About FrankenShow
The Galleries and the Theater of CCBC are joining together to produce a digital presentation of the student-written play of Frankenstein. Reinterpreted to be set in present-day Baltimore, the play highlights aspects of Mary Shelley’s book, such as belonging and otherness, while also bringing forth new themes like gender identity and motherhood. There will be staged readings, filmed scenes, interviews, and images of the creative processes involved in creating this Frankenstein.
Starting October 15th, we'll be uploading new content every Thursday from the Frankenstein play over the course of 9 weeks.
Now, on with the show!
FRANKENSTEIN
In the Fall of 2019, CCBC's Writing for the Stage class took on the monumental task of writing an original adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The class read the classic novel, written in 1818, and asked themselves the question, "What in this story speaks to us NOW?" The answer was in the Creature and in the Creature's "Otherness". Each member of class connected to this Otherness in their own lives - being an outsider and looking in.
This examination of Otherness became the through line for their modern adaptation. They gave it contemporary language and situations, set it in Baltimore, and turned Dr. Victor Frankenstein into Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, a researcher, sister, lover and Creator.
By the end of Fall 2019, a first rough draft was passed on to the director and production team. Some of the writers stayed on, the show was cast and reworked through the months of January and February 2020. By mid-February the script had been revised and "frozen." Intense rehearsals continued and just as the show was about to go into tech, less than two weeks before opening.....Covid 19 hit the country and everything got shut down.
Our production of Frankenstein was frozen in limbo. All the parts had come together, but the final essential piece -an audience - remained unfulfilled as our Theatre lay empty.
As luck would have it, the the Galleries at CCBC were also looking for creative content for their new online exhibition website. A collaboration between Art and Theatre arose and the "Frankenshow" idea was born. Visual artists would be inspired by photos of the production and the script of Frankenstein to create their own work. These would be displayed alongside artifacts from the production, filmed scenes, interviews, and a full audio recording of the play.
We hope you enjoy our installments over the course of the semester. We are happy that we can finally say about our production, "It's ALIVE!"
It's ALIVE!
Just in time for Halloween, we're so excited to invite you to listen to the first act of Frankenstein, reimagined from stage performance to radio show. More acts will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Filmed Scenes
Bringing Frankenstein to Life
Developing a play has many complicated parts that all need to come together to create a unified world for the audience. A large part of this creation is the set design. These images show some of the process of bringing the set to life, from sketched idea to full staged set.
Working together with the students to help create this set and the props needed are Professor Terri Raulie and the Theater's Technical Director Jason Randolph. With their guidance and mentorship Frankenstein was given a world in which to take place.
Terri Raulie discusses some of the resources that inspired the creation of the Frankenstein set.
Creating the Look
Creating the scenery and bringing in the correct lighting are not the only visual aspects of bringing this new version of a classic tale to life. The make-up design for each character is just as important to help bring the audience into the world of Frankenstein. Becky St. Lawrence sat down with us to discuss some of the creative processes that went into the make-up designs.
Let's Talk Monsters
Every Thursday, we'll be releasing new episodes of Let's Talk Monsters, where Director Brad Norris and Curator Erik Miller sit down to discuss the creation of this play, why we're attracted to horror, and nerding out about classic genre films and art. Each week will be a different topic, offering insight into the world of Frankenstein.
Episode 1
Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 4
FrankenShow
Welcome to FrankenShow! The Galleries at CCBC and curator Erik Miller put out a call for entries that are inspired by the play created by the CCBC Theater department. There are several cash prizes for works chosen by Erik Miller, all of which will be announced on Dec. 17th at 6pm during our live stream event.
Please enjoy these works and vote for your favorite piece! The work with the most votes will receive the grand prize of $400. To vote for your favorite piece, just click the thumbs-up button to the right of the artwork's info to cast your vote. Please share with your friends and family to help your favorite piece win!
