With Halloween just around the corner in the Lower Mainland, what better way to mark the Pagan festival with a new stageplay about Frankenstein.

This version of the Mary Shelley classic is set in post-World War II Berlin. Frankenstein 1945 explores the world of Victor Frankenstein, a young doctor who has recently severed ties to the Nazi medical experiments, and Elizabeth, a young Jewish engineer returning home to Germany.

In trying to make peace with the bloodshed they have witnessed in which millions have died in the horrific war, they try to develop a way to bring back the dead. Frankenstein, 1945 is a stage-noir thriller about the monsters created by us and within us... and what happens when we let them loose.

“The original book Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is very important to me as a writer,” says Mily Mumford, the playwright and director who has written this stage version.
“I fell in love with it from a young age and it is arguably the first true work of science fiction, which is my favourite genre to create in.”

Mumford’s academic background is in sciences, specifically biotechnology and neuroscience “so the story appeals to me from a scientific point of view as well,” she says.

In an era of cloning, DNA splicing, gene therapy, and genome mapping, the themes of humans-playing-God are more relevant than ever. “The ethics of medical and scientific advancement are still so important and relevant to both today and the setting I chose for this adaptation - the Nazi medical experiments and Nuremberg Trials. I also wanted to combine my love of the text with my love of film noir, which inspired the aesthetic and style of the play,” she adds.

Frankenstein, 1945 features a talented cast including Munish Sharma (The Invisible Hand), Pedro Chamale (Bull) and Anais West (Dry Land).

Madelyn Osborne, playing Elizabeth says: “This show excites me because as an artist I get to not only explore a true classic but I get to play an empowered, badass woman in a time when many women were being oppressed. We often only really hear one side of Germany in the 1940's and having the opportunity to explore further what it was like for German citizens during and after the war feels like a real gift.”

Artistic Team:
Director: Mily Mumford
Featuring: Madelyn Osborne, Gregory Radzimowski, Natalie Davidson, Munish Sharma, Jessica Quartel, Pedro Chamale, Anais West, Zach Wolfman, Brennan Campbell and Ryan Scramstad
Set Design: Jared Raschke
Sound Design: CJ McGillivray
Lighting Design: Daniel Tessy
Stage Management and Production Management: Diane Bartosh

Details: Frankenstein, 1945 by Mily Mumford

When: October 24 Preview 8pm, 25-28th 8pm 29, 30th 2pm and 8pm
Where: Studio 1398, 1398 Cartwright St. Granville Island

Tickets: $23/$28 online at Theatre Wire - www.theatrewire.com