THE MOUNDS THEATRE

CONTENT WARNING

MISOGYNY, SEXUAL AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE, GENERAL GORE, IMPLIED VIOLENCE TO INFANTS

Kate Hamill's Dracula a feminist revenge fantasy, really, is a darkly comic and bloody production, and like most (if not all) vampire tales it's not suitable for all audiences. Be prepared for a production that address a range of issues such as misogyny, sexual and intimate partner violence, self-harm and suicide, general gore, and implied violence to infants.

We do not take these issues lightly and deeply respect the emotional and physical well-being of both our audience members and actors. Please read the Director’s Notes for more information about the show.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact:
National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1800-656-4673
Sexual Violence Center - 612-871-5111
Domestic Abuse Service Center: 612-379-6363
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that horror movies are generally NOT my thing. I’ve always loved horror stories, but the movies themselves give me nightmares so I tend to avoid watching them in favor of reading summaries on Wikipedia or catching up with recap podcasts instead. One of the only exceptions has always been Vampires. From The Little Vampire to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing, I love them all. Vampire stories speak to the intrinsic human fears of what happens after death, the monsters that stalk us in the night, and – of course – becoming something else’s meal. I’ve always loved these stories and how the strength and power of the vampire is almost always overcome by human passion and ingenuity. And – come on – everyone loves a sexy villain.

This Kate Hamill adaptation of Dracula takes the most famous vampire of all time and spins it in a blender with: feminist rage against society, a dash of darkest humor, and a reminder that the patriarchy is a parasite sapping the life out of all of us. I like to think that my experience in comedy, my love of trash action films, and fear of horror movies has uniquely prepared me to direct this show. I’m psyched with the absolute bloodbath of talent that we assembled for this production. From top to bottom everyone involved with this show has been scarily invested with bringing the script screaming to life, it’s been the honor of my life to lead this coven of weirdos. I hope you have as much dark delight watching this show as we had creating it.

Thank you so much for coming out to support the Mounds Theatre, to support Night Fire Theatre, and to support your local artists and the arts. We hope you leave this production a little spooked and maybe just a little bit bloody.

Erika Sassevile September 22nd, 2026