The Immersive 5 with Katie Rediger, Co-Creator of ‘Van Helsing’s Dracula’
The actor and performance artist shares what she’s learned from her experiential work
Actor, poet, and performance artist Katie Rediger has crafted a provocative legacy of sultry appearances and intrigue as part of her work with Spy Brunch (Safehouse ’77 & ’82) and featured appearances at the long running The Toledo Show in Santa Monica.
Sensuality is a core part of Rediger’s artistic practice, and that’s the case with Van Helsing’s Dracula, a “sapphic spin” on Bram Stoker’s tale that Rediger has crafted with writer Corrin Evans and director Sarah Mann of the circus arts troupe Madmann’s Playground. The show is a circus arts powered reframing of the classic vampire tale of desire, anchored by a three-course meal that aims to invoke just what might have been served at Dracula’s castle.
In this edition of the i5, Rediger shares what’s she’s learned as part of the development process of multiple experiential events.
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The Immersive 5 series asks creators across the various immersive disciplines the same five questions in search of both their approach to crafting work, and the elusive nature of immersive work itself.
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No Proscenium: What does “immersive” mean to you, and what terms do you use when talking about your own work?
Katie Rediger: Immersive means that we, the performers, are not asking you to just come sit on the other side of the wall and witness us play make believe. We are inviting you to join us, to step into the world we’ve created, and experience it with us in real time. I like to think of my work as intimate, provocative, and sensory.
NP: What should every creator be thinking about first and foremost when designing for the audience?
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KR: THE EXPERIENCE! What sets immersive theater apart from other traditional styles of theater is the memorable, intricately tailored, and oftentimes bespoke experiences immersive audiences stand to receive. I am always asking myself how we can make people forget their real lives for a few hours and lose themselves in the world we’ve created for them.
NP: What did you wish you knew when you were starting out with this stuff and what’s the one thing you’d tell a creator starting out today?
KR: There’s always a learning curve. Giving audience members more agency is very fun but it is also a risky business. The more agency you offer the less control you will have over every detail once you’re live. What’s wonderful about immersive theater is that there are so many levels and varying degrees of immersion, which allow creators the ability to go at their own pace and find the right balance for their particular concept. My advice to new creators is to BE PREPARED for ANYTHING. Problem solve as much as possible in advance, have damage control plans, and build SOLID trust between all the performers.
NP: Why do this kind of work and not something more “traditional” that might have more mainstream appeal at the moment?
KR: This work is for those who crave deeper, more personal connections with the audience that can never be duplicated. Every single show, every single experience, is a once in a lifetime, one of a kind moment not just for the audience, but for the performer as well. It’s literal magic and nothing else compares.
NP: What inspirations — and anything is fair game here — are currently shaping your creative practice?
This list could go on and on and on, but I am constantly inspired by other creators: Spy Brunch LLC, Speakeasy Society, The Toledo Show, and my incredible collaborators to name a few. I am also deeply inspired by the dark, the erotic, the fantastical, and the strange.
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Van Helsing’s Dracula
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Katie Rediger
Van Helsing’s Dracula
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