Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Just in time for Halloween, Toronto-based Litmus Theatre will premiere their site-specific production, Birth of Frankenstein, in October 2013. Written and adapted by the company, Birth of Frankenstein fuses Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking gothic novel with the dramatic personal circumstances that inspired her to write it. Like Litmus Theatre’s previous hit, Matchbox Macbeth, this immersive production will be set in a unique location in downtown Toronto – an old fashioned parlour room, tucked away inside St. Luke’s United Church in Cabbagetown. The production will run October 22 – November 3, 2013.
Litmus will breathe new life into the myths and monsters that haunt the pages of Frankenstein while exploring the tale of author Mary Shelley. The intimate gothic venue will offer viewers a fresh perspective on this chilling story of science and creation. Inches away from an audience of forty, actors will portray infamous characters from the novel and historical figures from Mary Shelley’s own life.
Called an “exciting young company” by NOW Magazine, Litmus Theatre has a history of presenting site-specific theatre at surprising locations in the city. In October 2010/2011, Litmus staged two sold-out runs of Matchbox Macbeth – an adaptation of Macbeth in a backyard shed for fifteen audience members per show. Critics and audiences raved about the eerie “secret location” and about how the rich classic text was juxtaposed with the gritty, raucous feel of a dustbowl carnival.
Matthew Thomas Walker, director of Matchbox Macbeth, will take a similarly theatrical approach when staging Birth of Frankenstein. “Again the company will use a time-tested story as a firm foundation to build a haunting, intimate and engaging site-specific experience,” he says of the upcoming production. “We have stripped Shelley’s story to its bare bones, exposing the flesh, blood and sinews that will bring Frankenstein back to life for contemporary audiences – and will allow us to ask our ultimate question: what does it truly mean to Create?”
Litmus Theatre was founded in 2009 by Filipino-Canadian stage and screen actor Adriano Sobretodo Jr., acclaimed indie theatre director/producer Matthew Thomas Walker, and core Toronto Fringe staff member Claire Wynveen after all three completed the intensive MFA Acting program at York University.
With a venue of only forty seats, and a history of sell-out productions, Litmus Theatre’s Birth of Frankenstein will surely be one of the hottest theatre tickets this fall.
Litmus Theatre presents:
Birth of Frankenstein
Director: Matthew Thomas Walker
Written and Adapted by: Adriano Sobretodo Jr., Matthew Thomas Walker, Claire Wynveen
From the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Cast: Tosha Doiron, Adrian Proszowski, Adriano Sobretodo Jr., Claire Wynveen
Dramaturg: Mel Hague
Lighting Design: Patrick Lavender
Costume & Prop Design: Lindsay Woods
Stage Manager: Eric Savory
Venue:
The Parlour Room, Saint Luke’s United Church, 53 Sherbourne (at Carlton), Toronto.
Performances:
October 22nd – November 3rd
PWYC Preview: October 22nd, 8pm
Opening Night & Media Night: October 23rd, 8pm
Shows: October 24th – 27th, 8pm; October 29th – November 3rd, 8pm
Price:
$30 (regular)
$20 (student/artist)
Tickets:
Visit www.litmustheatre.com to purchase tickets online. If available, tickets will be sold at the door starting at 7pm on each show day. Capacity is 40.
2013-08-29
Toronto: Creators of indie hit “Matchbox Macbeth” present “Birth of Frankenstein” October 22-November 3