Our production of Frankenstein by Andrew G. Cooper was featured in the Calgary Herald as part of Hobson's Choice for theatre this week. Read the full article here: https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/hobsons-choice-community-theatres-tackle-harsh-reality-and-wild-fantasy
Published Mar 14, 2023
When Andrew Cooper read Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein as a teenager, he was “intrigued by the horror and science fiction aspects of the story but was drawn most to the creature because he was an outcast.
“About four years ago, I started seriously thinking about writing something like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and then realized what I really wanted to do was create a stage version of her novel.”
Cooper says what he finally came up with for his Jupiter Theatre was “the story of Victor Frankenstein’s descent into madness. We meet Victor at the beginning when he is still a little naive and then follow him for the next 18 months as he unravels. Austin Halarewich is playing our Victor.”
Because this is also the story of Frankenstein’s creation, Cooper says “the play explores the creature’s journey and especially his psyche. Mike Tan is playing the creature and he brings a great deal of empathy and strength to the role.”
Five other actors play 20 roles.
Cooper is not only a playwright and director but a skilled puppeteer who worked on the first two seasons of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock that was filmed in Calgary, and designed and directed the puppets for Alberta Theatre Projects’ version of The Jungle Book. His Frankenstein will feature a host of puppets and masks to “help flesh out the supernatural elements of the novel and images of ghosts that surround Victor’s life. The character of Victor’s young brother is a puppet.”
This version of Frankenstein will run in The West Village Theatre from March 23 to April 2. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. with weekend matinees at 2 p.m. The matinee performances are pay-what-you-can. Advance tickets are available at https://festival-of-animated-objects.tickit.ca/events/18314-frankenstein
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