Dracula, Inspired by Silent Films and Graphic Novels, at The Building Stage
The Building Stage (412 N. Carpenter Street Chicago, IL 60622)
- Full Price:
- $20.00
- Our Price:
- FREE - $10.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Dracula have expired.
The last date listed for Dracula was Sunday October 12, 2008 / 7:00pm.
Currently at The Building Stage:
A Number: Caryl Churchill's Father-Son Drama of Cloning, Control and Identity
- Full Price:
- $25.00
- Our Price:
- FREE - $12.50
When Bernard, the adult son of a widower named Salter, begins to suspect that he was cloned, his questions to his father set off a series of events that seems destined to end in tragedy. Written by renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill (A Mouthful of Birds, Serious Money, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?), A Number is set in the near future and deals with topical takes on family, control, love and identity as an only child discovers he has a brother, and another, and maybe more. Director Karen Kessler's two-person cast will present this concentrated father-son-son-son power struggle at the Building Stage in one emotionally charged act. Learn More
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Goldstar Member Reviews
BP
I really enjoyed the the silent film style utilized in this play. I am a fan of Nosferatu, Vampyr and Metropolis and this was well executed by the cast. The show combines the silent film effect with atmospheric music, very good acting and well done art pieces to compliment the themes. It is a great show to check out during Halloween or any season.Written on Sep 26 2008
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R. Tilley
I attended The Building Stage's "Dracula" last night, a Sunday evening. I pray to God that the day of the week was the only reason why the show was so poorly attended.Written on Sep 22 2008
Being a lover of "Dracula" and a hater of every modern film adaptation of the story, I was a bit skeptical when I saw that there was a play adaptation. However, the borrowing of silent film technique and graphic novel visuals greatly intrigued me, so I decided to go for it.
Building Stage, it was fantastic. The creativity that went into this piece was brilliant. The music was perfect. The blending of old and new visual techniques was seamless. No detail was ignored. I found myself wound so tight by the end of the performance, both emotionally and physically, because I was completely captivated by the precision of these stage actors. It was like watching a dance at times. And one moment I was laughing (silent film drama), and the next moment cringing (graphic novel gravity). It was marvelous. Even being an adaptation.
A definite recommendation to audience members who enjoy taking theatre to a new creative level and looking at a story through a different lens.
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Steve Hudson
Very tasteful & comical. A great production. Nothing like we've ever seen before.Written on Oct 06 2008
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Erin Johnson
Not only was this one of the most entertaining plays I have in a while, it was also a serious nerd-fix for this communication theory scholar. The production was pleasantly surprising. The silent-film-play aspect allowed for a deeper focus on the themes of human nature, madness, love, life/blood, and blind acceptance of authority (in this case that authority is the medical profession exemplified by Dr. Van Helsing). The beautiful wood-cut print placards added to the delightful texture of the play.Written on Oct 06 2008
A fully entertaining play that was able to be intellectually and artistically playful without being pretentious.
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More Information About Dracula
Description
This adaptation of the classic vampire myth, told primarily through image and music, draws from the plot and characters created by Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel, but plays with what we think we know to reveal a different story at the heart of this classic tale. Originally undertaken with the simple goal of telling a complex story with the least amount of spoken text possible, the creative process began with an exploration of silent films and graphic novels as well as the physical theater styles of Melodrama and Mask Performance. But surprisingly, what quickly emerged as the heart of the piece was an unexpected thematic element.
According to Blake Montgomery, who conceived of and directed this production: “One of the most interesting aspects of the Dracula novel, and surprising to most people who read it, is how little the famous vampire actually appears on the page. Outside of the initial section which follows a young attorney to Transylvania to conduct business with the Count, Dracula appears maybe three times in the remaining three hundred pages. Mostly his presence is felt in oblique, circumstantial ways. Someone gets sick, a bat is seen flapping against the window, a madman in the building rants about his ‘master’ who is coming. What if all of this circumstantial evidence doesn’t mean what we think it means? What if, driven by fear, we embark on a path of misguided righteousness? What if our notions of hero and villain are completely misplaced?” The result is a very different version of the Dracula myth.
Blake Montgomery (director) is an actor, director and creator whose approach to theater reflects his training at L’École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq (as well as its scenographic wing, Le Laboratoire d'Etude du Mouvement), the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theater, the Margolis-Brown Movement Theater Lab and with master clown Ronlin Foreman. He has conceived and/or directed the Building Stage productions: Hamlet, Dustbowl Gothic, Moby-Dick and Noir. Previous to founding the Building Stage, he worked extensively with Redmoon Theater, where he performed in Seagull at the Steppenwolf Studio, Nina outdoors in Los Angeles and in Humboldt Park, and Salao: The Worst Kind of Unlucky Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare.