Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, they say it takes one to build it, one
to grow it, and one to spend it. So what
are you doing for.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I just made my day, so we will.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Talk to you if that's okay. Paul.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We had Luke on the other day when you were
launching the new Lucid show, which we can't wait for tonight.
But I mean you are following your parents. They've created Draculas,
they created this theater restaurant vibe in Australia.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Have they got ams and acknowledgements?
Speaker 4 (00:27):
I should say that because they actually were. My parents
got the first husband wife am well, which was very terrific. Actually,
we've got their their certificates up on the wall at Drags.
Speaker 5 (00:39):
Tell us about that drag sphen It was down Sunshine Corner,
that's right, Yeah, we're mere alchemist is now, that's right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
I tell you that was a mad time when we
opened up. You know, we had a shoe string budget
and we opened that place and there was a Baptist
church down the road.
Speaker 6 (00:55):
I think it's still there.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Actually, yeah, well you can imagine they weren't overly happy
to have a place called Dracula open up, which is
fair enough.
Speaker 6 (01:02):
And anyway, they were we.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Got a letter that was put under the door by
somebody who said that they're praying for our souls, and
my father sent a message back said can you keep praying?
Speaker 6 (01:12):
The bookings are great and a PostScript.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
A few months later they all came in and we
ended up having a great relationship and fundraising and all
sorts of stuff, so it was all good.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well, how did it all start in the very beginning?
How'd your parents start this whole? I guess legacy for Australia.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yeah, yeah, well, well they were in the nineteen fifties.
They were musical theater people, Ticky and John Newman. Many
people out there listening will remember possibly them. And they
were in musical theater. And then what happened was they
they they thought why don't we open a little place
of our own because they had an act they used
to do, and they set up a little stage and
(01:51):
people came in and look. It slowly gained traction and
then it became a place called Ticki and John's in
Melbourne that ended up getting booked out a year in
a advanced our houseful sign didn't come off for twelve
years wow. And then Draculas was a spin off from
that that's where my brother and I my sister, we
were in our early twenties and in nineteen eighty we
(02:13):
opened Draculas Melbourne and that didn't do too well, and
then it slowly got a bit and then Rocky Horror
came was going and that sort of kicked things along
and we and then from then on we sort of
we've taken off from Queensland here.
Speaker 6 (02:27):
We opened in nineteen eighty five, which.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Is amazing, isn't it when we think about forty years
and now Luke is here and he's the third generation
and he's taken it to a completely different level.
Speaker 6 (02:39):
So very proud of where we're going. Now.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Well done. It's such a great story Looke.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It must be pretty heavy to make sure it's a
success for your parents and your grandparents.
Speaker 7 (02:48):
Yeah, you know, it's an honor to keep it going
and trying new things. And you know we've always we
look at the past and carry it forward, so we're
always trying to reinvent and everything. But that's always that's
kind of been drilled into me from a young age
because you know, the previous generation, my father's generation and
then my grandparents they always did that every night was
(03:10):
about making it new and better and always evolving. So
we just continue to do that, and you know, it's
kind of like nothing's changed, but everything's changed. I always
like sitting off to the side because you kind of
get a view of the audience and the stage and yeah,
it's amazing to see, you know, in our relatively small
venue of five hundred seats. You see all those five
hundred people looking up at the crowd up at the
(03:30):
audience stage sorry, and you know, really.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Enjoying it and getting along.
Speaker 7 (03:35):
And you know, the finale is a big rock and
roll finale in the show, and you hear that first
note start and everyone goes, ah, engaged.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I love that you're getting two shows for the price
of numb because you haven't paid to get in.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
That's value.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
You've had lots of memories over forty years.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Here, you guys are saying off there towards you've had proposals,
all that kind of stuff, And I had my orders
I think sixth birthday.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
There when you're doing the mini drags.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh my god, she still talks about it today, and
so tell us about you've had some nose with your proposals.
Speaker 7 (04:09):
Yeah, look, people, there are a lot of marriage proposals
over the years, and I think we have about one
a month, And I.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Don't think draculas and think romance look.
Speaker 7 (04:19):
On stage or we've had them on stage, we've had
them in the bar, we've had we've had cast members
proposed mid show.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You know, that was a bit more of a spectacle.
Speaker 7 (04:27):
But luckily that was a yes. I have experienced to
know that was it was. It was pretty awkward. It
was in a segment where we go around the room
and sort of meet the audience, and this guy got
the microphone and he did his speech, and there was
everyone held their breath and it was sort of silence,
(04:49):
and the woman just had this look on her face like,
oh my god, why have you done this to me?
And luckily, a quick thinking performer who was sort of
coordinating the whole thing just grab the mic and see
she said yes, and everyone cheered and they very quickly
exited the venue and we never saw them again.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So all the best to them that are no longer. Yeah, yeah,
a bit awkward.
Speaker 7 (05:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
One of the things that comes to mind is the
great staff that you've got, and we're not just talking
about the performers, and I guess they're all performers really,
but the people that are serving and they're in character
and that they are so much a part of the
essence of you business and they are so that's a
side show.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
They're so cool.
Speaker 7 (05:36):
Yeah, well, you know the show starts when you arrive
at the car park and there are no performers in
the car park.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
There are our hospitality staff.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
But yeah, you know, we have such an amazing group
of people who you know, hospitality is very transient. You
get lots of turnover, but we have this core group
of people who stay with us for a long time.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It's always been like that over the years.
Speaker 7 (05:57):
And then you get the backpackers and the travelers coming
through who work for a couple of months and move
on to the next thing. But you know, we've got
an amazing core group of people. And I mean Alfi
schmid Our CEO of Dracula's he twenty nine years he's
been with us, and that goes right through to you know,
we had a clean cleaner was with us for how
long thirty thirty two years, so you know that's across
(06:19):
the board. Yeah, and you know there's something special about
the place, like it's it's a business but it's a
family and you know, so people, I mean, so many
people have met their wives and there's lots of little
drags babies running around.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
My wife worked at draculas. My brother's wife worked. Was
that allowed, next question? So it's a cult.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
My wife out of the places too. So that's where
he came.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
From, right, So you're a drag baby nearly, I guess
I love that.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
It must have been a cool upbringing to grow up
around that.
Speaker 7 (06:56):
Yeah, you know, I think probably in primary school getting
picked up in the drags van was a little bit embarrassing.
But as we then got older and you know, doing
band rehearsals at drugs was pretty sure was.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
A bit different.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit. This is from dad's work,
Mom and dad's work flood.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
There's a great shot of a photo that we've got
of me sitting at the lighting desk. That was what
dad was doing at the time. And so I would
go in, as I don't know, six years old there
and push the buttons and you know, oh my god,
this button turns those lights on, and thought it was
so cool, And you know, now I'm doing the same thing.
It's just a lot more advanced, but it's the same
(07:33):
concept nowadays. My sister in law, who who we met
because she was introduced to us. Actually it was an
accident because there were two female performers with very similar names.
Actually we ended up with the wrong person, and then
we ended up with her and she went on to
then start choreographing our shows. Now her and I she
(07:55):
directs and I produced the shows, and she just gave
me my little so you know, it's all the.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Better family she produced as well.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
We love hearing the story. We could sit and talk
to you all day about it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
To be honest, but thank you for coming into the
studio and celebrating forty years with us this evening with
all of our listeners.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
We're very excited about it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Congratulations guys, and thanks to the Gold Coast for supporting
us for forty years.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
I mean, that's that's you guys out there. That's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
It is outstanding.
Well, they say it takes one to build it, one
to grow it, and one to spend it. So what
are you doing for.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I just made my day, so we will.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Talk to you if that's okay. Paul.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We had Luke on the other day when you were
launching the new Lucid show, which we can't wait for tonight.
But I mean you are following your parents. They've created Draculas,
they created this theater restaurant vibe in Australia.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Have they got ams and acknowledgements?
Speaker 4 (00:27):
I should say that because they actually were. My parents
got the first husband wife am well, which was very terrific. Actually,
we've got their their certificates up on the wall at Drags.
Speaker 5 (00:39):
Tell us about that drag sphen It was down Sunshine Corner,
that's right, Yeah, we're mere alchemist is now, that's right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
I tell you that was a mad time when we
opened up. You know, we had a shoe string budget
and we opened that place and there was a Baptist
church down the road.
Speaker 6 (00:55):
I think it's still there.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Actually, yeah, well you can imagine they weren't overly happy
to have a place called Dracula open up, which is
fair enough.
Speaker 6 (01:02):
And anyway, they were we.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Got a letter that was put under the door by
somebody who said that they're praying for our souls, and
my father sent a message back said can you keep praying?
Speaker 6 (01:12):
The bookings are great and a PostScript.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
A few months later they all came in and we
ended up having a great relationship and fundraising and all
sorts of stuff, so it was all good.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well, how did it all start in the very beginning?
How'd your parents start this whole? I guess legacy for Australia.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Yeah, yeah, well, well they were in the nineteen fifties.
They were musical theater people, Ticky and John Newman. Many
people out there listening will remember possibly them. And they
were in musical theater. And then what happened was they
they they thought why don't we open a little place
of our own because they had an act they used
to do, and they set up a little stage and
(01:51):
people came in and look. It slowly gained traction and
then it became a place called Ticki and John's in
Melbourne that ended up getting booked out a year in
a advanced our houseful sign didn't come off for twelve
years wow. And then Draculas was a spin off from
that that's where my brother and I my sister, we
were in our early twenties and in nineteen eighty we
(02:13):
opened Draculas Melbourne and that didn't do too well, and
then it slowly got a bit and then Rocky Horror
came was going and that sort of kicked things along
and we and then from then on we sort of
we've taken off from Queensland here.
Speaker 6 (02:27):
We opened in nineteen eighty five, which.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Is amazing, isn't it when we think about forty years
and now Luke is here and he's the third generation
and he's taken it to a completely different level.
Speaker 6 (02:39):
So very proud of where we're going. Now.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Well done. It's such a great story Looke.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It must be pretty heavy to make sure it's a
success for your parents and your grandparents.
Speaker 7 (02:48):
Yeah, you know, it's an honor to keep it going
and trying new things. And you know we've always we
look at the past and carry it forward, so we're
always trying to reinvent and everything. But that's always that's
kind of been drilled into me from a young age
because you know, the previous generation, my father's generation and
then my grandparents they always did that every night was
(03:10):
about making it new and better and always evolving. So
we just continue to do that, and you know, it's
kind of like nothing's changed, but everything's changed. I always
like sitting off to the side because you kind of
get a view of the audience and the stage and yeah,
it's amazing to see, you know, in our relatively small
venue of five hundred seats. You see all those five
hundred people looking up at the crowd up at the
(03:30):
audience stage sorry, and you know, really.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Enjoying it and getting along.
Speaker 7 (03:35):
And you know, the finale is a big rock and
roll finale in the show, and you hear that first
note start and everyone goes, ah, engaged.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I love that you're getting two shows for the price
of numb because you haven't paid to get in.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
That's value.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
You've had lots of memories over forty years.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Here, you guys are saying off there towards you've had proposals,
all that kind of stuff, And I had my orders
I think sixth birthday.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
There when you're doing the mini drags.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh my god, she still talks about it today, and
so tell us about you've had some nose with your proposals.
Speaker 7 (04:09):
Yeah, look, people, there are a lot of marriage proposals
over the years, and I think we have about one
a month, And I.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Don't think draculas and think romance look.
Speaker 7 (04:19):
On stage or we've had them on stage, we've had
them in the bar, we've had we've had cast members
proposed mid show.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
You know, that was a bit more of a spectacle.
Speaker 7 (04:27):
But luckily that was a yes. I have experienced to
know that was it was. It was pretty awkward. It
was in a segment where we go around the room
and sort of meet the audience, and this guy got
the microphone and he did his speech, and there was
everyone held their breath and it was sort of silence,
(04:49):
and the woman just had this look on her face like,
oh my god, why have you done this to me?
And luckily, a quick thinking performer who was sort of
coordinating the whole thing just grab the mic and see
she said yes, and everyone cheered and they very quickly
exited the venue and we never saw them again.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So all the best to them that are no longer. Yeah, yeah,
a bit awkward.
Speaker 7 (05:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
One of the things that comes to mind is the
great staff that you've got, and we're not just talking
about the performers, and I guess they're all performers really,
but the people that are serving and they're in character
and that they are so much a part of the
essence of you business and they are so that's a
side show.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
They're so cool.
Speaker 7 (05:36):
Yeah, well, you know the show starts when you arrive
at the car park and there are no performers in
the car park.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
There are our hospitality staff.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
But yeah, you know, we have such an amazing group
of people who you know, hospitality is very transient. You
get lots of turnover, but we have this core group
of people who stay with us for a long time.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It's always been like that over the years.
Speaker 7 (05:57):
And then you get the backpackers and the travelers coming
through who work for a couple of months and move
on to the next thing. But you know, we've got
an amazing core group of people. And I mean Alfi
schmid Our CEO of Dracula's he twenty nine years he's
been with us, and that goes right through to you know,
we had a clean cleaner was with us for how
long thirty thirty two years, so you know that's across
(06:19):
the board. Yeah, and you know there's something special about
the place, like it's it's a business but it's a
family and you know, so people, I mean, so many
people have met their wives and there's lots of little
drags babies running around.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
My wife worked at draculas. My brother's wife worked. Was
that allowed, next question? So it's a cult.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
My wife out of the places too. So that's where
he came.
Speaker 5 (06:47):
From, right, So you're a drag baby nearly, I guess
I love that.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
It must have been a cool upbringing to grow up
around that.
Speaker 7 (06:56):
Yeah, you know, I think probably in primary school getting
picked up in the drags van was a little bit embarrassing.
But as we then got older and you know, doing
band rehearsals at drugs was pretty sure was.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
A bit different.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit. This is from dad's work,
Mom and dad's work flood.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
There's a great shot of a photo that we've got
of me sitting at the lighting desk. That was what
dad was doing at the time. And so I would
go in, as I don't know, six years old there
and push the buttons and you know, oh my god,
this button turns those lights on, and thought it was
so cool, And you know, now I'm doing the same thing.
It's just a lot more advanced, but it's the same
(07:33):
concept nowadays. My sister in law, who who we met
because she was introduced to us. Actually it was an
accident because there were two female performers with very similar names.
Actually we ended up with the wrong person, and then
we ended up with her and she went on to
then start choreographing our shows. Now her and I she
(07:55):
directs and I produced the shows, and she just gave
me my little so you know, it's all the.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Better family she produced as well.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
We love hearing the story. We could sit and talk
to you all day about it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
To be honest, but thank you for coming into the
studio and celebrating forty years with us this evening with
all of our listeners.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
We're very excited about it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Congratulations guys, and thanks to the Gold Coast for supporting
us for forty years.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
I mean, that's that's you guys out there. That's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
It is outstanding.
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