125 years ago today, Dracula was published. This year marks the Quasquicentennial for the birth of a whole genre of horror stories. Prior to Dracula, most vampire stories were of the credulous “non-fictional” type – that is, they were told because they were believed to be true. There were a few fictional vampires prior to Count Dracula who paved the way. Then, after Bram Stoker’s Dracula, gothic horror came into vogue and fictional vampires came out of the shadows.

In 2022, fans of the vampire classic marked the 125th anniversary in a number of ways. Drinking a bottle of red while reading a leatherbound edition in a tomb was popular. In Whitby England (where the nearby Gothic abbey was supposedly an inspiration for Bram Stoker), there was an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the number of attendees in vampire costume. The final count is pending, but organizers hoped for 1,897 – to match the year of Dracula’s publication in 1897.

We’re celebrating by reviving Children of the Night this October. We’re casting our 3-act vampire dramedy soon. Come join us, and keep the tradition alive.