Free All Blood Runs Red Learning Resources
19th December 2024
Press Release
For Immediate Release
An imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production
DRACULA: THE UNTOLD STORY
Written and directed by Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks
Projection and Video Designs by Simon Wainwright
Design by Laura Hopkins
Lighting Design by Andrew Crofts
Original music composed by James Hamilton
- imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse team up after their critically acclaimed unique shot-for-shot stage recreation of George A. Romero’s classic 1968 zombie movie – Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix.
- A radical new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as told from the perspective of the novel’s heroine Mina Harker.
- Production to be staged as a graphic novel fusing digital technology with live performance.
- Touring from 25 September till 13 November.
Press Performance:
Wednesday 29 September at 7.45pm – Leeds Playhouse
From imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse, the creators of last year’s critically acclaimed unique shot-for-shot stage recreation of George A. Romero’s classic 1968 zombie movie – Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix comes a radical new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic horror novel. Dracula: The Untold Story will bring audiences this enduring tale from the perspective of Mina Harker, the novel’s heroine.
Written and directed by imitating the dog’s co-artistic directors Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks, Dracula: The Untold Story will open at Leeds Playhouse from 25 Sept – 9 Oct ahead of a UK tour.
New Year’s Eve, 1965, London, England. Just before midnight, as revellers celebrate the beginning of another year, a young woman enters Marylebone Police Station and confesses to a brutal murder.
She claims to be Mina Harker, the last living survivor of the intrepid group that brought about Count Dracula’s destruction some 70 years before. But Mina Harker has not been seen since 1901. And if she were alive, she would be ninety years old.
Unfolding on stage as a live graphic novel and using the latest digital technologies imitating the dog are known for, Dracula: The Untold Story is a chilling new version of the classic gothic vampire tale that you thought you knew so well.
Andrew Quick, Co-Director and Artistic Director of imitating the dog said:
“It’s extremely exciting to be working on this new adaptation of Dracula. We are doing something quite different with the story, coming at it afresh. We have great respect for Bram Stoker’s original storyline, and we do revisit it a lot in our production. But I think this version is relevant to our times and we cannot wait to be in front of audiences again. It’s been too long.”
The production’s creative team will feature design by Laura Hopkins (Black Watch and Peter Pan, National Theatre of Scotland, The Divide, Edinburgh International Festival and The Old Vic), projection and video design by Simon Wainwright (Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix, imitating the dog and The Kid Stays in the Picture, Royal Court), lighting by Andrew Crofts (Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix, imitating the dog and Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre and The Young Vic) and original music composed by James Hamilton. The production’s casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
imitating the dog have been making ground-breaking work for theatres and other spaces for 23 years. Their work, which fuses live performance with digital technology, has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people in venues, outdoor festivals, and events across the world. Past productions have included Hotel Methuselah, A Farewell to Arms, Heart of Darkness, Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix and most recently Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show. Last year the company produced Airlock, a live action graphic novel as part of the BBC, The Space and Arts Council England’s Culture in Quarantine programme.Leeds Playhouse is one of the UK’s leading producing theatres; a cultural hub, a place where people gather to tell and share stories and to engage in world class theatre. It makes work which is pioneering and relevant, seeking out the best companies and artists to create inspirational theatre in the heart of Yorkshire.
Dracula: The Untold Story will premiere at Leeds Playhouse from 25 September till 9 Oct. It will then tour to Liverpool Playhouse, Dukes Lancaster, Watford Palace Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and finally The Lowry, Salford Quays.
For further information on the tour visit www.imitatingthedog.co.uk
-Ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS
PRESS NIGHT: Wednesday 29 September at 7.45pm, Leeds Playhouse
LISTINGS INFO – OPENING VENUE
25 Sept – 9 Oct at 7.45pm (Mat: 30 Sept & 7 Oct at 2pm and 2 & 9 Oct at 2.30pm)
Leeds Playhouse
Box office: 0113 213 7700 / www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk
Tickets on sale: 6 May
TOUR
12-16 Oct at 7.30pm (Mat: 14 at 1.30pm & 16 at 2pm)– Liverpool Playhouse
Tickets on sale: Early June
29 & 30 Oct at 7.30pm (Mat: 30 at 2.30pm) – Dukes Lancaster
Box office: 01524 598500 (From 21 May) / www.dukeslancaster.org
Tickets on sale: 29 April
2-6 Nov at 7.30pm (Mat: 4 & 6 at 2.30pm) –Watford Palace Theatre
www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
Tickets on sale: 11 May
9 & 10 Nov at 7.30pm (10 at 2.30pm) – Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Box office: 01206 573948 / www.mercurytheatre.co.uk
Tickets on sale: 1 June
12 & 13 Nov at 8pm (Mat 13 at 2.30pm) – The Lowry, Salford
Box office: 0343 2081850 / www.thelowry.com
Tickets on sale: 30 April from 10am
Captioned performances will be available throughout the tour.
PRODUCERS
IMITATING THE DOG
imitating the dog (ITD) have been making ground-breaking work for theatres and other spaces for over 20 years. Their work, which fuses live performance with digital technology, has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people in venues, outdoor festivals, and events across the world.
ITD’s focus is on telling stories and creating beautiful, memorable images for audiences. The company strive to create stories that are entertaining, moving and engage with important ideas.
Recent acclaimed productions have included The Zero Hour, Six Degrees Below the Horizon, Hotel Methuselah, A Farewell to Arms and Heart of Darkness, Night of The Living Dead™ – Remix and most recently Dr Blood’s Old Travelling Show. The company created the sited work Arrivals and Departures for the launch of Hull City of Culture 2017. Last year the company produced Airlock, a live action graphic novel as part of the BBC and Arts Council England Culture in Quarantine programme. The company is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
ABOUT LEEDS PLAYHOUSE
Leeds Playhouse has been welcoming audiences for 50 years. As a registered charity (No. 255460), the theatre creates work which is pioneering and relevant, seeking out the best companies and artists to create inspirational theatre in the heart of Yorkshire. The Playhouse recently underwent a £16m transformation which includes improved access to and around the theatre, a new city-facing entrance and the addition of a new studio theatre, the Bramall Rock Void.
A dedicated collaborator, Leeds Playhouse works with distinctive, original voices from across the UK. Its Artistic Development programme, Furnace, discovers, nurtures, and supports new voices, while developing work with established practitioners. It provides a creative space for writers, directors, companies, and individual theatre-makers to refine their practice at all stages of their careers.
The sector-leading Creative Engagement team works with more than 12,000 people aged 4–95 every year connecting with refugee communities, young people, teachers and students, older people, and people with learning disabilities, including working in specific areas of the city. The Playhouse pioneered Relaxed Performances ten years ago and more recently have developed Dementia-Friendly performances both of which are becoming the norm across the industry.
During the last challenging year, Leeds Playhouse has continued to communicate with the wider community through PLAYHOUSE CONNECT, engaging with over 12,000 people via multiple creative projects. New projects for 2021 included: REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL, CAN YOU HEAR ME?, LITERACY LIVE, DAILY WARMUP, STEPS TO CREATIVITY, HALF A CENTURY STORIES and PLAYHOUSE YOUNG LEADERS. Current programme continues remotely – Buzz, Breeze Arts Foundation, Heydays, Hearts, Asmarina Voices, Playing Me, Sanctuary Company, Creative Insights, Partner Schools, Burberry Inspire, Our Time, RJC Playhouse Youth Theatre, New Views, Young Carers, Passionate About Plays and Teacher CPD.
From 19 May, Leeds Playhouse will reopen its theatres to audiences showcasing a new season of work within the theatres, online and on your doorstep. New productions now on sale include DECADES: STORIES OF THE CITY a brand new commission of 6 plays creating a diverse collection of stories firmly rooted, FAIRY POPPINS AND THE NAUGHTY WINTER GHOST is a new family show commissioned by Leeds Playhouse to mark its 50th anniversary, which will open in Playhouse Square in late spring before embarking on a community tour, 50 YEARS OF LEEDS PLAYHOUSE exhibition putting a spotlight on the theatre’s history and HALF A CENTURY STORIES collaborating with community stories tellers from across our city to capture and celebrate what Leeds means to us. The stories will then be hand posted through the letter boxes of those communities, inviting others to share their memories and create new connections. Further announcements of productions and events will be announced in the coming weeks. Leeds Playhouse is also offering free the use of the Bramall Rock Void theatre space with guaranteed technical support for local artists and companies in the heart of the Leeds City Region to help in the recovery of the cultural sector.
Leeds Playhouse relies on the support of valued partners to make great things happen. It is grateful for the continued support of Arts Council England, Leeds City Council, The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation and many charitable trusts, business partners and individuals.
ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums, and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspire us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, it will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
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