Sink your teeth into a gripping revenge tragedy, redefining classic gothic tropes with an empowering feminist twist. This blood-curling fall production opens with Dracula, where the damsels aren’t in distress, and the vampire is not your typical light-fearing vampire. Opening on Halloween night, Tuesday, October 31, and closing on Saturday, November 4th, the theater co-curricular performed playwright Kate Hamill’s unique adaptation of Bram Stokers’ 1897 novel. Director of Theater Catriona Hynds has looked for a non-sexist version of “Dracula” for over thirty years, and her search finally ended with Kate Hamill’s adaptation. Following Deerfield’s production of “Little Women” last spring, which was adapted by Hamill, Mrs. Hynds discovered Hamill’s feminist approach to “Dracula.” “The women in the Bram Stoker novel are simpering damsels in distress, but in this version, the women are a lot more sassy,” Mrs. Hynds said. “That’s what I love about it, how it deliberately pokes fun at some of the outdated Gothic conventions.” The story begins with Jonathan Harker (Theo Schulhof ’25, who is also a staff writer for the Scroll), traveling to Transylvania to Count Dracula with a real estate transaction. As he becomes increasingly trapped in the Count’s eerie castle, the audience is introduced to the unsettling and enigmatic nature of Dracula (Aviel Alexander ’25). Then Harker’s fiancée, Mina (Lily Pierce ’25), and her best friend Lucy (Sophie Petronizo ’25) are left alone in England where they must contend with their own desires, societal norms, and the ominous presence of Dracula. Throughout the adaptation, Hamill explores the themes of sexuality, power, and female autonomy. The play delves into the struggles faced by women in the Victorian era and how they navigate societal constraints and expectations. The Dutch doctor Van Helsing (Vivian Wan ’25) is portrayed as a woman in this new adaptation, though traditionally a male role. Van Helsing is also depicted as a strong and independent character who takes charge of the situation, not relegated to a passive or secondary role but is a leader in the fight against Dracula. This portrayal challenges the stereotype that female characters should be submissive or dependent on male characters. Mina Harker is a strong and complex character who takes agency over her life and body in the face of Dracula’s seductive powers. Pierce said that her character has to “find a strength and power deep within herself and come up against not only the danger of Dracula, but also the prevalent sexism and sexual gender archetypes of the time period.” Mina is shushed multiple times by Lucy’s husband, Dr. Seward (Reed Ferguson ’24), who viewed her contributions to the causes of Lucy’s apparent illness illogical due to her being a woman. Mina ultimately steps out of her submissive nature and takes the ultimate role of killing Dracula, another difference to the original novel where Harker decapitates him instead. Lucy also displays the adaptation’s feminist approach. Discussing her character, Petronzio said, “Lucy has to put this persona that is completely different in front of men than it is in front of her best friend.” Unlike the passive and helpless Lucy of the original Bram Stoker novel, Hamill’s Lucy takes charge of her own destiny by actively participating in her own romantic and sexual choices, rather than being a passive victim of Dracula’s seduction. She is portrayed as an independent and strong-willed woman, differing from typical expectations in the 1890s. Greta Steever ’24, the stage manager, worked behind the scenes to ensure the success of the technical aspects of Dracula. Her job ranged from overseeing the audition process, taking note of all directions and blocking during rehearsals, doing line notes to improve line memorization, and managing all light and sound cues on the booth above the Black box during all tech rehearsals and performances. “The most challenging part was lighting and sound cues which is crucial for the play’s grundy aspects.” Steever said. To add on to the spooky effect, the production also utilized the most stage blood in Deerfield’s history, ranging from ketchup to mini gelatin blood capsules that, when bitten down on, “will look like blood is coming down an actor’s mouth.” Steever goes on to add that Costume Designer Karen St. Pierre, “specially purchased all the costumes to be Polyester so the blood washes out every night.” “I want the audience to come out of this version thinking how far have we really come when it comes to gender equality,” Mrs. Hynds said, and the production has done just that—attack gender inequality and feature feminism in face of patriarchy.