Act 1 Scene 7 & 8 - Development

Scene 7

   Now, scene 7 is a bit complicated one, since it is one of the longest, if not the longest scene in the play, but it also introduces us to Count Vlad Dracula. It is a long scene with a lot of it only being conversation between Jonathan and Dracula, but as we do not want the scene drag on but rather keep the audience on their toes, we have added Artaudian factors with the chorus, whilst keeping the acting between me and Greta quite naturalistic. 

    Right from the beginning, from the moment we heard about our staging, we knew that Draculas first entrance would be from the top of the staircase. But we wanted to create the eeriness of Castle Dracula first and so someone had the idea to have the chorus run up the strairs as bats, but then turn into a door and gargoyles.  Me, as Jonathan, would run off into the audience after the bats rather than going up on to the stage and walk out from there to face the doors middle of the floor. After my first line "Count Dracula!" the doors would open, creaking and then joining the gargoyles to as to bow to their master, and two wolf like creatures would run out towards Jonathan, only to separate and split on either side of the floor, in front of the audience. This idea came from Sophie, since it would scare Jonathan, but also give Dracula the chance to manifest himself at the top of the steps. Dracula wouldn't move from his place, until Jonathan has stepped on the first step to greet him. In the book and the movies there is a sort of blue fire, that separates the castle from the outside world, a sort of line to cross. The step is that line, and it means that now Jonathan is in Dracula's hands, under his influence, and we decided to show this to the audience by having the gargoyles sigh in relief. Now Dracula can come down the steps freely to greet his new guest. As Jonathan mentions that there was wolves on his journey, we could have the howling of wolves heard on the background, as if Jonathan is remembering the voices of these beasts. 

   As the conversation goes on, Dracula introduces Jonathan to a feast, supper. As he clicks his fingers, the gargoyles would separate to join the two wolves on the floor. Michelle had the great idea to have her and Jade work as a chair for Jonathan, showing the hospitality of Dracula. After Jonathan gets up, these two would join the rest of the chorus. The conversation between Jonathan and Dracula continues down the steps and it turns to Mina trough discussion about Carfax. At this point Jonathan will fish out photographs out of his pocket. Someone thought that it would be clever to create one of the pictures with Mina, Lucy and Florrie with the actors and as we tried it out, it worked brilliantly. This way, Dracula could also wonder in the picture, directing his focus to each woman at a time. This also shows the powers Dracula has, in a away he can go in and out of pictures, even though he cannot himself be shown in them. 

   When the two gentlemen start discussing the people of Romania, Dracula mentions his country being a whirlpool, we planned the chorus to turn into whirlpools themselves. In the end though, I feel that we sort of lost this part of the chorus work since almost right away they turn into fighting warriors, to show the bloodshed in the history of Romania that Dracula talks about. As the battlers fall down to the ground and Dracula step to walk among them, he talks about how in his country "the grass is flesh". I thought this was a very strong image we have created on the stage, since the ground Dracula is walking will be made out of dead bodies. After this, the chorus gets up and turn into wolfs again, to be in a semi-circle along the audience. The next chorus bit is when Jonathan takes out the crucifix he got from a farmers wife and Dracula hisses and recoils. At this time the whole chorus will work as some what parts of Dracula, covering their faces and hissing. Then, after failing to convince for Jonathan to throw away this crucifix, Dracula starts talking about the letter Mr. Hawkins had asked Jonathan to give him. Dracula speaks how Jonathan should write letters to anyone he feels need the information to know that he will stay in the castle Dracula for a month. The group had the idea to have Dracula sort of controlling Jonathan, as a puppeteer would a puppet, writing this letter, to show the audience again some of Dracula's powers of manipulation. Jonathan, of course is very taken a back after snapping out of hypnosis, but Dracula tries to explain that he wants Jonathan for conversation, to improve his English skills. He explains that his English is learned from book, when the chorus will turn into books, by standing still in the line. "I am pressed by the throng of your London crowds" and the chorus will start walking on the floor as citizens of London. "Books are good." and the chorus will go back in place as books and then wolfs.
   Yet, Jonathan is not planning to stay, but Dracula is persistent to having him as his guest as long as possible. He starts talking about how Jonathan would change his mind, but is interrupted by howling of the wolfs. 

    

   This leads to Jonathan telling a story of how wolfs ringed their coach on his journey to the castle. He has found his way to second lowest step and is surrounded by the chorus, growling as wolfs. As he talks about a girl he comforted during this trip, teaching him words "Ordo. Pokol. Stregioca. Vrolok. Vlokoslac." the chorus will repeat these words in a sort of a growl, as some sort of demon would. This really creates the image of the fear Jonathan was going trough in that moment, and what he is probably feeling in that moment as well. But before these demon like wolfs have the opportunity to do anything to Jonathan, Dracula comes and guides off the wolves, leading Jonathan up the steps on to the middle of the stage to deliver the last lines. 

Scene 8

As Dracula exits in the previous scene, Jonathan will fall back to the first of the upper steps. The chorus will run up on to the stage to observe the next scene, and some of them hold Jonathan down, representing the powers of castle Dracula and how Jonathan really is trapped in it. Scene 8 itself is pretty straight forward, and the acting and actions of the three main characters in the scene, Mina, Florrie and Lucy, will be very naturalistic, having the loonie sonly observe them. But we also wanted to bring some of Brecht into this scene, since it dabbles into the fact at that Mina and Lucy are more priviliged than Florrie. Mina talks how they should all be one big happy family and to have Florrie addressing her as Mina, rather than Miss, without realizing how much damage she is doing and how little she really is helping. I and Sophie thought that it would be a good idea to have the crazy people repeating  Florrie everytime she says "Yes miss" or "No miss", but also whispering "You're not part of the family", almost in a mocking way. Otherwise, there is only one more chorus work, which doesn't even involve the entire chorus, but only a few and Jonathan. When Lucy comes along and says how that there has been no letters from Jonathan, I will sprint up from sleep, to show how Jonathan wants to be saved and wants back to his Mina, but is simply help back and put back down by the monsters controlled by Dracula. At the end of scene, the loonies will briefly get into manic laughter but at the same time run off-stage to get ready for the next scene.