Call for Papers:
Dracula Returns -
A Conference and Celebration

In 1924, at the world premiere in Derby, Dracula stepped onto the stage. He was charming and suave, a different vampire to the monster of Bram Stoker’s novel. When the curtain rose, Hamilton Deane's adaptation debuted Dracula in evening dress and a cloak.

The monstrous nosferatu of the novel was recast as an urbane and sophisticated figure, still threatening but more of an insider than an invader. The Derby Dracula became wildly successful; the show toured the country and, from the West End, transferred to Broadway, where Bela Lugosi was cast as the Count. This production was then adapted by Hollywood for the iconic 1931 film. 

Since then Dracula has manifested in diverse forms: books, cartoons, toys, video games and many hundreds of films, from Blacula (1972) to children's favourite Hotel Transylvania (2012). Dracula is one of the most adapted characters in the world, destined to reappear in diverse cultures and forms, transcending gender and ethnic boundaries through his/her/its appeal. The home of this cultural journey is Derby.

Dracula Returns is a conference and celebration marking the 101st anniversary of Dracula’s licensed stage appearance in Derby. It begins with a site-specific performance in the same building that housed the original performance. The following conference is the culmination of an Arts and Humanities Research Council Curiosity research project charging Derby with the vampiric energy of the Count.

What, though, is the nature of this energy, if indeed we can call it that? Accordingly, we ask what is mobilised by the Draculas that exist beyond Bram Stoker’s text and consider the ways in which he/she/it has been made to mean. Does Dracula suck (as per the 1978 pornographic film), or is there also a succour, of sorts? This vampire may be an abuser, destroyer and sadist, yet they are also a source of comedy and a figure of love.

How has the character come to represent the other, and in doing so, stand in as a figure of sympathy for the outsider and the marginalised? How is all this packaged, sold, marketised and monetised (with reference, of course, to Marx’s vampires)? Above all, Dracula is a creature of value, both a magnet for tourism and a mine for adaptation, and it is through manifesting this value that the conference attempts to reckon with it.

What will the Conference include?

We intend to bring together scholars, practitioners, and members of the public for four days of events and discussions about Dracula in its many forms including theatre, literature, cinema, television, photography, and digital and online media. The multidisciplinary nature of the conference is aimed at a broad spectrum of scholars and speakers with a focus on relating the diverse aspects of Dracula to their own discipline or interests.

The conference period will include celebratory cultural activities that we warmly encourage all delegates to attend. These include:

• a Dracula-inspired art build linked with Derby’s Museum of Making
• The Derby Dracula Monster Mash - a themed garage-rock music festival celebrating underground DIY music with a genre that has decades-long associations with horror b-movie monsters and punk rock spirit
• a Vampire slam open-mic night
• a Vampires in reggae dancehall event

A Call for Papers

We seek papers that address the span of representations, adaptations, mediums and interactions with the character and related locations across its history, present and complex future. We are interested in heritage, tourism and ostensive action. The conference is interdisciplinary, at the intersection of art, creative writing, folkloristics, literary and theatre studies, heritage studies, human geography, tourism, media studies and Dracula studies.

Proposals should be 250 words max for 15-minute papers. We also welcome suggestions for special events (including interventions, screenings, demonstrations or performances), themed or grouped panels, or anything you think might manifest the conference’s themes.

Proposals are due by Halloween, 31 October 2024. Proposals and abstracts of 250 words (or further enquiries), can be submitted via email to dracula@derby.ac.uk.

We will inform speakers and delegates about the location, refreshments and accommodation nearer the time.