1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: I think perhaps a little bit of a movie clip 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: is in order to set the scene for our first 3 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: interview today, how are you cross time? The apologies if 4 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: I've just given you goosebumps, although I think on a 5 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: daylight today, but of a cold shiver is not the 6 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: worst thing to prescribe. For those who don't recognize that clip, 7 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: it is from the nineteen ninety two movie of Bramstoker's Dracula, 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: and as a matter of interest, on a sidebar, it 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: was reported that line about crossing oceans of time to 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: find you that was the thing that convinced Gary Oldman 11 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: to take the role. He put the script aside and said, 12 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: I'm in after reading that line alone. And look, it's 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: a book I loved studying during my English degree many 14 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: many years ago, and admittedly I was going through a 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: bit of a goth phase at the time, so that 16 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,319 Speaker 1: very dark and sort of brooding mood was right up 17 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: my alley. But I don't think I was alone in 18 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: my attachment to that novel. And you only have to 19 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: look at the number of times it's been adapted for 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: the screen over the years to realize it is truly 21 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: a timeless story. Stoker may have written it in the 22 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: eighteen nineties, but he captured something that was so frightening 23 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: to us and so gripping and so imaginative that it 24 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: continues to haunt us more than a century later. And 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: I am super excited to see how that brooding darkness 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: plays out in ballet form, because the brand new production 27 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: of Dracula by Cape Town Seti Ballet opens at the 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: Artscape this Friday, and it's my huge pleasure to welcome 29 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: back to studio the man who first created this piece 30 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: in the nineteen nineties and who is guiding this production 31 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: as both choreographer and director, David Nixon. Great to have 32 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: you back with us. Welcome hi with you. Thanks. I mean, 33 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: it's almost impossible for someone not to have some kind 34 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: of mental picture of the concept of Dracula. For a child, 35 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: that might be the duck version. They've been cartoonish, have 36 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: been spoof versions. You might think of Boris Karlov at 37 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: the Shadow of Fingernails, you might think of Gary Oldman 38 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: crawling up the side of a bulling with the cape blowing. 39 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: But everybody has some kind of concept of the story. 40 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: Why do you think this story has kept us coming 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: back to it time after time. What is it about 42 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: it that, one hundred and eighty years after it was 43 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: suppost published in book form, we still want to interrogate 44 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: the story. 45 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 2: I think there's so many things to it. I mean, 46 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 2: I think that's one of the things why it's had 47 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 2: so many reincarnations, is because there's more to it than 48 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 2: just a vampire coming out of a coffin. We have 49 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: an absolute fascination with this creature, the mystery of it, 50 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 2: the sensuality of it, the whole immortality. And then there's 51 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 2: the other internal struggle, our moral struggle against what it 52 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 2: would be to be a vampire, what you would give 53 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 2: up to be a vampire, to live forever, and what 54 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: really being that monster is. And I think that you know, 55 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 2: we've turned them into like Edward Colin is a bit 56 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 2: two pretty vegan, you know, has the ultimate life, and 57 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: it's kind of, you know, in this century, trying to 58 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 2: attain immortality without any of the horror of it. Really, 59 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 2: and I think that one always has to remember at 60 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 2: the base of this story is this horror and for 61 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 2: a real for a vampire to change somebody who they 62 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 2: may have some feelings for, that's when that comes into question. 63 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: I mean, that's what is in Twilight. But it is 64 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 2: a very sincere thing. But you're absolutely right. We are 65 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 2: fascinated with vampires. It's been reincarnated and reincarnated. 66 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I mean you've absolutely hit the nail on 67 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: the head there that the true horror of the piece 68 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: is not necessarily the monster himself. It's the monstrosity of saying, 69 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: what would I be prepared to ask of somebody else 70 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: to make them be with me in immortality? Absolutely, and 71 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: what the price would be for them? So absolutely setting 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: the scene for us. I mean, I've got crispumps just 73 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: thinking about this. When did you first start toying with 74 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: the idea of taking that concept and turning it into ballet? 75 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: For what was the spark for you? 76 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 2: So the spark was really the fact that in America 77 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 2: the companies have rather large boards and to keep them busy, 78 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: they have various committees, and one of the committees was 79 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 2: the marketing committee. And they sat down and they were 80 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 2: investigating the fact that in America Halloween is a huge 81 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 2: holiday now. And they came to me and they said, 82 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 2: we're not taking advantage of this, like, you know, can't 83 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 2: you do a Halloween ballet for us? And of course 84 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 2: I just thought of trick or treat and things and ghosts, 85 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 2: and you know, I was a bit like I had 86 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 2: to say yes, but deep inside I was not saying yes. 87 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 2: And so then I you know, I got the three 88 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 2: Gothic novels out, Frankenstein, Jeccolin, Hyde, and Dracula, and the 89 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 2: one that felt closest to my ability to create something 90 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 2: from was the Dracula. And it's also vampires have always 91 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 2: been a part of my life since I was a kid, 92 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 2: because we used to have a show after school called 93 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 2: Dark Shadows, Yes, and I used to race home to 94 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 2: watch Dark Shadows. And of course, you know, I saw 95 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,720 Speaker 2: the bram Stoker The Francis four Cupola, and you know, 96 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 2: it was an extraordinary movie when it was made at 97 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 2: the time, and then there was interview with a vampire, 98 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 2: and so these things fascinated me also esthetically, and I 99 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 2: started to think also because Dracula is a superhuman creature, 100 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 2: dancers are in their own way superhuman, and especially when 101 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 2: you see the men from Cape Town City Valley right now, 102 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 2: do Dracula and Harker and things, they are demonstrating some 103 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:39,840 Speaker 2: superhuman activities on that stage. 104 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: I mean, I've heard the word super physical and superhuman 105 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: used several times to describe the choreography in this piece. 106 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: I mean, and as it should, because, as you say, 107 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: this is somebody who is it's more than larger than life, 108 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: who is imbued with superhuman strength. I mean, tell us 109 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: a little bit about what that means. With the dancer 110 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: portraying the role of Dracula, I think Dracula. 111 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 2: I mean, it's become it's evolved a bit over the time, 112 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 2: but now it's much more interesting because they start out 113 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 2: as kind of a starved old Dracula who eventually feeds 114 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,919 Speaker 2: on Harker and becomes you youthful again. And then he 115 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 2: goes through this whole transformation from being really what we 116 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 2: think of as a vampire and then having this fascination 117 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 2: and what I describe as an inability to be with 118 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 2: Mina like he should be, which is he should just 119 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 2: spite her and devour her and that's it. But he 120 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 2: can't do that, and this becomes a frustration and an 121 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 2: anger and eventually turns to him confronting her and understanding 122 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 2: what this really means to him. 123 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:41,359 Speaker 1: Oh, I mean, I can't wait to see it on 124 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: stage on Friday. As you referenced. This is one of 125 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: the original Gothic novels. It's all about the light and 126 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: the shade, the dark, the good versus evil, those massive struggles. 127 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: The music, obviously, I mean you heard a little bit 128 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: of Heart was done on film there. But to set 129 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: the piece to music and find something sufficiently dark and 130 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: deep and ominous is the word i'd use. Where did 131 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: you start and what did you settle on? What music 132 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: is this piece set to? 133 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 2: Okay, as usual, Pippa, You're right on it. The music 134 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 2: is extremely important and I agreed to do the ballet 135 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 2: before I had any idea well, and at the time 136 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 2: in America, I didn't have the kind of budget I 137 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 2: had later in England, where I could hire a composer. 138 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: So I had to come up with a compilation. But 139 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 2: I had no idea where to start, because you've hit it. 140 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 2: If you don't have the right music for this, it 141 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 2: doesn't help the drama, it doesn't tell the story. So 142 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 2: I had a pianist at the time, a Russian man 143 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 2: called Michael Popoff, who was an extraordinary artist, and I 144 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 2: went him and I said, I've got this issue. I've 145 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 2: got to find music for Dracula, and he said Schnitk, 146 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 2: and I said Schnitker. I knew Schnitka from Germany when 147 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 2: I danced. He's a very contemporary Russian composer and quite difficult. 148 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 2: And I said, really, Michael, he said Schnittke. I said, okay, 149 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 2: put something together, and so he constructed part of the 150 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 2: first act and it became clear instantly it was the 151 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 2: right music as the bass because it twists. So the 152 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 2: music has the duality of classical and contemporary, which is 153 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 2: the duality of the vampire, which is human and inhuman. 154 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 2: And we couldn't fill out the whole piece with Schnitger. 155 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 2: So it has also a rachmaninof ball music in it. 156 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 2: And then it has a big piece at the n 157 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 2: by Michael Dougherty. And then there are two beautiful pieces 158 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 2: by Arvil pertin it. 159 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: Okay, so a real compilation. 160 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 2: But the balk is Schnitger. 161 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: Schnitger okay, so not a composer I can concede to 162 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: be familiar with. I look forward to hearing it on stage. 163 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: The sound landscape is one thing. The visual landscape is 164 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: so important for a piece like this, and I know 165 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: you know you are involved in every aspect of this production. 166 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: And as I said at the start, and just for 167 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: anybody who's coming in midway, the voice you're listening to 168 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,719 Speaker 1: belongs today. But Nixon who created this piece originally in 169 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: the nineteen nineties and is also acting as both choreographer 170 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,679 Speaker 1: and director here in Capeton. But I know, working very 171 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: closely with our set teams, costume teams, et cetera. The 172 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: visual landscape that you've created it is also so important, 173 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: and I'm interested to hear how you dressing the roles, 174 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: because again, everyone has that sort of cliched count Dracula's 175 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: going to have fangs and a big black cape that's 176 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: got red satin inside it, and a very pale face, 177 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: and Mina's got to be virginal white and purity and 178 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: light colors and all of that. Do you sort of 179 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:19,719 Speaker 1: lean into that or do you deliberately try and to 180 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: do it differently. 181 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 2: I think the one thing I lean into is the 182 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 2: black cape. That became very important because I wanted a 183 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 2: weigh in which Dracula moved differently than the other characters, 184 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 2: and by adding a cape in it becomes almost a 185 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 2: second person with him. The design swims between Gothic contemporary 186 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,839 Speaker 2: Gothic and Victorian, so you have this kind of mix 187 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 2: in there. Mina is not so virginal in that sense. 188 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 2: She's married to Harker and she is a normal woman. 189 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 2: So her colors they are pale. Well, actually her day 190 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 2: dress is not so pale, but her ball dress is. 191 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 2: But no, I do you use the red and the 192 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 2: black for certain things, because I think it is the 193 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 2: iconic Gothic look, But there's lots of other colors and 194 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:09,559 Speaker 2: fabrics and things in there. 195 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: Okay, let's talk a little bit about your dancers themselves. 196 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: I mean you've referenced the transformation they have to go 197 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,079 Speaker 1: on stage, the ability to capture those dual elements of 198 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,079 Speaker 1: the light and shade, the old and young, the good 199 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: and evil, the struggle. It's a big ask for any performer, 200 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: and you're dividing the role obviously, because to ask any 201 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: dancer to do that several times in a week is 202 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: going to be a big ask. But tell us about 203 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: your leads. 204 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 2: So we have potentially for Draculas one, it's Lucien, Jerome, 205 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 2: Zach and Lechle. They are all completely different, which is 206 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 2: what I love. I never like to have carbon copy casts. 207 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 2: I want each cast to be quite different. And then 208 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 2: in the Women, we have for the first time ever 209 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 2: two of the women, Bella and Hannah are dancing both 210 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 2: Lucy and Mina, so they're doing both those roles. Christell 211 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 2: is first cast Mina, and then we have Genevieve who's 212 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 2: also doing Lucy, and Sasha who's doing Mina. 213 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:09,199 Speaker 1: Okay, sure, that's a big ask, Okay. Can't wait to 214 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: see them on stage though. And please, for those who 215 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,840 Speaker 1: are particularly attached to a particular dancer, please obviously bear 216 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: that in mind and look carefully and read up on 217 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: who's performing which roles on which night. When you book 218 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: with that in mind, is it live music accompaniment record? 219 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: You're in the theater space? Okay, okay. A comment on 220 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: the WhatsApp line, Cedric loved listening to that clip from 221 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: the Gary Oldman version because he thought that Gary Oldman 222 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: was so good in that particular role. I did too. 223 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: I mean, I love him in anything, but he was 224 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: fantastic in that role. I wonder if listeners have other 225 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 1: favorites they'd like to mention. Whatever generation you're from, if 226 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: you have a sort of a dominant memory of Dracula 227 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 1: and the telling thereof whether it's a book, a TV 228 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: series of movie. Please do share with us on the 229 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: WhatsApp line who was your favorite and why what it 230 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: was about them that in Capture the Role? For you? 231 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: You can send a what's up to? Seven two five 232 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: six seven one five six seven. As we continue in 233 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: conversation with David Nixon, choreographer and director of the new 234 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: Captan City Ballet production of Dracula, a piece he created 235 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: back in nineteen ninety nine, I believe the first weekend 236 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: is almost sold out already. I'm so excited that I'm 237 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: going to be able to see it on Friday night. 238 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: But you are on right towards the end of March, 239 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: aren't you. Yes? 240 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, and there have been two shows added in already, 241 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: okay because of the demand. It was well over seventy 242 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 2: percent sold. 243 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: Already, So that's fantastic. Okay. So while we're talking sales, 244 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: let me just tell you where to buy your tickets. 245 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: If you haven't already got them, it sounds like you 246 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: need to move fast to secure them. The booking platform 247 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: for this production is web Tickets, and the pricing is 248 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 1: from one hundred and eighty to four hundred and fifty 249 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: round a ticket, depending obviously on the show you're attending 250 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: and where you're going to be sitting, but web tickets 251 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: your booking platform for that. Let's talk about fangs. We 252 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: were at one point hoping that we would have Castell 253 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: Patterson with us in the studio as well as David 254 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 1: who she is, of course one of the leads on 255 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: the female side. But she is literally busy getting her 256 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: fangs fitted at the dentist as we speak that she 257 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: is tell us more. I mean, that's quite a challenge 258 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: to ask a dancer to dance with a prosthetic device 259 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: in their mouth, and one that's going to be big 260 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 1: enough to be seen by an audience. What does that 261 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: actually involve. 262 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 2: Well, first of all, you can't use just the stick 263 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 2: on teeth because you can't risk them falling off and 264 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 2: the dancers swallowing them while they're jumping in the air. Okay, 265 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 2: and the dancer has to feel comfortable, so these teeth 266 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 2: have to be done properly. They do a mold of 267 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 2: the dancer's mouth and then they make the retainer with 268 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 2: the teeth, and then that's fit to make sure it's 269 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 2: all comfortable and it just stays on. I mean, we 270 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 2: loosen had his mate very early, and he's been rehearsing 271 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 2: with them all the time. The thing about the fangs 272 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 2: is it's not as important for the audience to see 273 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 2: them as the dancer tooth embrace what a vampire is, 274 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 2: and just by having these teeth in their mouth, it 275 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 2: changes their approach. They feel more like a vampire. I 276 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 2: see it every time. It starts to inhabit them. And 277 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 2: so even if you don't really see, because if you're 278 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 2: sitting at the back of the theater, you probably won't 279 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 2: exactly see that they've got fangs, but you will be 280 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 2: able to get a performance from a dancer who knows 281 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 2: they have fangs. Yeah, if I can. 282 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 1: Say, that's so interesting. So it really is part of 283 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: putting on the mantle of the character and that transformation happening. 284 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: I'm thinking, do you have method ballet dancers as you 285 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: have method actors who stay in character off stage. Do 286 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: they keep the fangs on when they leave the stage. 287 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 2: Well, I don't know if they do or not. I 288 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 2: do know that what happens in the studio when we're rehearsing, 289 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 2: they start talking to me and they can't really talk properly, 290 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 2: so they have to take them out, but I don't 291 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 2: think they fiddle with them too much. Actually, yeah, sure 292 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 2: about that. I mean, with this production, because it's such 293 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 2: a theater production as well as dance, we've done a 294 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 2: lot of exercises as far as a theater company would do. 295 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 2: We've done hot seating, and we've done interviewing. That so 296 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 2: the characters all know oh who they are, and much 297 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 2: more so than a normal kind of ballet where well, 298 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 2: I'm Cinderella. Well okay, here, Mina has to know relationships 299 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 2: to every man she's going to be with on stage. 300 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 2: She has to know her history with Lucy. She has 301 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 2: to know that so she can react appropriately on stage 302 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 2: and it becomes real. 303 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: Sure, I mean, the depth on the detail that you've 304 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: put into the creation of this storytelling element of the 305 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: ballet sounds like, as you said, that as much work 306 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: as you would do for a theater piece as for 307 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: a dance production. Now, the one thing a couple of 308 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: people are asking about, oh we haven't mentioned is age appropriateness, because, 309 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 1: as you said, this is the original horror story, one 310 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 1: of the real original Gothic novels. It is not just 311 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: scary in terms of the look of the characters, but 312 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: the concepts are quite terrifying. Have you set an age 313 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: restriction for. 314 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 2: The pact age twelve and above? Do you know it's 315 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 2: always difficult with ballet, because yes, the topic we know 316 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 2: as adults is a But I always say a child 317 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 2: only knows their life experience, so things that we may 318 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 2: see as an adult, they won't see without knowing that. 319 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 2: I like to have an age suggestion there so that 320 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 2: if a parent, like years ago in America, I was 321 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 2: doing dangerously aisons and I had a parent call and 322 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: ask if it was an appropriate valley for a two 323 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 2: year old, and I said, there's two words in there 324 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 2: that would tell me I don't take a two year 325 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 2: old too. So since then, I have always felt if 326 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 2: we have any sort of subject matter that feels more adult, 327 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 2: then we should put some sort of age restriction on it. 328 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 2: It doesn't mean that a child younger than that isn't 329 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 2: at a twelve year old's understanding and could, but that's 330 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 2: a parent's judgment. It's only you know. 331 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 1: Your child and where they sit on that scale. Absolutely, 332 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 1: it's a point well taken that obviously, you know, sometimes 333 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: we overthink it and over worry about reading our own 334 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: emotions and baggage into how the child is going to 335 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: see it. I take your point. I mean I'm so 336 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: as you can probably tell, so excited to come and 337 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,919 Speaker 1: see it on Friday, really really thrilled to have this 338 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: production on stage at the Artscape Theater. So once again 339 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 1: it is thirteen to twenty nine March. Booking is on 340 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,719 Speaker 1: web tickets. Please book in a hurry because the tickets 341 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: are almost sold out, already seventy percent sold and the 342 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: first weekend almost entirely sold out. So do act fast 343 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: if you are planning to see it. And David, wonderful 344 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 1: to have you back in studio with us. Thank you 345 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: for bringing this vision to life on stage and looking 346 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: forward to Friday. 347 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 2: Thank you very much. I really appreciate you doing this interview. 348 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 1: It's always a pleasure to have you with us. David Nixon, 349 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: choreographer and director as well as the original creator of Dracula. 350 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,359 Speaker 1: See it at the Artscape Theater from this Friday.