Eugene Ballet opens its 2025/2026 season on November 1-2 with the world premiere of Dracula, the first full-length ballet choreographed by Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Suzanne Haag.

Dracula marks a major turning point for the company with the first performance under the leadership of Jennifer Martin, who took over as Artistic Director this year from Toni Pimble. Pimble led the company for nearly five decades and is Oregon’s most prolific ballet choreographer, having created over 60 works performed by Eugene Ballet and companies around the globe.

The work also represents the beginning of a new artistic era for the ballet company as Martin and Haag take over the creative reins. “Suzanne’s Dracula perfectly embodies Eugene Ballet’s next chapter: bold storytelling, technical brilliance, and deep collaboration. It’s the kind of work that defines who we are and where we’re going,” said Martin.

The work is distinct from the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s recent performances of Dracula, which was choreographed by Ben Stevenson during his tenure as artistic director at Houston Ballet.

A dream project

Inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula,” the ballet explores duality: science vs. superstition, sexuality vs. repression, and the fear of “the other.” Haag explains that creating a ballet to embody the story on stage took several years of planning.

“I have a long list of dream projects and Dracula has always been on that list,” says Haag. “Over three years ago, Toni had asked how I felt about tackling a new version of Dracula. Since it was something that has always been of interest, together we decided it would be a good story to explore for my first full-length ballet.”

Eugene Ballet originally planned to present Dracula during its 2024/2025 season, but ultimately the decision was made to present works by Toni Pimble that season in honor of her retirement year. Dracula was postponed to the current season.

Sponsor

Haag began sourcing music in 2023 and costume and set concepts were started in 2024.  “Because we had anticipated an earlier premiere, some of the costumes have been done for a while,” explains Haag. “Toni Pimble designed and built all of the costumes for the Act One ballroom scene during the summer of 2024.”

In addition to Pimble’s costume designs, Costume Shop Manager and in-house costume designer, Axel Dāzee, also designed costumes—most notably the “blood” costumes as well as six “undead women.”

A long list of collaborators

To pull off her first full-length ballet, Haag relied on an array of mostly regional collaborators. 

Longtime Eugene Ballet collaborator Michael Peterson designed the lighting, and videographer Katherine Frizzell enhanced the physical set design with a video wall that shifts with each scene to set the tone. Local dentist and longtime supporter, Dr. John Sullivan of Smiles for Oregon, created custom vampire fangs for the performance. 

The company collaborated with Bounce Gymnastics of Eugene on an aerial rigging system that enables dancers portraying undead women to dance weightlessly. The dancers learned and practiced the scene in an aerial room at Bounce Gymnastics and Aerial Arts Center. “I wanted the undead women to move less like humans and more like supernatural beings,” says Haag. “It’s unlike anything we’ve done before.”

Scott Freck, past Executive Director of the Eugene Symphony Association, reviewed Haag’s musical choices and suggested additional composers to complement the score. Music included works by Alexander Balanescu, Witold Lutoslawski, Brian McWhorter, Max Richter, Ciprian Porumbescu, Alfred Schnittke, and Krzysztof Penderecki. Brian McWhorter of Orchestra Next, a longtime Eugene Ballet partner, edited the audio tracks for the ballet, as well as composed and recorded five sections, including the “heartbeat” sounds heard at various points in the show.

The original trailer for the ballet was filmed in August of 2023 at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, an 1888 Victorian mansion and museum located in downtown Eugene. The home’s furniture was shifted to create a Victorian world for the trailer. 

Sponsor

Set construction, painting, and costume fabrication were completed by Eugene Ballet’s in-house artisans and community craftspeople at the Booth-Kelly scene shop in Springfield.

“Creating a world premiere ballet at this level is a full-scale theatrical endeavor,” says Eugene Ballet Executive Director Josh Neckels. “Most of the work happens right here in our community, built by local artists, stitchers, and carpenters. When we invest in these productions, we’re also investing in the creative economy of Lane County. Over 80 percent of what we spend stays right here.”

The company dancers were integral to the Dracula choreography. “The Eugene Ballet dancers are my closest collaborators and greatest source of inspiration,” says Haag. Reed Souther performs as Dracula; Sarah Kosterman as Lucy Westenra; Joshua Downard as Johnathan Harker; Dave Naquin as Count Dracula vision and Dr. Van Helsing; Koki Yamaguchi as R. M. Renfield; and Hayley Tavonatti as Mina Murray.

Eugene Ballet gets their entire ecosystem involved in the creative process, including the Eugene Ballet Academy students. “Our Academy students often take part in world premieres,” says Neckels. “They get to see what it means to create something entirely new, to collaborate with professionals, and to feel the spark of that collective imagination. It’s an experience that can shape their lives far beyond the studio.”

Ticket information

Audiences have two opportunities to experience Eugene Ballet’s world premiere of Dracula at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Eugene. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 1, 2025, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 2, 2025.

Tickets are $30-$85, with $18 youth and student tickets. For tickets and more information, visit the Eugene Ballet website.