Student director revives century-old medium with ‘Carmilla’
Isobel Springer ’21 directs an audio adaptation of a gothic novella
By Rebecca Kirkman on December 1, 2020
For her student studio project, acting major Isobel Springer ’21 returned to a type of performance popularized nearly a century ago: the radio play.
Popular during the golden age of radio from the 1920s through the 1950s, radio plays were dramatized performances that combine dialogue, music and sound effects.
Springer grew up listening to The Big Broadcast, a series from a Washington, D.C. public radio station, 88.5 WAMU, featuring a collection of vintage radio programs hosted by the Tony Award-winning playwright, lyricist and director Murray Horwitz.
The novel coronavirus restrictions were already in place when Springer applied for the student studio project, where students whose proposals are selected by the theatre faculty studio committee produce and market their own shows. So, she says, a purely acoustic medium like the radio play made even more sense.
“I’ve done some productions through Zoom, but as a director I don’t find myself inspired by that,” says Springer, who directed her first radio play in Directing II. “I already had an interest in radio plays, and I set this project up knowing it would be remote, which was helpful in the beginning. We know we can't be together, so what’s the next best option?”
She chose to adapt a play based off the 1872 gothic novella “Carmilla,” one of the earliest works of vampire fiction. Written by David MacDowell Blue, the script brings the story to 1945 Austria.
“I wanted that strong female energy, and I like vampires, but ‘Dracula’ doesn’t really offer me that,” she explains, noting that “Carmilla” predates “Dracula” by a quarter century. “I came across this play on the New Play Exchange, and it gives the characters of Laura and Carmilla even more agency than the original novella.”
Springer’s production will be available digitally from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6. Tickets are available from the TU Box Office and provide access to the piece for the entire weekend as well as information on joining the live talk-back Zoom event on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
Springer hopes the production inspires conversation and new perspectives. “Storywise, we’re exploring themes of female sexuality, what it looks like to be a woman in an age where women were not given agency and what female aggression looks like,” she says. “And we often don’t see that, especially in the 1940s.”
The nine-person cast and three-person crew rehearsed for a month to bring the production to life, recording each actor’s audio track separately during group Zoom calls. Springer edited the tracks together, adding music and sound effects.
“When you can’t rely on blocking and body language, it suddenly requires getting very technical with diction, inflection, volume, pacing, etc.,” says Kirsten DiBastiani ’21, a theatre studies major with a double minor in family studies and deaf studies, who served as assistant director. “The audience will only be listening, so the delivery of lines becomes even more important. The actors have worked very hard to craft a dynamic delivery of every word in order to paint a picture of the action in the audience’s minds.”
Springer says the acting program allows her to explore many different facets of theatre. “I’ve been able to realize my passion is directing and doing things like this,” she says. Applying to produce her own student studio project gave Springer the opportunity to approach theatre in a new way.
“As this pandemic has hit, we’ve seen a lot of parts of theatre that aren’t working come to the forefront, and this is the time to fix them,” she says. “When it comes to accessibility, having these virtual events is so incredibly important.”
By directing “Carmilla,” Springer also created opportunities for her peers. “I am extremely grateful to Isobel for bringing this opportunity to the department,” says Erin Schetelich ’21, a social sciences secondary education major with a minor in theatre arts, who served as the stage manager. “With mainstage performances cancelled, she offered a chance for students to work again in the field that we adore. She is truly magical for that.”
Most of all, Springer wants to transport her audience to a different time and place. “I hope people get to escape for a little while. You can put headphones in, lie back and listen.”
Get tickets
“Carmilla” by David MacDowell Blue
Available online Dec. 4 - Dec. 6
Directed by Isobel Springer ’21, “Carmilla” is a luscious gothic soundscape that explores
themes of female violence, sexuality and the role of women in society under the looming
presence of supernatural beings in post-WWII Vienna. It may contain material recommended
for mature audiences.
Patrons will receive emailed instructions on how to watch the online performance, along with access to a live talk-back on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.