Who wrote the first authorized stage adaptation of 'Dracula' in 1924?

Hamilton Deane wrote the first authorized stage adaptation of Dracula in 1924.

Deane was an Irish actor, playwright, and director who had connections to Bram Stoker’s theatrical world through the Henry Irving Company. In the early 1920s, he created a stage version of Stoker’s 1897 novel and obtained permission from Stoker’s widow, Florence, to produce it. That authorization made his play the first dramatization approved by Stoker’s estate.

The play premiered in England in 1924, with Deane playing Abraham Van Helsing rather than Dracula. He presented the count as an elegant, socially polished figure, helping establish theatrical conventions such as the tuxedo, cape, and urbane manner later associated with Dracula portrayals.

The production reached London and was subsequently revised for Broadway by American writer John L. Balderston. That 1927 version starred Béla Lugosi and became the principal stage source for the 1931 Universal film. Balderston’s contribution explains why his name sometimes appears beside Deane’s, but he did not write the original 1924 adaptation. Bram Stoker wrote the novel, not this authorized stage play.