Frankenstein’s Wake

Created by Holly Holsinger and Raymond Bobgan. Directed by Raymond Bobgan.

January 07, 2016 - January 30, 2016

7:00pm Thu/Fri/Sat/Mon, The Church

60 min, no intermission

$12-25, Thu/Mon and Previews $12

This twisted adaptation of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece revives a tour-de-force performance by Holly Holsinger. First performed off-Broadway in 1997 by Cleveland’s own Theatre Labyrinth, FRANKENSTEIN'S WAKE met critical acclaim and was described as “an exhilarating bravura performance,” by Time Out New York. With this restaging of the work, Holsinger and Bobgan seek to reflect a deeper knowledge and evolved perspective on the themes of longing, the search for one’s origin, conflict with the maker and what it means to be human. Northeast Ohio Creators.

**Due to the intimate nature of the performance, there is NO LATE SEATING. Doors close at show time – please plan accordingly.**


The Creative Production Team Includes:

Holly Holsinger and Raymond Bobgan- Creators and Designers
Raymond Bobgan- Directed
Caitlin Lewins- Music Director
Sarah Moore- Stage Manager
Brad Krumholz- Specialty Table Designer

Remarkable Rating:

Frankenstein’s Wake is sold out for Saturday, January 9th, Saturday January 16th, Monday, January 25th, Thursday, January 28th and Friday, January 29th!


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   Performed by

Holly Holsinger

with

Sarah Moore, Chloe Mlinarcik and Shannon Sharkey


Frankenstein’s Wake previews January 7 – 9 & January 14 (*No show Monday, January 11). The show opens Friday, January 15 and runs through Saturday, January 30.


Origin Story.

hollyWe started working on Frankenstein’s Wake when all of our other collaborators had just moved on to other opportunities. Now it was only me and Raymond in the rehearsal room. It was probably a good month or two before we knew what we were working on – that sometimes happens in this kind of process, you just start working and the story reveals itself to you.
Raymond had the first inkling of what the piece wanted to be. I did not have a prior relationship with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And then, of course, I read the book. I loved the book. I still adore the book. Because it’s not what you think. If you haven’t read the book, it’s not what you think. I found it deeply moving and profound and beautiful and tragic. Beautiful and dark, which I’m always attracted to. So, once I read it, of course that’s what we were doing. And I think it’s interesting that, when she published it, it first appeared anonymously. I find that interesting as a woman. That she couldn’t put her name on it.

Holly Holsinger

Performer and Co-Creator of Frankenstein’s Wake


DId you know…?

The full title of Mary Shelley’s most famous work is Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
It was published anonymously in 1818 when Mary was only 20 years old. In 1823 it was published under her own name.

From softschools.com, click here to learn more.


More Frankenstein facts…

  • Mary Shelley was still a teenager when she wrote Frankenstein.
  • The novel came out of a ghost story competition.
  • Mary said she got the idea from a dream.
  • Mary wrote Frankenstein in the shadow of a tragedy.
  • Frankenstein was the name of the scientist, not the monster.
  • The novel shares its name with a castle.
  • Many thought Percy Shelley (Mary’s poet husband) wrote the work.
  • The book was originally slammed by critics.
  • Frankenstein was considered the first science fiction novel.
  • Thomas Edison adapted the story for film.

From mentalfloss.com, click here to read the full article.


Isolation, Ambition and Fallibility…

A textual and graphic representation of themes that occur throughout the work.

In the Rehearsal Room…

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Holly Holsinger and Raymond Bobgan in rehearsal.
Photo by Chris Seibert.

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A set in process.
Photo by Chris Seibert.


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Holly Holsinger and Raymond Bobgan in rehearsal.
Photo by Chris Seibert.

“This is Laboratory theatre.

We are here to create this together, and have this experience together.

It’s not you, audience, and me, performer, standing separately.”

– Holly Holsinger

Performer and Co-Creator of Frankenstein’s Wake


The Collaborators…

Holly Holsinger

Performer and Co-Creator of Frankenstein’s Wake

Holly Holsinger has been a Cleveland theatre artist for twenty-five years. She has created over twenty original plays in collaborative partnerships, serving also as performer or director.  Holly recently co-wrote and directed Ancestra at Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT), a play about women’s rights in Ohio, which grew from community explorations and historical research. Another recent work, Insomnia: The Waking of Herselves, co-devised and performed at CPT and North American Cultural Laboratory, examines concepts of female identity and unity. Holsinger’s work has been described by critics as “magic,” “captivating,” and “a tour de force.” Her one-woman performance, Frankenstein’s Wake, received critical raves and audience acclaim in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago, and was featured at theGrotowski at Irvine and Beyond Conference at UC Irvine. Her performance in the groundbreaking work Blue Sky Transmission: A Tibetan Book of the Dead (at CPT and La Mama ETC in New York) also earned her rave reviews, most notably in American Theatre Magazine. Holsinger’s work has been featured in Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Journal and in Lisa Wolford’s book Grotowski’s Objective Drama Research. She has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Romania, Belgium, and Brazil, and has shared her performance research with artists in Denmark, Colombia, and Spain. An Associate Professor at Cleveland State University, Holsinger specializes in acting, voice, movement, and devised theatre. She recently received a Distinguished Faculty Award, the University’s top honor for teaching. Holly has a special interest in the power of theatre for marginalized artists and minorities at all levels of craft. She participates in CSU programs designed for disadvantaged students and continues to teach in education programs at CPT for “at risk” teens and for children in public housing. Holsinger received an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Irvine where she studied with Robert Cohen and Jerzy Grotowski. She was a four year participant in Grotowski’s Objective Drama Research.  Holly is a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.

Raymond Bobgan

Director and Co-Creator of Frankenstein’s Wake and CPT Executive Artistic Director

This is Raymond Bobgan’s 10th season in the leadership position at CPT.  Raymond specializes in working through an ensemble process to create new performances that are bold, multilayered and highly physical. In 2014 he became the first recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize in the discipline of Theatre. Raymond’s work has been seen in Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Serbia, Turkey, The United Kingdom and Canada and has been featured in American Theatre Magazine, Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Journal and in Lisa Wolford’s book Grotowski’s Objective Drama Research. Raymond has created many works for CPT including: Rusted Heart BroadcastInsomnia, with Holly Holsinger and Chris Seibert; Cut to Pieces, with Chris Seibert; Blue Sky Transmission: A Tibetan Book of the Dead, co-produced by CPT and La Mama ETC (NY); and
The Confessions of Punch and Judy, co-produced by CPT, NaCl (NY) and Number 11 Theatre (Toronto), which was published in New Canadian Theatre Volume 9.
In 1994, Raymond initiated the Student Theatre Enrichment Program, a job training program that engages at-risk youth in writing, producing and performing new plays. Raymond was also the first director of CPT’s Y-Haven Theatre Project. Under his leadership CPT has eliminated significant debt, run consistent operating surpluses, and formed both a Building Reserve and an Innovation Reserve. This financial advancement was a result of mission-focused programming including a strong emphasis on supporting new works and local artists, a bold aesthetic vision and CPT’s educational and engagement programs.
Raymond is a two-time recipient of the Creative Workforce Fellowship (2010 for theatre, 2014 for music composition), a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture funded by the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. He is an alumnus of Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust’s National Theatre Artist Residency Program and the TCG/NEA Career Development Program for Directors. Raymond was Acting Artistic Director of CPT (1995-1997) and served CPT in many roles including Stage Manager, Guest Director, Associate Artistic Director, Education Director and Resident Director at various times since 1991.