THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT

by Kirsten Brandt

4 women, 3 men;  running time: 90 minutes (no intermission). [cast is expandable to 21]

Multi-media production

The Frankenstein Project v.2.0 is a modern re-telling of Mary Shelley’s classic tale set against the backdrop of late-breaking developments in science and medicine. Haunted by the death of her mother from a cocktail of weight-loss pharmaceuticals, PhD candidate Mary Frankenstein (Mary #1) strives to create life and, by doing so, conquer death. The “monstrous” creation that is the result of her work is Mary #2, a woman who is plagued by the memories of the seven prostitutes that make up her body. Mary #3, Mary Shelly, floats in and out of her own story as her creations grow beyond her control.

The Frankenstein Project received a workshop production at Sledgehammer Theatre in February 1999 and was subsequently performed at the Network of Ensemble Theatres Conference, San Francisco in September 2000. It received a KPBS Award in 1999 for “Outstanding Direction.”  The Frankenstein Project (version 2.0), an updated version of the original, premiered at Sledgehammer Theatre in October of 2005 and was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The Frankenstein Project had a 20th-anniversary production at the University of Califonia, Santa Cruz in 2019, directed by Kirsten Brandt. Southwestern College in San Diego will produce the show in 2022 directed by Riff Yeager.

Press:

Bold, ambitious, and stirring…Brandt has become a disciplined and inventive theatrical storyteller.fresh theatrical blend of sound, image and movement… It revisits urgent questions of art, religion and science at a time when the specter of Frankenstein’s monster is closer to reality… Line for line Brandt’s script… is provocative, richly allusive stuff. The acting is sharp and sure… the most polished, provocative ensemble work at Sledge in many a season.  -CRITIC’S CHOICE, San Diego Union-Tribune

… the direction is precise, the performances meticulous, and the stage pictures are  often gorgeous… There’s also a deliciously creepy soundscape… … the play will certainly  unnerve and disturb…”        – KPBS                                                                                           

…one of the best-looking shows ever staged at St. Cecilia’s.     – The San Diego Reader