Review: Dracula at The Mount Without
The perfect kickstart to the spooky season here in Bristol
Shipwrecks and Dreams brought an ambitious production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the Mount Without this week.
The venue was an inspired choice. The Mount Without is a former church which experienced several bouts of severe arson when out of use. Now it’s been transformed into an arts centre but still retains an arty sense of abandonment despite being a vibrant venue. It’s a dissonance which gives the perfect energy for watching Victorian Gothic Horror.
The use of natural candlelight and Lighting Designer Billie-Jo Rainbird’s reds flooding the stage during moments of drama kept the atmosphere filled with strong supernatural vibes.
This production has been directed and adapted for the stage by Ben Jenkins. Whilst the pace is perfect and the story holds our attention throughout, it is quite lengthy and might have benefited from some slightly stronger editing in the first act.
This production had live music and was all the richer for it. The music, composed by Leeem, alongside sound design by Thomas Bryan, created a wonderful soundtrack. The gently rising tones of the violin in the opening moments was exquisite.
In terms of the story itself, what was great about this production was the way it led us towards what actually felt like the very heart of the tale come Act Two.
Although part of the same story, there was something about the way it was staged that made it feel like a whole new standalone adventure.
In many ways, Dracula is the story of Mina and the story of women at the end of the nineteenth century. This is what is strongly explored here.
The first half tells us the mythic horror story of Dracula and the fate of the people tangled up in his tale. But the second half is all about Mina, who she is and her place as a women in Victorian society.
Isobel Griffiths gives a commanding performance as Mina Harker. We feel her inner strength, her defiant resilience and intelligence. How she stands head and shoulders above the male characters with her intellect. She also brings a welcome humour to the story.
It is she who is pivotal in bringing an end to Dracula, instructing Jonathan Mattick’s towering presence of Van Helsing directly.
At one point in Act Two, Mina stands amongst the bodies of the sleeping men, giving the audience the brief and welcome sense that she had killed them all.
Amy Harrison was a fabulous Lucy Westenra, playing her with a delightfully vivacious streak.
The pair of women perfectly outranked the extremely male-heavy number of characters in Bram Stoker’s story.
Shipwrecks and Dreams’ production of Dracula was a very welcome and classy way to kickstart the spooky season in Bristol. Some fine storytelling and powerful performances hands down beats anything you could find on Netflix or a cinema screen right now.
Cast and Creatives
Dr Seward – Ciaran Corsar
Renfield – Joe Eaton
Count Dracula – Tomas Galle
Mina Harker – Isobel Griffiths
Lucy Westenra/Bride – Amy Harrison
Jonathan Harker – Harry Hudson
Arthur Holmwood – Ethan John-Parker
Van Helsing/Captain – Jonathan Mattick
Alina/Agata/Bride – Kristan Mihaylova
Quincey Morris/Bride – Fionn Smyth
Directed and Adapted by Ben Jenkins
Composer – Leem (Liam O’Conell)
Lighting Design – Billie-Jo Rainbird
Sound Design – Thomas Bryan
Musicians – Anna Radjenovic, Owen O’Neil, Huw Morgan, George Owen, Shayna D’Silva, Leeem
Art and Photography – Jordan Davies
Videography – Harrison Thorne
For more information about Shipwrecks and Dreams Theatre Company: https://www.instagram.com/shipwrecksanddreams/
Dracula by Bram Stoker was at The Mount Without 14-15 October 2026
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