Frankenstein is getting a feminist makeover this month.
Quick Facts
Found Stages presents an immersive Frankenstein’s Funeral in St. John’s Lutheran Church from October 4-November 3. From a concept by Nichole Palmietto, the piece is written by Neeley Gossett, Annie Harrison Elliott, Addae Moon, and Nichole Palmietto, with original music by Chris Gravely.
About Frankenstein’s Funeral
Frankenstein’s Funeral takes groups of just 40 audience members per performance through the novel and the Gothic campus of St. John’s Lutheran Church. Guided by the author, Mary Shelley, audiences will interact with the characters through collective actions that forward the plot. Found Stages’ adaptation is vastly different from the famous film portrayals that most audiences are familiar with. Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, arguably the first Feminist, yet the women in Frankenstein rarely receive more than a cursory glance. Found Stages gives these female characters greater dimension by showcasing how the selfishness and vengeful desires of the male characters marginalized the women in their lives, even to the point of their deaths.
Quick pics
Jake Krakovsky as Victor Frankenstein with Jason-Jamal Ligon as the Monster. Photo credit: Josh Marsh 
Jake Krakovsky as Victor Frankenstein. Photo credit: Josh Marsh. 
Michelle Pokopac as Elizabeth Lavenza with Jake Krakovsky as Victor Frankenstein. Photo credit: Josh Marsh. 
Erika Miranda as Justine Moritz. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
The Bride (Dane LeAnna) and The Monster (Joseph Jong Pendergrast). Photo credit: Casey Gardner 
Joseph Jong Pendergrast as The Monster. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Michelle Pokopac as Elizabeth Lavenza. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Elizabeth Lavenza (Michelle Pokopac) and Justin Moritz (Erika Miranda). Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Elizabeth Lavenza (Michelle Pokopac) and Victor Frankenstein (Jake Krakovsky). Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Victor Frankenstein (Jake Krakovsky) with the Monster (Joseph Jong Pendergrast). Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Jennifer Schottstaedt as Mary Shelley. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Jennifer Schottstaedt as Mary Shelley. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Jennifer Schottstaedt as Mary Shelley. Photo credit: Casey Gardner. 
Jennifer Schottstaedt as Mary Shelley. Photo credit: Casey Gardner.
In the words of the composer
“Found Stages is going beyond the traditional Hollywood Frankenstein that most people know, and drawing from the personal life of the author as well. As the composer I am able to draw from the real pain, real horrors, and real depth of Mary Shelly’s life rather than just dramatizing the fictional story of Frankenstein. I think it is very important to note that these themes and truths are still prominent in today’s culture in regards to how the power and successes of women are suppressed, socially and politically.” –Chris Gravely
Cast
Mary Shelley – Jennifer Schottstaedt (Sense and Sensibility at Synchronicity Theatre)
Victor Frankenstein – Jake Krakovsky (Ravished at Theater Emory)
The Monster – Joseph Jong Pendergrast (Ever After at Alliance Theatre)
Elizabeth Lavenza – Michelle Pokopac (The Wolves at Horizon Theatre)
Justine Moritz – Erika Miranda (The Wolves at Horizon Theatre)
The Bride – Dane LeAnna (Still Pointe Dance)
Young William – Joshua Whitman (Clue at Deer Bear Wolf/Transgression ATL)
Musician – Chris Gravely (Hair at Serenbe Playhouse)
About those tickets…
$40-$45 (plus fees) at www.foundstages.org/tickets.
About Found Stages
Found Stages is a professional, nonprofit theater whose mission is to build community through innovative storytelling. Co-founded and led by Artistic Director Nichole Palmietto and Resident Playwright Neeley Gossett, Found Stages has been taking plays out of the theater and into real-world spaces where people live and work since 2014. In 2015-16, Found Stages was part of the second round of the prestigious and highly competitive Alliance Theatre Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab. In 2018, the company presented the groundbreaking, sold-out Frankenstein’s Ball on New Year’s Eve at the Highland Inn Ballroom. Learn more at foundstages.org and follow on social media, @foundstages.
