The Scenic Design of Steven Dietz’s “Dracula” for the Royall Tyler Theatre Stage

2017, University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM

Abstract

For this thesis, I completed a scenic design for Steven Dietz’s Dracula. Using moving platforms, I guided viewers through locations called for in the script. I paralleled the discomfort of fin-de-siècle Europe with the change and instability of place onstage. This project contributed to ticket sales—thus affecting the finances of the theatre department. Unlike previous designs of Dracula, this production used minimal scenery. The stage shifted at select moments, while it was also manipulated by lighting and atmospherics. The scenic realization of Dracula and the written reflection document the student scenic designer’s process at UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre.

Prompt: A Journal of Theatre Theory, Practice, and Teaching

“Prompt, a journal of theatre theory, practice, and teaching, aims to connect theatre practice to theatre scholarship—through pedagogy. Founded in 2020 by colleagues at The Pennsylvania State University School of Theatre, the goal of each issue is to teach something in the field of theatre and performance studies using a humble technology; accompanying short essays reflect on an idea that sparks a scholar’s interest. Prompt is a generative space where theatre artists, educators, and scholars converge to exchange ideas that prompt new thoughts and practices.”

–Editors-in-Chief:

Jeanmarie Higgins

Michael Schweikardt

Ryan Douglass