In 1816, a young noblewoman named Christabel goes out at midnight, into the woods near her father’s castle. There, she meets Geraldine, a mysterious stranger who claims to have narrowly escaped kidnapping. After spending the night with the stranger and learning her secret, Christabel is given a new perspective on her own life (and on other people’s deaths).
Loosely based on the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Keywords: queer, lesbian, vampire, death, murder, regency, gothic, romance, shadow, shadow puppet
A production of Christabel was performed by the University of King's College's Theatrical Society in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It ran for three performances, on November 28th, 29th, and 30th of 2025.
Genre: Dark Comedy, Horror, Adaptation
Acts: 5
Run time: 100 minutes
Content notes: Contains swearing, references to death of parents, violence, blood, historical homophobia and misogyny, drug use, passing references to dying during childbirth, religious authority figure
Cast size: 7 actors
Male role: 4
Female roles: 3
Casting notes: At least one puppeteer is required for the play, though it was written with at least two puppeteers in mind.