she wants to marry Dr. Seward, for she has two other men interested in her: a judge and a Texan cowboy.

Dr. Seward, meanwhile, is trying to solve the mysterious secrets of a very disturbed patient named Renfield, a ranting man who eats flies and spiders and talks of a Master.

Throughout the scene, Jonathon's journal entries from Transylvania are heard, creating visions of his growing fear and overwhelming dread. Jonathon feels danger is closing in, but he knows not what is happening. At the same time, Lucy sleepwalks during a vicious storm.

Later that evening, a ship crashes ashore near Dr. Seward's asylum, and Dr. Seward investigates the wreckage in the morning, finding no survivors. While at the scene Dr. Seward meets a stranger, a man who introduces himself as Jonathon Harker.

Lucy has become quite ill and Dr. Seward discovers a mark that looks like a kiss on her neck. Dr. Seward decides to test Lucy's blood to determine her malady, but finds nothing.

Mina receives a message from Jonathon, who writes, ill, from a hospital in Budapest. She joins him as soon as possible. To explain what has happened to him, he gives her his journal to read.

Dr. Seward writes to his friend and teacher, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, a man whose life he once saved. He begs Van Helsing, a doctor specializing in rare diseases, to help him diagnose and save Lucy, who becomes weaker and weaker. Van Helsing agrees to visit and, at once, tries to uncover the cause of Lucy's illness. After examining the patient, Van Helsing comes to the startling conclusion that Lucy has been prey to a vampire.

As Mina reads Jonathon's journal, the past comes to life as Jonathon arrives at the Transylvanian home of Count Dracula. Mina sees that Jonathon was prisoner in the castle, left alone and threatened by strange women who at once tantalize and repulse him. Jonathon explains in the journal that the man he has been working for, Dracula, has plans to travel to England, and has been using him to learn of British customs.

Act II — Drs. Seward and Van Helsing are stringing Lucy's new room at the asylum with garlands of garlic to protect her from the vampire they fear is preying on her. Lucy is returned to the room and is given a garland of garlic to place around her neck while she rests. Renfield creates a distraction and all go rushing away, leaving Lucy alone. When Dr. Seward returns, he discovers that Lucy is dead, the garlic garland thrown to the floor.

Lucy, dead, awakens and beckons Dr. Seward closer. Dr. Seward, thinking he has made a mistake, goes to Lucy, overcome by her passionate pleas. Lucy exposes her fangs, and just as she is about to bite Dr. Seward's neck, Van Helsing appears and rescues him by producing a large crucifix.

Lucy is buried and the local newspapers are filled with accounts of missing children. Seward, Jonathon, and Van Helsing make plans to visit Lucy's tomb in order to give Lucy eternal rest. While at the tomb, Lucy is discovered entering her crypt, a vampire, with shoes of children tied around her neck. Van Helsing releases Lucy by driving a stake through her heart.

Meanwhile Mina is visited by Dracula and comes under his spell. Later Van Helsing notices that Mina begins to grow weaker and paler and realizes Dracula now is feeding from Mina. In an effort to save Mina's life Dr. Van Helsing confronts Dracula with a crucifix and host, but Dracula disappears.

Van Helsing realizes Dracula is returning to Transylvania and Harker, Seward, and Mina agree to travel with Van Helsing in order to destroy Dracula. The foursome travels to Transylvania, trying to outrun and destroy the vampire, but they are foiled at every turn and finally confront Dracula at his castle. The forces of good and evil square off in a battle to the end.

Bram Stoker

Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born on November 8, 1847, in a prim terraced house, 15 The Crescent, in the historic Dublin suburb of Clontarf. He was named after his father, an employee at the chief secretary's office in Dublin Castle, and was the third of seven children.

As a child, Bram was so sick and feeble that he was not expected to live and was confined to bed for the first eight years of his life. He later recalled that he never stood or walked before he was nine. The exact nature of the disease was a mystery to his doctors.

During Stoker's years of confinement, the Reverend William Woods, who had a private school in Dublin, was brought in to instruct him. Woods continued as his principal teacher until Stoker entered college at age 16. However, the strongest influence in his life was his mother, Charlotte. She loved to tell stories of horror and fantasy, and especially regaled him with grotesque Irish fairy tales. Stoker said that he remembered most of his mother's stories his whole life.

Stoker entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1864, to study civil service (government) and quickly became a star athlete. A very popular student, Stoker was elected President of the distinguished Philosophical Society. But his real interest was in drama and, like his father, he regularly attended the Theatre Royal, one of Dublin's largest theaters.

A series of events occurred while at Trinity that would change the direction of his life forever. A young British actor named Henry Irving, the most revered Shakespearean actor of his day, came to Dublin in 1867 in a production of John Brinsley Sheridan's comic masterpiece, The Rivals. Stoker was mesmerized by the performance but disappointed that the Dublin Evening Mail gave the production only a fleeting mention. Four years later Irving again came to Dublin in a comic play entitled Two Roses and the newspaper ran an equally unimpressive notice about the star actor. Stoker, enraged, went to the newspaper and offered to write dramatic criticism without pay. The newspaper agreed and Stoker, now working as a civil servant (non-elected government job), began writing theater reviews. When Irving, now a London superstar, returned for a third visit, Stoker was ready with his pen and wrote glowing praises of his favorite actor. Irving read the review and invited Stoker to dinner where the two became close friends.

Henry Irving took over ownership of London's Lyceum Theatre in 1878 and he asked Stoker to come to London and manage his new theater. Stoker readily agreed, quit his civil service job, married his sweetheart Florence Balcombe, and left for London.

For the next 27 years, Stoker worked with Irving as theatre manager, private secretary, and close confidante. Stoker booked Irving on six tours of America, where Stoker was able to meet his literary idol, Walt Whitman. Stoker and Whitman corresponded until the poet's death in 1892.

During Stoker's tenure with Irving, he began writing novels and short stories. His short story, "The Crystal Cup" was published in 1872 in The London Society, a monthly magazine, and four years later, his first horror story "The Chain of Destiny" was published in The Shamrock, a Dublin magazine. In 1881 Stoker published a series of children's horror stories entitled Under The Sunset, a gruesome set of stories that features the "King of Death" who terrorizes children throughout Great Britain. In 1885, after a tour to the United States, Stoker published A Glimpse of America, a glowing account of the author's growing respect for the American people, its cities and culture.

After his first novel The Snake's Pass gained widespread attention (serialized in a magazine in 1889, published as a book in 1890), Stoker started work on his soon-to-be masterpiece, Dracula. Throughout his seven years of research on the novel, Stoker frequented the British Museum, where he studied books and maps about Transylvania and Eastern Europe. One of Stoker's main sources for Dracula was the Museum's rare 1485 document, "The Lubeck Pamphlet," which described the real Prince Dracula's horrible atrocities in and around Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountain region.

He continued research for seven years as he worked on his new book, while continuing to work full time for Henry Irving in London at the Lyceum. Stoker did most of his work while on his two-month summer holidays in the English seaside village of Whitby (a setting in the novel), and later at his favorite summer location, Cruden Bay in Scotland.

Originally title "The Un-Dead," Dracula was published in 1897 and became an instant sensation. The novel gripped the public's imagination, and Stoker became popular on the lecture circuit, both in England and in America.

Stoker's career in the theatre ended when Stoker's friend and employer, Sir Henry Irving, collapsed and died in 1905. Stoker suffered a stroke soon after. Not allowing his health problem to deter his passion for writing, Stoker wrote a biography of his friend entitled Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving, published in 1906. He continued writing mystery and horror novels and published The Lady of the Shroud in 1909, and The Lair of the White Worm in 1911. None matched the acclaim and success of Dracula.

Stoker's health declined rapidly following the publication of his final book, and he died on April 20, 1912. Dracula has never been out of print and has influenced hundreds of authors who have adapted the novel into countless plays, films, and other stories. Stoker was survived by his wife Florence and one son, Henry.

Books by Bram Stoker

The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland (1879)
Under The Sunset (1881)
A Glimpse of America (1886)
The Snake's Pass (1890)
The Watter's Mou' (1895)
The Shoulder of Shasta(1895)
Dracula (1897)
Miss Betty (1898)
The Mystery of the Sea (1902)
The Man (1905)
Personal Reminiscences of Henry Irving (2 volumes) (1906)
Lady Athlyne (1908)
Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party (1908)
The Lady of the Shroud (1909)
Famous Imposters (1910)
The Lair of the White Worm (1911)
Dracula's Guest - And Other Weird Stories (1914)

Collections of short stories include:
Midnight TalesThe Bram Stoker Bedside Companion

Historical Timeline: 1897

When Bram Stoker's Dracula appeared in 1897, these were some of the events happening and some of the people changing the world:
— William McKinley was inaugurated as President of the United States
— Turkey declared war on Greece. Greece won the battle.
— Popular books included: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, and Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling. Popular plays included Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Candida by George Bernard Shaw, and Inferno by August Strindberg.
— Queen Victoria of England celebrated her Golden Jubilee (50 years on the throne).
— Rudolph Dirks created the very first comic strip, "The Katzenjammer Kids".
— Popular artists included painters Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro and sculptor Auguste Rodin.
— Famous composer Gustav Mahler became conductor of the Vienna Opera.
— Other famous composers working included Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar and Giacomo Puccini.
— Henry Ford was building cars, but not yet on his revolutionary assembly line.

Who is Dracula?

Bram Stoker based his evil Transylvanian stranger on a real Romanian nobleman, Vlad Tepes. Vlad Tepes was born in November or December 1431, in the fortress of Sighisoara, Romania. His father, Vlad Dracul, who had been appointed military governor of Transylvania by the emperor Sigismund, had been inducted into the Order of the Dragon about one year before. The order - which could be compared to the Knights of the Hospital of St. John or even to the Teutonic (German) Order of Knights - was a semi-military and religious society, originally created in 1387 by the Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife, Barbara Cilli. The main goals of such a secret fraternal order of knights were to protect the interests of Catholicism, and to crusade against the Turks. There are several reasons why this society is important to us. First, it provides an explanation for the name "Dracula;" "Dracul," in Romanian language, means "Dragon", and the boyars (noble families) of Romania, who knew of Vlad Tepes' father's induction into the Order of the Dragon, decided to call him "Dracul." "Dracula," a diminutive that means "the son of Dracul," was a surname to be used ultimately by Vlad Tepes. A second major role of this Order as a source of inspiration for Stoker's evil character is the Order's official dress - a black cape over a red garment - to be worn only on Fridays or during the commemoration of Christ's Passion (around Easter).

In the winter of 1436-1437, Dracul became prince of Wallachia (one of the three Romanian provinces) and took up residence at the palace of Tirgoviste, the princely capital. Vlad Tepes followed his father and lived six years at the princely court. In 1442 the Turkish Sultan Murad II took hostage Dracula and his younger brother Radu. Dracula was held in Turkey until 1448, and his brother Radu decided to stay until 1462. This Turkish captivity surely played an important role in Dracula's upbringing; it must be at this period that he adopted a very pessimistic view of life. The Turks set him free after informing him of his father's assassination in 1447, organized by Vladislav II [a Wallachian]. He also learned about his older brother's death - Mircea was the eldest legitimate son of Dracul - and how he had been tortured and buried alive by the boyars of Tirgoviste.

At 17 years old, Vlad Tepes Dracula, supported by a renegade force of Turkish cavalry and a contingent of troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan (a high military commander), made his first major move toward seizing the Wallachian throne. But another claimant, Vladislav II himself, defeated him two months later. In order to secure his second and major reign over Wallachia, Dracula had to wait until July of 1456, when he had the satisfaction of killing his mortal enemy and his father's assassin. Vlad then began his longest reign - 6 years - during which he committed many cruelties, establishing his bloody reputation.

His first major act of revenge was aimed at the boyars of Tirgoviste for the killing of his father and his brother Mircea. On Easter Sunday of what we believe to be 1459, he arrested all the boyar families who he had invited for a princely feast. He impaled the older ones on stakes and forced the others to march from the capital to the town of Poenari, a distance of 50 miles. This mountainous trek was quite grueling, and no one was allowed to stop and rest until they reached their destination. Dracula then ordered those that survived to build him a fortress on the ruins of an older outpost overlooking the Arges River. Many died in the process, and Dracula therefore succeeded in creating both a new nobility and obtaining a fortress for future emergencies. What is left today of the building is identified as Castle Dracula.

Vlad became known for his brutal punishment techniques; he often ordered people to be skinned, boiled, decapitated, blinded, strangled, hanged, burned, roasted, hacked, nailed, buried alive, stabbed, etc. He also liked to cut off noses, ears, sexual organs and limbs. His favorite method was impalement on stakes, hence the surname "Tepes" which means "The Impaler" in the Romanian language. Even the Turks referred to him as "Kaziglu Bey," meaning "The Impaler Prince." He used this technique in 1457, 1459 and 1460 against Transylvanian merchants who had ignored his trade laws. The raids he led against the German Saxons of Transylvania were also acts of nationalism to protect Wallachian commerce activities.

There are many anecdotes about the philosophy of Vlad Tepes Dracula. He was, for instance, particularly known for his fierce insistence on honesty and order. Almost any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impalement. Dracula was so confident of the effectiveness of his law, he placed a golden cup on display in the central square of Tirgoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travelers, but had to remain on the square. According to the available historic sources, it was never stolen and remained entirely unmolested throughout Vlad's reign. Dracula was also very concerned that all his subjects work and be productive to the community. He looked upon the poor, vagrants and beggars as thieves. Consequently, he invited all the poor and sick of Wallachia to his court in Tirgoviste for a great feast. After the guests ate and drank, Dracula ordered the hall boarded up and set on fire. No one survived.

In the beginning of 1462, Vlad launched a risky campaign against the Turks along the Danube River. The military force of Sultan Mehmed II was by far more powerful than the Wallachian army, but during the winter of 1462 Vlad managed to gain many victories. To punish Dracula, the Sultan decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Wallachia and he entered Wallachia with an army three times larger than Dracula's. Vlad, forced to retreat towards Tirgoviste, burned his own villages and poisoned the wells along the way, so that the Turkish army would find nothing to eat or drink. When the Sultan, exhausted, finally reached the capital city, he was confronted by a most gruesome sight: thousands of stakes held the remaining carcasses of some 20,000 Turkish captives, a horror scene that was ultimately nicknamed the "Forest of the Impaled." This terror tactic deliberately stage-managed by Dracula was definitely successful; the scene had a strong effect on Mehmed's most stouthearted officers, and the Sultan, tired and hungry, admitted defeat. It is worth mentioning that Victor Hugo, in his Legende des Siecles, recalls this particular incident. Following his retreat from Wallachian territory, Mehmed left the next phase of the battle to Vlad's younger brother Radu, the Turkish favorite for the Wallachian throne. At the head of a Turkish army and joined by Vlad's detractors, Radu pursued his brother to Poenari castle on the Arges River.

According to the legend, this is when Dracula's wife, in order to escape Turkish capture, committed suicide by hurling herself from the upper battlements, her body falling down the precipice into the river below - a scene used in Francis Ford Coppola's film version of Dracula. Vlad, who was definitely not the kind of man to kill himself, escaped the siege of his fortress by using a secret passage into the mountain. Helped by some peasants of the Arefu village, he was able to reach Transylvania where he met the new king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus. However, instead of providing some help, Matthias arrested Dracula and imprisoned him at the Hungarian capital of Visegrad. It was not until 1475 that Vlad was again recognized as the prince of Wallachia, enjoying a very short third reign. He was assassinated toward the end of December 1476.

We do not know exactly why Bram Stoker chose this fifteenth century Romanian prince as a model for his fictional character. Some scholars have proposed that Stoker had a friendly relationship with a Hungarian professor from the University of Budapest, Arminius Vambery, and it is likely that this man gave Stoker information about Vlad Tepes Dracula. The fact that Dr. Van Helsing mentions his "friend Arminius" in the 1897 novel as the source of his knowledge on Vlad seems to support this hypothesis. It should also be kept in mind that the only real link between the historical Dracula (1431-1476) and the modern literary myth of the vampire is the 1897 novel; Stoker made use of folkloric sources, historic references and some of his own life experiences to create his composite creature. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that Vlad Dracula's political detractors - mainly German Saxons - made use of the other meaning of the Romanian word "Dracul" - "Devil" - in order to blacken the prince's reputation. Could the association of the words "Dragon" and "Devil" in Romanian language explain an earlier link between Vlad Tepes and vampirism? (Adapted from Benjamin H. Leblanc paper; The University of Montreal)

The Vampire Legend

The notion behind vampirism traces far back in time - to man the hunter, who discovered that when blood flowed out of a wounded beast or a fellow human, life, too, drained away. Blood was the source of vitality. Thus men smeared themselves with blood and sometimes drank it. The idea of drinking blood to renew vitality thereupon entered history.

Vampire belief is universal; it has been documented in ancient Babylon, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and China. Vampire accounts exist in completely separate civilizations, where any direct borrowing would not have been possible. Early Chinese were afraid of the giang shi, a demon who drinks blood. Depictions of vampires are found on ancient Babylonian and Assyrian pottery going back thousand of years before Christ. Ancient Peruvians believed in a class of devil worshippers called canchus, who sucked blood from the sleeping young in order to partake of their life. Aztecs sacrificed the hearts of prisoners to the sun in the belief that their blood fed the sun's continuing energy. In ancient Greece there were horrible winged demon-women who lured handsome youths to their death in order to drink their blood.

In the Talmud, the book of Jewish laws, customs, and tradition, Adam had a wife before Eve named Lilith. But she was disobedient to Adam and challenged his authority. Because of her disobedience, her children were killed and she was transformed into a night-roaming monster. Eve then came into the picture and Lilith, extremely jealous, went about taking her revenge by killing the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Classic Indian tales by Bhavabhuti include twenty-five stories of a vampire that animates dead bodies and is seen hanging upside down from a tree like a bat. Even St. Augustine and St. Clement wrote of demons that have "bodily immortality and passions like human beings" and who seek control of suitable bodies to get whatever they want.

One theory about the prevalence of vampire belief in Transylvania suggests that since the Tibetan Mongols had a belief in both the vampire and the bat god, they may have come in contact with those Asians who eventually migrated in large numbers to Transylvania. Both the Magyars and the Szekelys of Transylvania (see History below) moved initially from Asia into Europe. In this context it is revealing to note that Stoker has Dracula claim Szekelys descent. Another theory concerning the reasons for the apparent richness of vampire belief in Transylvania comes from the fact that so many different ethnic groups inhabit the area, leading to an elaborate mix of folklore (see History below).

Romanians in particular have many names for a variety of vampires. For example, the most common form, strigoi (or the feminine form, strigoaica), is an evil creature who sleeps during the daylight hours, flies at night, can change into animal form such as a wolf, dog, or bird, and sucks the blood from sleeping children. The Romanian pricolici is an "un-dead" being that can appear in human, dog, or wolf forms.

Some interesting information about Transylvanian vampires:

In Transylvania, garlic is a powerful weapon to deter vampires. Windows and doors are anointed with garlic to keep them away. In addition, farm animals, especially sheep, are rubbed with garlic, for vampires might just as well attack animals for their blood as humans.

A vampire grave can sometimes be detected by holes around the gravesite big enough for a snake to pass through. To prevent the vampire from emerging from the grave, one must fill these holes with water.

The thorns of wild roses are sure to keep vampires at bay.

Poppy seeds are strewn on the path from the cemetery to the town because vampires are compulsive counters and must pick up all the seeds. This keeps the vampire from reaching the village before dawn, at which time he must return to his coffin.

The ultimate way to destroy a vampire is to drive a stake through the heart or the navel during the daylight hours when the vampire must rest in his coffin. The stake should be made of wood from an ash or an aspen tree. In some areas of Transylvania iron bars, preferably red-hot, are used. As an added safeguard, the vampire's body is burned.

Fangs are not typically mentioned in historical accounts. They first appeared in the popular 19th century vampire stories.

Who becomes a vampire? In Transylvania, criminals, bastards, witches, magicians, excommunicated people (those kicked out of the church), those born with teeth or a caul (a membrane covering the fetus), and unbaptized children can all become vampires.

How can you detect a vampire? Any person who doesn't eat garlic, or expresses a distinct aversion to garlic is suspect. Vampires are also supposed to meet on St. Andrew's Eve (November 29) at a place where the cuckoo does not sing and the dog does not bark. Hold up a mirror. A vampire's reflection will not be seen. This is based on a religious belief that a mirror reflects a person's soul and because a vampire has no soul they therefore have no reflection. Build a big fire. Vampires cannot stand bright lights.

How can you protect yourself from a vampire? Torches should be lit and placed around the house. Rub the chimney, the keyholes, the windows and doors with garlic. Crosses, especially those made from the thorns of wild roses, irritate vampires. Take a large black dog and paint an extra set of eyes on its forehead with white paint - this repulses vampires. Pure silver is also an excellent deterrent in keeping the vampire away.

Vampire bats are not historically associated with Transylvanian vampires. After vampire bats were discovered in Central and South America, their inclination for digging "fangs" into other animals for blood became associated with European vampires. Their first connection with "human" vampires was the cover art of the 1819 novel, The Vampyre by John Polidori. Bram Stoker made the connection complete.

Vampire beliefs are particularly strong today throughout southeastern Europe, especially among the modern Greeks. The southerly Cyclades island of Santorini is infamous for its vampires. Many authors noted this fact as early as the seventeenth century. In fact, if a suspected vampire was uncovered on mainland Greece, the body was customarily shipped off to Santorini because the people there had a long history and vast experience in dealing with vampires.

The vampire legend continues in literature, film and television, most notably the recent series of contemporary vampire stories by Anne Rice entitled "The Vampire Chronicles." The books in this series include Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, and Memnoch, The Devil.

Possible explanations of Vampirism

There have been discussions and debates for hundreds of years regarding a possible medical explanation for the vampire legend. One explanation is the disease porphyria and its symptoms, which may have been behind some of the vampire myths. Porphyria is a genetic disease (passed down from parents to children) in which the body doesn't produce heme pigments (the base material responsible for hemoglobin, or red blood cell pigment). The main reason porphyria sufferers were thought to be vampires was their extreme sensitivity to light, which usually gave them a rash.

Another explanation could be tuberculosis (or consumption as it was once called), a highly contagious bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs. Because TB is so contagious, it was common for several members of a family to get it, especially when hygiene and diet were poor. The first person to die from the disease usually got blamed as being the vampire that was returning to prey on and weaken the others.

A lack of understanding of decomposition was probably the most important factor in promoting the belief that some exhumed bodies were vampires. Features such as grown fingernails, "new" skin on hands and feet, ruddy complexion and "fresh blood" coming from mouth, nose, etc were due to decomposition, but were frequently cited as "proof" that the body was that of a vampire.

Another reason could be anemia. Anemia is a decreased number of red blood cells in the body, which means the body doesn't get enough oxygen. Oxygen is carried through the body by the red blood cells. Today, someone with serious anemia is given a transfusion of blood, but before medicine was able to accomplish this, an anemia sufferer sometimes craved and drank other people's blood.

Transylvania

Geography — Situated on what today is the country of Romania (or Rumania) the territory known as Transylvania is bordered on the North, East, and South by the high and mighty Carpathian Mountains, also known as the Transylvanian Alps. To the West and Northwest the land lies open, forming one undisturbed geographical unit with the Great Hungarian Plain. Two major rivers, the Maros and the Szamos, run through Transylvania west from the Carpathians to the Great Hungarian Plain to join the Tisza River. The basin or bowl shape of Transylvania, with its flat opening to the West, made Transylvania the cultural frontier between the Western European civilization and the Eastern Asian civilization.

The land in Transylvania is comprised of fertile plains and river valleys as well as the lush rolling foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Within its boundaries are more than two hundred mineral springs and thermal baths, and abundant natural resources of salt, coal, iron, gold, and silver.

The Name — The name Transylvania comes from the Latin translation of the Hungarian "Erdoelve" or later "Erdely" meaning "Beyond the Forest." The word Transylvania appeared when Western pressure urged the political administration at the time to use Latin (the language of the Roman Catholic church) as the official language.

History — The History of Transylvania is as complex and varied as time itself. The region of Transylvania, due to its location as the crossroads of Western Europe and Eastern Asia, has been inhabited and ruled by many hundreds of ethnic and religious populations throughout the centuries. The following is a brief summary of its multi-cultural history.

440-118 BC - Roman historians notate the area "North of the Danube River" as Dacia, containing ethnic Dacians, Huns, Avars, Bulgarians, and Magyars. The Greeks referred to the area as Upper Thracia after the Thracians (from Thrace, ancient land where the Aegean meets the Black Sea and where Constantinople was located) moved northward into a land "surrounded by mountains like a natural fortress."

85 AD - The expanding Roman Empire begins its invasion of Dacia.

271 - Yielding to the pressure of the invading Goths, Roman Emperor Aurelian withdraws the last remaining legions from Dacia giving a strict order to destroy buildings, food supplies, and completely evacuate the land. The Goths were a Teutonic (German) people, referred to by the Romans as "Barbarians."

433 - The Huns, led by Attila, enter the area now called Gothia by crossing the northeastern Carpathians. The Goths, incorporated into the Huns, join in Attila's domination of the West.

454 - After the death of Attila, the empire collapses.

560 - The Avars, a people having the same language as the Huns, cross the Carpathians and occupy the entire Carpathian Basin.

796 - The Avar empire collapses.

805 - Khan Krum "the terrible" of the Bulgarian Empire rules the Basin.

896 - The Hungarians defeat the Bulgarians and take possession of Transylvania.

946 - Byzantine historians document the small Szekelys tribe in Eastern-most Transylvania.

976 - Greek chronicles mention for the first time the name Vlach, describing a people of primitive herdsman located near what is today the border of Albania and Greece.

982 - Byzantine traders report "rich Hungarian towns" in Transylvania where "good wine, raw gold, hides and various carved tools and art objects" could be purchased in exchange for silk and jewelry. The inhabitants are described as "proud Christians."

1064 - Laszlo, son of Hungary's King Solomon, receives from his father the title "Prince of Transylvania." This begins the rule of the House of Arpad.

1168 - The first German settlers from the Moselle region occupy the "empty lands" in the southeast of Transylvania.

1222 - King Andras II of Hungary establishes an autonomous district system in "all countries of the Holy Crown," thereby granting self-government in Transylvania for the Magyar, German, and Szekely districts.

1241 - The Tartars, led by Batu Khan, invade Hungary and defeat King Bela IV (of the House of Arpad) who flees to Austria. The Tartars move on after destroying Transylvania and King Bela returns the following year. After the invasion, Serbians, Vlachs, and Slovaks establish a few scattered settlements.

1291 - The Transylvania Vlachs are recognized as a "nation" under the Hungarian Holy Crown.

1358 - Transylvania is recorded as the richest part of the Hungarian Kingdom.

1526 - The invading Turks defeat king Louis II, dividing the Hungarian Kingdom into three parts. The Central part is taken over by the Turks, and the Hapsburg family claims the Northern and Western section. The Eastern part, including Transylvania, carry on the traditions of an independent Hungary, under freely elected Dukes. This "Independent Transylvania" was a "fortress" between the Hapsburgs and the Turks.

1556 - The Hungarian Congress of Torda declares freedom of religion, stating in the new law that everyone may follow the religion of his choice, and no one may interfere with persons professing any other faith. It is the first law of its kind in the world.

1558 - Ferenc David establishes the Unitarian Church in Transylvania. The center of the Church is still in Transylvania.

1690 - After a century of attacks on Transylvania from various groups, Emperor Luitpold Hapsburg of Austria conquers Transylvania, abolishes the Hungarian constitution, and turns it into a province of Austria.

1703 - Under Duke Ferenc Rakoczi, the Hungarian people wage a revolt against the Hapsburg oppression. After eight years, the battle is lost.

1815 - The Hungarian National Assembly is finally created by the reluctant Austrian Emperor Francis I. The Assembly demands reunification with Transylvania, but the Emperor refuses.

1848 - The Hungarian Liberty War erupts under Louis Kossuth and Transylvania is reunited with the "Mother-Land." However, 16-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I calls upon the Czar of Russia for aid and over one hundred thousand Russian troops descend into Transylvania, crushing the Liberty War.

1862 - Two Vlach provinces south of Transylvania become recognized as Rumelia, later changed to Rumania.

1866 - With the approval of France and Germany, German Prince Charles of Hohenzollern-Siegmaringen is proclaimed King of Rumania, and a new independent nation is born.

1867 - Transylvania again becomes reunited with Hungary when Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I makes peace with Hungary, and Austria and Hungary become "equal partners" within the framework of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy.

1916 - Based on a promise it would take possession of Transylvania, Rumania declares war on Austria-Hungary and attacks Transylvania.

1918 - In October the Austro-Hungarian monarchy collapses, giving up claim to Transylvania. Rumania invades and declares a "Union of Rumania and Transylvania."

1920 - Towns and villages and all markers and street signs are given Rumanian names.

1939 - King Carol of Rumania declares full cooperation with Hitler and the Germans.

1944 - Rumania surrenders to and joins forces with the invading Russians.

1947 - After World War II, Rumania is declared the Rumanian People's Republic, a Communist state.

1965 - Nicolae Ceaucescu is made President of Rumania, starting twenty years of harsh dictatorship rule.

1976 - Ceaucescu and the ruling Communist party endorse a revisionist version of Vlad Tepes' (Dracula) life, portraying him as a national hero. This occurs on the 500th anniversary of Dracula's death.

1989 - Ceaucescu and his wife are put to death after an uprising by the Rumanian people against the cruel tyrant.

2001 - The Transylvanian region is still considered a hot topic of debate between Rumania and Hungary. Each claims ownership of the region, probably because of its vast natural resources and ideal location.

The Gothic Novel

The gothic novel, of which Bram Stoker's Dracula is a descendant, dominated English literature after the publication in 1764 of The Castle of Ortanto by Horace Walpole, a story full of violence, emotion, the supernatural, and melodrama. It was a huge critical and popular success, and the style of gothic novel was born. The gothic novel reached a zenith throughout the 1790's into the 1820's, with the publication of books by Ann Radcliffe, George Walker, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, but its popularity began to wane with a new interest in romantic literature. The principle ideas of the gothic novel have been continually used and updated by writers in the decades since its popular heyday, influencing Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Stephen King, among others. It is a genre never without new works.

The principles of the Gothic Novel:

1) The gothic novel explores the intersection of the supernatural and the rational (scientific, common sense). Dracula looks at the relationship between the rational northern European characters (Mina, Dr. Van Helsing) and the eastern European, un-dead Dracula.

2) The gothic novel involves interplay between order and chaos. In Dracula, the lives of the English characters have progression of order, until Dracula interconnects with Jonathon Harker and brings destruction and confusion. The characters, in turn, fight to regain order in their world.

3) The gothic novel explores the identity of evil. Dracula becomes a multi-dimensional agent of evil whose force and power are unexplained. He and the vixens are depicted as both attractive and repulsive.

4) The gothic novel centers on the appearance of a stranger in one's community. Dracula, for reasons unknown, decides to relocate to England.

5) The gothic novel arouses feelings of fear and suspense in its readers. Dracula's actions are unknown at first, but his behavior arouses suspicion and trepidation in both the other characters and the reader.

6) The gothic novel joins the realms of spirit and matter. In other words, a spirit is caught in the material world. Dracula is himself un-dead, and therefore "between" planes of existence.

7) The gothic novel is about alienation: a character separate or alone in the world. Dracula includes many characters alone and separated. Dracula is lonely and moves about individually. Jonathon and Mina are separated from each other when each encounters Dracula.

8) The gothic novels center around relationships between men and women. Dracula focuses on Jonathon and Mina's relationship, Lucy and her suitors, and Dracula with both Lucy and Mina.

Glossary

Acherontia atropos. "The Acherontia atropos!" Renfield, p. 56. A moth, also known as a Death's-head hawk moth, whose wings are black except for what looks like a skull and scissors. Atropos is one of the three Fates who cut the thread of life with scissors when a human's time on Earth is finished. The Acherontia atropos can be found throughout Europe, Africa, and Madagascar. For a look at the moth, try visiting: http://www.museums.org.za.

Amsterdam. "I have come from Amsterdam at Dr. Seward's request." Dr. Van Helsing, p. 30. The constitutional capital and largest city of the Netherlands, in the western part of the country. Linked to the North Sea by a ship canal, the city has an important stock exchange and is a major center of the diamond-cutting industry. Current population is 721,976.

Attila the Hun. "Ahh. A gift from Attila." Dracula, p.35. Attila (406 - 453) was unifier and King of the Hun kingdom that was centered around what is present day Hungary. With utter ruthlessness and savagery, Attila led the Huns on a series of conquests, looting and pillaging wherever he went. His acquisitions were vast and included parts of present day Germany, Russia, Poland, southern Europe and most of the Roman Empire. Attila was defeated by a combined force of Romans and Visigoths while trying to take Gaul (France). He later died of a stroke on his wedding night and the Hun kingdom quickly fell apart.

Avar. "It is no wonder that when the Magyar, the Lombard, the Avar…" Dracula, p. 37. The Avar were a Mongol people from what are now Dagestan, Ajerbaijan, and southern Hungary in eastern Europe. They were traditionally Muslim and were most prominent in the late 6th and early 7th century.

Bach. "… have I known. Charlemagne. Bach." Dracula, p. 37. Johann Sebastien Bach (1685 - 1750) was a German composer and organist of the late Baroque period. One of the greatest composers in history, Bach wrote numerous concertos, cantatas, solo works for organ and harpsichord, and chamber ensembles.

Bistritz. "I am spending the night in Bistritz…" Jonathon, p. 11. Bistritz (Bistrito in Romanian) is a town in northern-central Transylvania (current population: 50,000), established in the 12th century. It was on the main rail line from Vienna and Budapest, and is the town that Jonathan Harker must wait for the coach to Dracula's castle.

Borgo Pass. "It runs round the Borgo Pass." Jonathon, p. 77. East of Bistritz the Borgo (or Birgau) Pass is the main route through the eastern Carpathian Mountains and the road leading toward Dracula's castle. The Pass is lined with green sloping hills, farmhouses, and orchards.

Budapest. "From a hospital ma'am. In Budapest." Maid, p. 25. The capital and largest city of present-day Hungary, in the north-central part of the country on the Danube River. Budapest was formed in 1873 by the union of Buda on the right bank of the river with Pest on the left bank. Current population is 2,002,121.

Carpathian Mountains. "…I write to you from the heart of the Carpathian Mountains." Jonathon, p. 11. Mountain range in Austro-Hungary, which partially enclose Hungary on the north, east, and south.

Carrion. "I am carrion for vultures and worms." Dr. Seward, p. 15. Dead and decaying flesh.

Charlemagne. "…I have known. Charlemagne. Bach." Dracula, p. 37. Charlemagne (c. 742 - 814), also known as Charles the Great and King of the Franks, was the founder of the first empire in western Europe after the fall of Rome.

Da Vinci. "Da Vinci have I known." Dracula, p. 37. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519) was an Italian painter, engineer, musician and scientist. Da Vinci was the most versatile genius of the Renaissance who filled notebooks with scientific and engineering observations that were, in many cases, centuries before their time. As a painter, Da Vinci is best known for the Last Supper (1495) and the Mona Lisa (1503).

Dream interpretation. "He is versed in the arts of dream interpretation…" Lucy, p. 13. Dreams have been studied and explained for centuries. References to dreams are made in the Old Testament, and in Native American and ancient Irish cultures (St. Patrick said he was told in a dream to go to Ireland). The greatest champions for modern dream explanations were Sigmund Freud's (1856 - 1939) The Interpretations of Dreams and On Dreams and Carl Jung's (1875 - 1961) Dream Myth Archetype.

Flummoxed. "I was quite flummoxed." Mina, p. 52. Confused.

Forcemeat. "Tonight, I had an eggplant stuffed with forcemeat which they call 'impletata'." Jonathon, p. 12. Forcemeat is a mixture of ground meat, vegetables and spices. It is either served alone or used as a stuffing. Sausage stuffing is often forcemeat.

Fortnight. "A fortnight and still no word from him." Mina, p. 23. A period of two weeks, or fourteen days. Fortnight is shortened from the Middle English "fourtene night."

Gloucester. "Arrived from Gloucester." Renfield, p. 48. A borough northwest of London, which was originally the ancient Roman city of Glevum. Located on the Avon River where it empties into the Bristol Channel and the Atlantic Ocean, Gloucester is known for its shipping port and its cheeses.

Hapsburgs. "With a wealth of victories like the Hapsburgs…" Dracula, p. 37. A royal German family that supplied rulers to a number of European states from 1440 to the 20th century. The Hapsburgs reached the height of their power in 1550 with Charles V of Spain. World War I was started when Archduke Ferdinand, a Hapsburg, was assassinated.

Harangue. "…and these wild harangues…" Dr. Seward, p. 49. Noisy speech or ranting. Humor. "His good humor has returned." Mina, p. 33. Ancient physicians believed that the human body had four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The four humors had to be in balance in order for a person to be in good health. The medical acceptance of humors lasted for hundreds of years.

Hypnosis. "He is versed in the arts of dream interpretation and hypnosis." Lucy, p. 13. Hypnosis is an artificially induced state of heightened awareness and focused concentration that can be used to manipulate the perception of pain. The state of hypnosis resembles sleep.

Insurrection. "There is poison in me - an insurrection in my soul…" Mina, p. 75. The act of revolt against civility or civil authority.

Joie de vivre. "With such joie de vivre…" Renfield, p. 48. French for "joy of life," joie de vivre, when describing a person, means someone with a keen enjoyment of life.

Lombard. "It is no wonder that when the Magyar, the Lombard…" Dracula, p. 37. The Lombards were a people from northern Germany who invaded their way through central Europe down to Italy in the 6th Century, establishing a kingdom in the Po River valley.

Lunatics. "I work with lunatics." Dr. Seward, p. 15. Originally meaning one who had epileptic seizures, a lunatic's condition seemed to ebb and flow with the phases of the moon. The word now means a person who is insane, mad, or of unsound mind.

Magyar. "It is no wonder that when the Magyar…" Dracula, p. 37. A native inhabitant of what is now Hungary, a neighbor of Transylvania.

Malady. "To discover any malady that may reside within." Dr. Seward, p. 24. Any disease of the human body.

Morphine. "Prepare a syringe! Morphine." Dr. Van Helsing, p. 34. A bitter crystalline alkaloid (plant-based compound) extracted from opium, which is used as a pain-reliever. Morphine is extremely addictive.

Mozart. "I spoke of my fondness for Mozart…" Renfield, p. 49. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) was among the greatest composers in history. He composed over 600 works including 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, 16 operas, and 19 piano sonatas.

Nosferatu. "Nosferatu! Scourge of Christendom…" Dr. Van Helsing, p. 55. Nosferatu is actually a clan of vampires that are grotesque and inhuman-looking. They are said to control sewers in the cities in which they live.

Orient Express. "…the four of us heading east - aboard the Orient Express." Jonathon, p.76. One of the most famous trains ever, the Orient Express started service in 1883 and was renowned for its luxury. In 1889, the train ran from London, then stopped at Paris (via ferry over the English Channel), Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Belgrade, and finally to Constantinople (Istanbul). The train is still in use today, though it is more of a tourist attraction.

Pabulum. "And when his special pabulum is plenty…" Dr Van Helsing, p. 66. Source of nourishment.

Pagans. "Such amusing pagans these people are." Jonathon, p. 12. From the Latin 'paganus' which literally means country-dweller, pagans are those who are neither Christian, Muslim, nor Jew, or have no religion whatsoever.

Romanoff. "With a wealth of victories like the Hapsburgs and Romanoffs will never know." Dracula, p. 37. The Russian imperial family that ruled from 1613 to 1917. The last Romonoff was Czar Nicholas II, who was forced from power during the Russian revolution.

Scourge. "Nosferatu! Scourge of Christendom." Dr. Van Helsing, p. 55. A person who inspires fear or dread. A scourge is also a source of widespread affliction and devastation caused by war or disaster.

Solicitor. "And that I, wretched fate, was his solicitor." Jonathon, p. 33. A British lawyer who gives legal advice and prepares legal documents.

Sonnet. "I quoth her a sonnet…" Renfield, p. 49. A classical poem of 14 lines. Shakespeare is one of the most famous author's of sonnets.

Stenographer. "…I'll be able to serve as Jonathon's stenographer." Mina, p. 10. One who is skilled in stenography: a writer of shorthand.

St. George's Day. "…and told me that tomorrow is St. George's Day." Jonathon, p. 12. St. George was the famous 4th century saint who slew the dragon. Eastern European folklore states that on St. George's Day (traditionally April 23) "the Earth will open up and let out all its poison."

Treatise. "…she bested me with a treatise on Bach." Renfield, p. 49. A formal and extensive (usually written) composition thoroughly covering any subject. A treatise contains mostly facts and figures.

Varna. "…to reach Varna before he does." Dr. Van Helsing, p. 76. A city in eastern Bulgaria on the Black Sea. It is the port city at which one bound for Transylvania would have disembarked. Varna was founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC It came under Turkish rule in the 14th century, and was ceded to Bulgaria in 1878 when the country was newly formed.

Vivisection. "Men sneered at vivisection, and yet look at its results today." Dr. Seward, p. 17. Operating on live animals for scientific research.

Multimedia

WebPages:
The Gothic Literature Page: http://members.aol.com
The Victorian Web: http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/landow/victorian/victov.html
Dracula's Homepage: http://www.ucs.mun.ca
For great photos of Vlad Tepes Dracula's castle: http://www.draculascastle.com

Television:
The Count character on Sesame Street. Public Broadcasting System
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: UPN

Film:
1992: Bram Stoker's Dracula. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gary Oldman.
1979: Nosferatu the Vampyre (in German). Directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski.
1979: Dracula. Directed by John Badham and starring Frank Langella.
1979: Love at First Bite. Directed by Stan Dragoti and starring George Hamilton.
1958: Horror of Dracula. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee.
1931: Dracula. Directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi.
1922: Nosferatu. Directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck.

Books Available in the Volusia County Library system:
Belford, Barbara. Bram Stoker
Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia
Cohen, Daniel. Real Vampires
Florescu, Radu and McNally, Raymond. In Search of Dracula
Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History
Haraszti, Endre. The Ethnic History of Transylvania
Marigny, Jean. Vampires: Restless Creatures of the Night
Sanborn, Anne Fay. Transylvania and the Hungarian-Rumanian Problem
Scavone, Daniel. Vampires
Rudorf, Raymond. The Dracula Archives
Stoker, Bram. Midnight Tales
Stoker, Bram. The Bram Stoker Bedside Companion
Summers, Montague. The Vampire in Europe
Wass de Czege, Albert. Documented Facts and Figures on Transylvania
Wass de Czege, Albert. Transylvania: Citadel of the West
Whitelaw, Nancy. Bram Stoker, Author of Dracula

Especially for Students...

In live theatre, unlike movies and television, the actors can hear (and often see) you as easily as you can hear and see them. If you comment out loud at a live show, or read or eat, you disturb not only other members of the audience but also the people on stage, thus diminishing the performance and, ultimately, your enjoyment of it.

This doesn't mean you have to remain silent. Actors want you to respond with laughter and applause; but such responses should always be genuine and appropriate to the moment. Such inconsiderate behavior as shouting, catcalling or sustained whispering, even during blackouts, can ruin the concentration of actors and audience members alike. And throwing paper or objects of any kind towards the stage is not only rude, it's also extremely dangerous to the performers.

In the event of any student misbehavior, the relevant school will be contacted and its principal informed.

We want you to enjoy your visit to Seaside Music Theater, and we rely on you to exercise your common sense and mature judgment. Thank you for being a valuable part of our audience this season.