When Dracula Came to Derby with Dr Ann Featherstone

1924, the year that Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, was transformed into a stage play and had its premiere, not in the glitzy West End, but in Derby, at the Grand Theatre, Babbington Lane.

Here, Dracula’s trademark long black cape was first seen and a nurse patrolled the aisles to aid terror-stricken members of the audience! It was the beginning of the long stage career of the vampire Count, which would take the play from Derby to London and then to New York, when Hollywood beckoned. Join Dr Ann Featherstone in exploring this remarkable theatre debut and its reception in Derby and elsewhere.

This event is part of Dracula Returns to Derby, an AHRC-funded research project led by the University of Derby in partnership with Derby Museums, Derby Theatre, Bournemouth University and Sheffield Hallam University. A series of public workshops and events connect the city with the world’s most famous vampire.

Suitable for adults, booking essential. Limited places.

Accessibility at Derby Museums

Image © Bela Lugosi as Dracula, anonymous photograph from 1931, Universal Studios.

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