The visually captivating and psychologically thrilling Frankenstein, inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, will run at the Playhouse’s Courtyard Theatre from 15 – 24 February, ahead of a UK tour.
This bold, multimedia exploration of the timeless Gothic tale delves into the novel’s themes of fear
and anxiety, posing the question ‘what is it to be human?’.
Georgia-Mae Myers (Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; Wars of the Roses & Henry VI –
Rebellion, Royal Shakespeare Company; and Dismissed, Soho Theatre) and Nedum Okonyia
(Possession, Arcola Theatre) play all the roles across parallel narratives, threading together the story
of Frankenstein in the late 1700s with a contemporary conversation between a young couple who
discover they are pregnant and are fearful of what it means to bring life into the world.
The production makes great use of imitating the dog’s unique creativity as they use the stunning
visuals, sounds and set created by Designer Hayley Grindle and projection by Simon Wainwright (Co-
Artistic Director of imitating the dog) to enhance their cinematic storytelling.
As a couple confronts 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, and a house on fire.
Director Andrew Quick: “We’re not using live cameras in this piece. We want to focus on the
intimacy that we are exploring between our two performers and the two narrative threads. We also
have a movement/dance thread weaving together the parallel stories, created by Belgian choreographer Casper Dillen. This harks back to our first shows in the late 1990s when we often used
dance and movement in our work.”
imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed uniqueshot-for-shot stage recreation of George A. Romero’s classic 1968 zombie movie Night of The Living
Dead™ – Remix and the UK Theatre Award-winning Dracula: The Untold Story.
Set and Costume Designer Hayley Grindle has created a dynamic, transformative space, which
houses the digital tricks and video-mapping techniques associated with imitating the dog. Her
theatre credits include Macbeth (Leeds Playhouse – returning in March), Oliver Twist (Leeds
Playhouse, Ramps on the Moon & UK tour) and As You Like It (Queens Theatre Hornchurch &
National Theatre).
Frankenstein premieres at Leeds Playhouse from 15-24 February and will then tour to Oxford
Playhouse, Watford Palace Theatre, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Cast, Doncaster, Mercury Theatre,
Colchester, Liverpool Playhouse, The Dukes Lancaster, and Northern Stage, Newcastle. The
production will also tour Switzerland in March.
An imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production
FRANKENSTEIN
Inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel
Created by Pete Brooks, Andrew Quick, and Simon Wainwright
Leeds Playhouse’s Courtyard Theatre
Age guide 14+
15-24 February
Box office 0113 213 7700. Book online leedsplayhouse.org.uk
LISTINGS INFO
OPENING VENUE
15-24 Feb at 7.45pm (22 February at 2pm; Mat: 17 & 24 at 2.30pm) – Leeds Playhouse
Box office: 0113 213 7700 / leedsplayhouse.org.uk
TOUR
29 February-2 March at 7.30pm & 8pm (Mat: 1 March at 1pm & 2 March at 2.30pm) – Oxford
Playhouse
Box office: 01865 305305 / oxfordplayhouse.com
6-9 March at 7.30pm (Mat: 7 March at 1pm & 9 March at 2.30pm) – Watford Palace Theatre
Box office: 01923 225671 / watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
12-14 March at 7.30pm (Mat: 13 March at 2pm) – The Lowry, Salford
Box office: 0161 876 2000 / thelowry.com
27-28 March at 7.30pm (Mat: 27 March at 2pm) – Cast, Doncaster
Box office: 01302 303959 / castindoncaster.com
9 -11 April at 7.30pm (Mat: 10 April at 2.30pm) – Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Box office: 01206 573948 / mercurytheatre.co.uk
17-20 April at 7.30pm (Mat: 18 April at 1.30pm & 20 April at 2pm) – Liverpool Playhouse
Box office: 0151 7094776 / everymanplayhouse.com
24-27 April at 7.30pm (Mat: 25 April at 1pm & 27 April at 2pm) – The Dukes, Lancaster
Box office: 01524 598500 / dukeslancaster.org
30 April-2 May at 7.30pm & 6pm (Mat: 1 May at 2pm & 2 May at 1pm) – Northern Stage,
Newcastle
Box office: 0191 230 5151 / northernstage.co.uk
Captioned performances will be available throughout the tour.
All photography by Ed Waring.
Main image: Frankenstein in rehearsals. Nedum Okonyia & Georgia-Mae Myers .
