Sinking my teeth into Dracula: My experience with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s Community Ensemble

How a feminist vampire tale reignited my love for theatre (and reminded me I’m not as nimble as I used to be)

This autumn, I was back and joined new faces at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s Community Ensemble for their response to Dracula, the main house show of the Autumn season. It was my second time with the ensemble, having previously been part of Marriage Material. While the two experiences were as different as garlic and, well, vampires, both were equally rewarding in their own ways.

From dull to deadly

I was especially excited to sink my teeth into Dracula. I’ll admit, I’ve never been a fan of the original novel (sorry, Bram was just bored of all the letters, articles and captains logs), but I’ve always loved its cinematic adaptations. Whether it’s F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ eerie remake, Francis Ford Coppola’s 90s extravaganza, or the campy Hammer Horror classics, I’ve always enjoyed seeing the story brought to life on screen.

This stage version, written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and directed by Emma Baggott, took a fresh approach. Told from Mina’s perspective, it gave the story a feminist twist, focusing on themes of agency and resistance to patriarchal oppression. It was a bold reimagining that really hit the jugular.

Themes to sink into

For our ensemble performance, we explored key themes from Dracula: Possession, Invasion, Impossible Love, Power of Fear, Freedom and Bloodlust. The workshops, led by the brilliant Adrian Paul Jeyasingham and Alfie O’Sullivan-Neil, helped us dig into these ideas. They guided us through writing exercises, vocal and physical warm-ups and group discussions that brought the themes to life.

It was a joy to get back into warm-ups, something I hadn’t done since my earlier theatrical days. While I’m not as spry as I used to be (and still not entirely sure where my diaphragm is hiding), it felt great to reconnect with those practices.

A close encounter of the audience kind

What made this experience different from Marriage Material was the focus on the final performance. The writing exercises had clear parameters, which forced me to rein in my tendency to write big. This was a group effort, after all, not a one-person show. The performance itself was intimate and electric. We performed in a dark, black-box studio, with the audience so close I could see the whites of their eyes and their reactions. The buzz of performing, the energy flowing through the room, and the applause and cheers at the end were unforgettable. It reminded me why I love theatre so much.

A bite of gratitude

Seeing my family in the audience was a special moment and I loved the little cuddle I got with them before our ensemble debrief. During the debrief, we shared our gratitude for the trust, care and camaraderie we’d built as a group. As I told the ensemble, this experience has reignited my love for theatre. It’s not just about the performance - it’s about the friendships and connections that come with it, the very thing that drew me to this world in the first place. Of course, it also means I’ve now got another WhatsApp group to keep up with because who doesn’t need more notifications at 2am?

Meet the Dracula Community Ensemble. Photos by Genevieve Girling

What’s next?

I’m already looking forward to the next ensemble project. I can’t wait to see what the show will be and how Adrian and Alfie will guide us in piecing it together. Until then, I’ll carry the glow of this experience with me, a reminder of the power of storytelling, collaboration and the magic of live performance.