We hopped on a Zoom with cast members Anna Sosa and Dan Cimo to dish about how the women take center stage in this production and really stick it to the man–and just how funny that can be.
Virginian Pilot | ‘Dracula, A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really’ sticks it to The Man
Playwright Kate Hamill (well-aided and abetted by director Melissa Mowry) has taken lucrative liberties with Stoker’s “Dracula,” just as she has with other out-of-copyright classics such as Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma.” Besides gender and nationality-switching key characters such as Van Helsing, Hamill has openly attacked paternalism on all fronts. This VSC production features, for example, an “all-female” creative team (with one nonbinary person, as Mowry specifies). In her playbill notes, Mowry calls this production “a labor of love and rage,” the rage directed against the degradation of women by men legally empowered to suck their life’s blood from them.
CoastLive | It's a Classic Tale with a Modern Twist...DRACULA at The Wells
DRACULA Partners with "Paint Pink"
We are thrilled to announce that the Virginia Stage Company contributed $1,000 to Paint Pink during the October 18th performance of Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really. This generous donation not only highlights the company’s commitment to supporting vital causes but also honors the incredible work of Paint Pink’s founder, Kim Keene.
Paint Pink is dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer and empowering those affected by the disease. The funds raised will help support initiatives that provide education, resources, and support to individuals and families navigating the challenges of breast cancer.
The intersection of art and activism is beautifully embodied in this collaboration. As audiences gathered to enjoy a thought-provoking performance, they were also reminded of the power of community and the impact of giving back. This production celebrates women and shines light on challenges that they face. Supporting Paint Pink is the perfect complement to that.
We are grateful to our audiences and supporters for making this important contribution possible. Together, we can continue to foster awareness and create change, one performance at a time. Let’s keep the momentum going!
HR Show | Take a Bite Out of this Victorian Horror Story!
VEER | Women Drive Stake Through Heart of Patriarchal Dracula
"What does it mean to have Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, really told from the perspective of a woman of color," says Melissa. ...That eventually opened up the world of the play to her. "This play was written during the #MeToo movement, and the Harvey Weinstein trial," she later adds. "Unfortunately, I think the world is meeting the play, where it sort of starts."
DRACULA Driving Deeper | Victorian Gender Roles
The Victorian era spans Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign over Great Britain and Ireland, from 1837 to 1901. During this time, Britain became a global superpower, expanding its empire and experiencing rapid progress in science, industry and the arts, as well as significant political and social reforms that have shaped the modern world.
“During the Victorian period men and women’s roles became more sharply defined than at any time in history. In earlier centuries it had been usual for women to work alongside husbands and brothers in the family business. Living ‘over the shop’ made it easy for women to help out by serving customers or keeping accounts while also attending to their domestic duties.” - Kathryn Hughes, The British Library’s “Gender roles in the 19th century”
John Ruskin, an English writer and philosopher, reveals the rigid gender roles of the 19th century Victorian era were characterized by strict stereotypes that disadvantaged women. This period was defined by the "separate spheres" ideology that relegated men to the public sphere of work and economics, consigning women to domestic roles, reinforcing male dominance. These spheres supported by Darwin’s theory of "Survival of the Fittest," placed men higher on the evolutionary ladder and impacted all societal aspects, including employment, where only a third of women worked compared to two-thirds by 1978. For the upper-middle class, many women had never worked outside the home. Women were expected to live up to the image of ‘the angel in the house’, to be the perfect wife and mother.
The early feminist movement emerged in the 1850s, advocating for equality in education, work, and voting rights despite these limitations. Figures like Queen Victoria opposed these efforts, viewing feminism as a "wicked folly" offering “God created men and women differently—then let them remain each in their own position.” Victorian-era gender stereotypes persisted well into the 20th century and continue to influence modern-day society.
Bowles’ Drawing Book for Ladies is a manual for drawing or embroidering flowers. Drawing and embroidery were part of a conventional female education in the 18th and 19th centuries.
DRACULA Diving Deeper | Exploring Imperial Gothic Literature
Emerging in the late 19th century, this subgenre of gothic literature merges traditional gothic themes (horror, mystery, and the supernatural) with anxieties about British imperialism and colonial decline. Patrick Brantlinger coined the term “Imperial Gothic” in his 1988 book Rule of Darkness: British Literature and Imperialism, 1830–1914 (excerpt here)
This style of literature reflects fears of cultural regression and the weakening of British dominance. Central to it is the trope of "reverse colonization," where colonial forces disrupt Western civilization, echoing concerns about the empire's fragility. There’s a sense that the modern world offers fewer opportunities for adventure and heroism, often resulting in individual regression, also known as "going native". The stories often explore English anxieties about the tension between the nation’s xenophobia and its imperialist drive, tapping into fears of the racial 'other' in the colonies.
Notable works like Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde illustrate these themes by depicting supernatural and psychological horrors highlighting concerns about racial and cultural "otherness" within the British Empire.
Some common elements of Imperial Gothic include:
Remote, desolate landscapes
A vulnerable heroine
Supernatural elements like ghosts, dreams, and eerie voices
Social Darwinist terms
Devolution
Postcolonial literature offers powerful examples of "the empire writing back"* that have been inspired by the xenophobia of Gothic novels. For instance, Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso reimagines Bertha from Jane Eyre, renaming her Antoinette and turning her into the heroine of her own story.
Add these Imperial Gothic reads to your list for spooky season:
Pharos the Egyptian (1899), Guy Boothby
Jane Eyre (1847), Charlotte Brontë
Greenmantle (1916), John Buchan
Riddle of the Sands (1903), Erskine Childers
Heart of Darkness (1899), Joseph Conrad
“Lot No. 249” (1892), Arthur Conan Doyle
“The Brown Hand” (1899), Arthur Conan Doyle
“The Ring of Thoth” (1890), Arthur Conan Doyle
The Sign of Four, Arthur Conan Doyle
She (1887), H. Rider Haggard
After London (1885), Richard Jefferies
“Mark of the Beast” (1890), Rudyard Kipling
Brood of the Witch Queen (1918), Sax Rohmer
Tales of Secret Egypt (1918), Sax Rohmer
The Daughter of Fu Manchu (1931), Sax Rohmer
The Bat Flies Low (1935), Sax Rohmer
Story of Henrietta (1800), Charlotte Smith
“The Beach of Falesá" (1892), Robert Louis Stevenson
"The Isle of Voices" (1893), Robert Louis Stevenson
“The Master of Ballantrae” (1889), Robert Louis Stevenson
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker
Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), Bram Stoker
Sanders of the River (1909), Edgar Wallace
“The Truth about Pyecraft” (1903), H.G. Wells