JUST a few weeks on from celebrating its 80th birthday, Alloa's Alman Dramatic Club is gearing up for its latest play, Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker.

Taking place in the fictional world created by Bram Stoker in his legendary gothic novel, the upcoming shows are set to be truly terrifying.

With tickets for the production going on sale earlier this month, director Gerry Docherty told the Advertiser more about what theatregoers can expect.

He said: "The way this is written is it's all set in an upstairs attic of Jonathan Harker, who some years back had the experience of the Dracula story.

"What happens is he gets a letter from Bram Stoker, saying: 'Can you tell me all about your experiences?'

"He comes up to the attic to find the journals that he wrote at the time, and then it all develops.

"It goes back in time and he goes from a young man to an old man, and tells the story through all the journals."

Unlike some renditions of the Dracula story which combine humour with horror, the Alman is looking to bring the terror of the tale to life.

Gerry said: "One of the problems is that quite a number of people might expect Dracula to be funny, but it's absolutely not.

"So how do you make it scary? It's about attacking all the senses.

"It's a combination of using all the things a stage has got to offer, like the combination of lighting, sound, acting, physical presence and then the dialogue."

Having been going for eight decades, the Alman has built up a small army of dedicated Wee County residents who will no doubt be keen to see their latest work.

But, with Dracula, the club are also hoping to reach out to newer, younger theatregoers too.

Gerry said: "By doing this production, hopefully, we're going to attract people who don't normally come, and broaden our audience base.

"We hope Dracula is something that some younger people who've never been before will want to come and see."

Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker will be shown at Alloa's Coach House Theatre from June 18-29.

To book tickets, or find out more information, visit thealman.com