Anton Tweedale and Sam Carlyle on bringing Dracula – (Un)Dead Air to Grimfest
It’s Halloween Night 1937 and a star-studded, hotly anticipated live radio broadcast of Dracula is about to go on air. Except the cast are indisposed and so it falls to an anxious foley artist and the starry-eyed warm-up act to save the day and perform the horror classic all by themselves in order to avoid their greatest fear: dead air…
Anton Tweedale and Sam Carlyle are the creative minds behind Dracula – (Un)Dead Air, a semi-immersive comedy take on a horror classic and are deep in reheasals before bringing the show to Grimfest at the Old Red Lion Theatre in this spookiest of months.
The pair have though found the time to give us a sneak peek into their comedic take on Bram Stoker’s classic. As the stars and founders of Peas & Carrots Productions, they share their inspiration, favourite moments, and the thrill of transforming a beloved gothic tale into a hilariously high-stakes performance.
As Dracula himself said, “Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own free will!”
AT: Hello! I’m Anton Tweedale and I’m the co-director, co-writer and co-star of Dracula – (Un)Dead Air, playing roughly half of the characters.
SC: Hello! I’m Sam Carlyle and I complete all the other co’s and characters. We’re the founding members of Peas & Carrots Productions.
AT: We’re playing at the Old Red Lion as part of their GrimFest celebration of horror theatre. Nina Atesh and Jack Robertson (the producers of GrimFest) have both done such fantastic work in creating a festival that embraces all things spooky.
SC: We both love pub theatre for the platform it provides to new and emerging artists, and GrimFest is such an exciting festival for horror aficionados.
What can audiences expect from the show?
AT: A madcap, free-wheeling comedy take on a familiar classic told in a ‘radio-play’ style. The play is set in a radio studio on Halloween Night 1937, with the audience assembled to witness a live, star-studded radio broadcast of Dracula. But moments before the show is about to start, the Foley Artist and the Warm-up act discover the entire cast are indisposed and it’s up to them to perform the whole show themselves without a second of dead air if they ever want to work in this town again!
SC: Yes, they should be expecting some real high stakes stuff! Very fun, very camp and lots of laughs… we hope!
Who do you imagine enjoying the show the most?
AT: If you enjoyed The 39 Steps or The Play That Goes Wrong, I think you’ll want to ‘sink your teeth’ into Dracula – (Un)Dead Air. It’s for people who enjoy camp, silly fun but who also get a kick out of backstage drama and spooky shenanigans.
SC: And indeed, anyone who has ever found themselves in a stressful situation in the workplace!
What was the inspiration behind the show?
AT: Sam and I met working on ‘radio play’ versions of a couple of Christmas classics at Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock. We hit it off and really enjoyed that style of show – there’s something so magical about all the multi-roling and the live sound effects, and seeing the cast pull together to create the show. We talked about collaborating on a similar production and kept coming back to the idea of Dracula.
Is the version coming to GrimFest how you originally envisioned it?
AT: Not in the slightest! I first started fiddling about with ‘Dracula as a radio play’ back in 2020, but in my mind it was a much more serious affair, and probably had a cast of about six or so. Sam and I had talked about doing a two-person version of A Christmas Carol, and then one day she suggested trying that idea with Dracula and it all clicked into place. There’s so much scope for sticky situations for the actors trying to play all the roles as more and more of the characters come together in the narrative.
Is this the show’s first time on stage?
AT: This is the show’s first time being performed, and indeed my first time staging something that I’ve written. I’ve been an actor for [redacted] years, and recently turned my hand to directing and have enjoyed being involved on the other side of the curtain. Sam has more experience mounting her own work than I do, but for me this is my first time putting something out into the world where it’s all come from me and my collaborator. It’s a bit scary but also exciting.
What’s your favorite part about your role(s)?
AT: The sheer number of characters! We haven’t actually sat down and counted yet, but I think we’re in the region of twenty each.
SC: It’s hard to pick a favorite character, but I do have a favorite Foley sound effect: coconut horse hooves!
What’s your favourite element of the show?
AT: I’m going to say the foley right now, but that might change as I’m battling with coconut shells and train whistles and playing four different roles simultaneously. But I think it’s the most fun element of the show.
SC: I would completely agree. Though I think once the audience is in, that will add an entirely new element for us to play with too.
Is audience interaction an important aspect of the show?
SC: I think it’s important for the audience to feel like they are a part of the show, immersed in the world and hopefully if that all goes well, the interaction element will come easily.
If your show had a pop soundtrack, what songs would definitely be on it then?
SC: We actually have our own original soundtrack, which includes ominous underscoring and catchy radio jingles, written by the brilliant Wes Maddocks. But if we were to have a pop soundtrack it would feature: She Wolf by Shakira, Teeth by Lady Gaga, Hammer Horror by Kate Bush and the entirety of Cher’s Abba album.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world, where would it be?
AT: Whitby, of course! And maybe Transylvania – for the international tour.
And if you could have any special guest (living or dead) attend your show?
AT: Christopher Lee so he could step in and play Dracula for us! One less character to worry about.
Thank you, Anton and Sam, that was fang-tastic. “Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!”
Dracula – (Un)Dead Air will being playing at the Old Red Lion Theatre on 28th and 29th October, part of Grimfest. Further information and tickets are available here.