Archive
Playhouse production

Frankenstein

16 – 24 Feb 2024

  • Venue
    Courtyard
  • Running time
    1 hour and 55 minutes (including one interval) TBC
  • Age guidance
    14+
  • Content Advisories
  • Group bookings

‘Remember, that I am thy creature; l ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel…’

A storm gathers outside. In an ordinary home, the lights flicker, a radio crackles, and an extraordinary tale begins.

As a couple confront their own fears about impending parenthood, the story of Frankenstein erupts into life around them, as everyday objects are transformed into glaciers, a ship at sea, a dissecting room, a house on fire…

imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse’s multimedia exploration of Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic is a psychological thriller which dares to ask the question – what is it to be human?

An imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production. Inspired by Mary Shelley‘s novel.

Frankenstein Programme

View the Frankenstein Programme here.

Gallery - Production Pictures

Quote

Gallery - Rehearsal Pictures

Cast

Georgia-Mae Myers
Nedum Okonyia

Creatives

Pete Brooks, Andrew Quick, and Simon Wainwright

Creators

Hayley Grindle

Set & Costume Designer

Andrew Crofts

Lighting Design

James Hamilton

Composer & Sound Designer

Davi Callanan

Video Associate

Alan Cox

Video System Designer

Rory Howson

Co-Sound Designer and Technical Lead on Tour

Casper Dillen

Choreographer

Anja Bryan-Smith

Company Stage Manager

Ellie Collyer-Bristow

Casting Director

Workshops, Talks and Education Resources

Creating a Monster – Exploring Frankenstein’s Issues
This short, accessible workshop uses simple devising skills and discussion to interrogate ethical issues highlighted in ITD’s adaptation of Frankenstein. Participants create and share short scenes based on a range of fictional scenarios, each inspired by moral questions explored in Shelley’s novel. Learners will then apply the ideas they have explored to imagining a conversation between Frankenstein’s creature and his real creator, Mary Shelley. An imaginative, practical session that demonstrates how and why ITD have adapted a 19th-century novel to reflect 21st-century concerns.

In person only.
Suitable for: 14+
Duration: 1 – 2 hours

Staging the Cinematic
A fun, practical workshop where participants learn more about ITD’s fascination with blending the languages of theatre and film. Taking a classic movie scene as a starting point, groups will create a short improvisation before we begin layering in ITD’s methodologies and offering provocations. The session introduces some of ITD’s foundational techniques and explores what makes the storytelling mediums of theatre and cinema unique, and what can be gained by combining them.

In person only.
Suitable for: 14+
Duration: 1.5 hours – Half day (3 hours)

Frankenstein Remixed
This longer-form workshop further explores ITD’s cutting-edge blend of creative technology and performance. Participants recreate, shot for shot in real time, sections of a movie version of Frankenstein using mobile phones and a laptop. The session introduces accessible live streaming software and provides a deeper insight into imitating the dog’s creative process – incorporating live performance, camera operation/lighting, and aspects of design for camera.
[NB: Access to a wide-screen TV or projector and screen is required for this workshop. All other equipment and software is provided].

In person only.
Suitable for: 14+
Duration: Half Day (3 hours) – Full Day

If you would like to enquire about booking an education workshop with imitating the dog, email ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk.

Adapting Frankenstein
This talk traces the cinematic history of Frankenstein and our, the audience’s, connection to this classic work of Gothic horror. Over 25 years of transmedial performance making, ITD’s obsession with the relationship between film and theatre has only deepened. From James Whale’s iconic Frankenstein (1931), to Kenneth Branagh’s more faithful 1994 version, to more esoteric and tangential interpretations such as Victor Eric’s The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), the talk explores imagery, cinematic aesthetics, and finally touches on how these films are informing ITD’s approach to our stage production.

Available in person or remotely.
Duration: 30 – 45 minutes.

Why Frankenstein?
This talk seeks to answer the question: why tell this particular story, at this particular time? This will be the fifth novel that ITD have adapted for the stage – sometimes completely reimagined, sometimes faithfully retold. But every time the creative team chooses to adapt a text they must ask themselves: Why this story? And why now?

Available in person or remotely.
Duration: 30 – 45 minutes.

25 Years of Making
As imitating the dog celebrates its 25th birthday, this talk looks back at the history of ITD: From the early years of devising work as a young company straight out of university, through to establishing a creative relationship with director Pete Brooks in 2005, and the paths the work has taken since in its exploration of the relationship between theatre and technology.

Available in person or remotely.
Duration: 30 – 45 minutes.

If you would like to enquire about booking a talk with imitating the dog, email ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk.

Click here to access the free Digital Learning Toolkit for our production of Frankenstein, where you’ll find a variety of resources, inspired by and connected to our exploration of Mary Shelley’s novel. It’s a collection that we hope you’ll find intriguing, engaging and a catalyst for further discussion and discovery. The materials collected here are aimed at uncovering more details about the show and how we made it, all the while encouraging you to think more deeply about the themes of the play and the ideas we investigate in our work.

If you have any questions about any of the resources, email ben@imitatingthedog.co.uk.

Audio Flyer

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Soundcloud

BSL Flyer

  • MAJOR FUNDERS

    Arts Council
  • Leeds City Council
  • LTB Foundation
  • Principal Partner

    Caddick Group
  • Principal Access Partner

    Irwin Mitchell