North east actors cast in new Dracula production

Ellon actress Ailsa Davidson has been cast in a North-east inspired production of a much loved Gothic tale.

Ailsa Davidson (left) plays Lucy in Dracula - Mina's Reckoning

The thrilling new adaptation of Dracula by acclaimed Scottish playwright Morna Pearson, directed by Sally Cookson, is brought to stages across Scotland and England by the National Theatre of Scotland in a co-production with Aberdeen Performing Arts in association with Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

Sally Cookson’s sweeping, atmospheric production of Morna Pearson’s bold new adaptation is relocated to Aberdeenshire and the wild beauty of the North-East acknowledging the area’s inspiration for Bram Stoker’s classic novel.

Set in a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire in 1897, this unique Scottish adaptation places the character of Mina Murray at the centre of the action.

Mina seeks refuge at the hospital to escape the horrors she has experienced, retelling her encounters with the most terrifying of beasts: Dracula.

Mina is joined by the patients, an all-women and non-binary ensemble, and together they tell a unique version of Bram Stoker’s legendary tale.

Popular, young, Aberdonian stage and screen actor Danielle Jam will take on the leading role Mina.

Ailsa Davidson will play her friend, Lucy. Ailsa has been enjoying a run of success with the West End production of Heathers. Ros Watt from Aberdeen also joins the cast.

Dracula is dripping with Morna Pearson’s trademark humour, theatricality, and her taste for the strange, the shocking and the grotesque. The production celebrates the novel’s gothic horror origins while, in a radical twist, it allows audiences to view the story through the eyes of Mina and the patients. Elements of the piece will be devised by the company.

Morna said: “I was excited to adapt Dracula and place it in the familiar setting of the North-East, the place where my writing feels at home. I wanted to examine themes of our times – fear, trauma, and powerlessness – in ways the horror genre lends itself to.

"With Stoker drawing influence from Cruden Bay, it felt appropriate to relocate the narrative to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, exploring the area and characters I find most inspirational.

There is room for more horror and stories from the North-East in theatre, so I am thrilled that my first large scale production is a bold retelling of Dracula set there.”

Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts said:

“Given Bram Stoker’s connections to and love of the region, the North-East of Scotland is the perfect setting for this stunning retelling of Dracula, and a collaboration between Aberdeen Performing Arts and the National Theatre of Scotland the perfect way of bringing it to the stage. We’ve been searching for the ideal co-production for some time, and this is definitely the one! We can’t wait to see what this world class creative team does with this classic tale and look forward to sharing the world premiere with audiences in Aberdeen.”

Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning opens at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen in September before touring to Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness, Dundee, Edinburgh, Coventry and Liverpool.