Playbill, Cast & Crew

Kidoons & WYRD Productions in association with The 20K Collective and Geordie Theatre present 
FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book
By Craig Francis and Rick Miller and Paul Van Dyck
Adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley
Directed by Craig Francis and Rick Miller

THE COMPANY
MICHAEL SCHOLAR, JR.*: The Creature / Others (Select Dates)
RICK MILLER*: The Creature / Others (Select Dates)
DARRAGH MONDOUX*: Mary / Elizabeth / Others
ARUN VARMA*: Victor Frankenstein / Others

CRAIG FRANCIS*: Co-Writer / Co-Director / Co-Designer / Stage Manager
RICK MILLER*: Co-Writer / Co-Director / Co-Designer / Production Manager
PAUL VAN DYCK: Co-Writer
RICHARD FEREN: Sound Designer / Composer
IRINA LITVINENKO: Multimedia Co-Designer
ANDREA LUNDY: Lighting Designer
SABRINA MILLER: Costume / Props / Puppet Designer
MATHIEU RENÉ: Mask Designer
JULIAN SMITH: Assistant Sound Designer
JESSICA CAMPBELL-MARACLE: Assistant Lighting Designer
AIDAN WARE: Tour Technical Director
SHOPDOGS: Set piece construction

PRODUCTION TEAM
JEFF LORD: Executive Producer, Kidoons
JIMMY BLAIS: Artistic Director, Geordie Theatre
KATHRYN WESTOLL: Executive Director, Geordie Theatre
LOGOGRAPH: Graphic Design and Marketing
USA / MEXICO BOOKING AGENT: Robin Klinger Entertainment, New York RobinKlingerEntertainment.com
CANADA BOOKING AGENT: Craig Francis & Rick Miller
INT'L BOOKING AGENT: Menno Plukker Theatre Agent (with Isaïe Richard and Magdalena Marszalek)
OFFICIAL SITE: frankenstein.ca
SOCIAL FB/TW/IG: @kidoons

PRODUCTION HISTORY
Frankenstein is the third in Kidoons’ "Connection Trilogy", following Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (2015), and Jungle Book (2018). These family shows address current issues through iconic books, combining immersive multimedia with classic theatrical techniques. 

Frankenstein was written with assistance from an Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators, with Factory Theatre, in 2018. It was workshopped in Toronto in 2018. It was workshopped in Montreal, with assistance from a Canada Council for the Arts grant, for a streaming work-in-progress production in June 2021. A final workshop was produced by Geordie Theatre and Kidoons in 2022, for its world premiere in October 2022 in the Segal Centre Studio in Montreal, QC.

*WYRD Productions and Kidoons engage professional Artists who are members of Equity. This production is presented in the USA under the Reciprocal Agreement Between Actors' Equity Association of the United States and Canadian Actors' Equity Association. 

The show is approximately 65 minutes, with no intermission.

The script includes talk of death, violence, giving and taking life. Production includes thunder and flashing lights.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the following for helping us to create this creature!
Jeff Lord
Jimmy Blais
Mike Payette
Kathryn Westoll
Zach Fraser and Infinithéâtre
Robin Klinger and Lacey Wright, Robin Klinger Entertainment
Menno Plukker and Isaïe Richard
potatoCakes_digital
TheaterWorksUSA
Cheryle Hansen
Jason Knight
Duncan Appleton
Glendon Theatre at Glendon College, York University
Victoria Wickett and BOMB Fitness
Factory Theatre
as well as all our patient families and loved ones!

Thanks to the incredible Frankenstein team alumni: Vlad Alexis, Trevor Barrette, Birdie Gregor, Rachel Cairns, Richard Clarkin, Andrew Dollar, Mac Fyfe, James Kendal, Patrick Lavender, Jamie Mac, Kaitlin Morrow, Danny Pagett, Andrew Robinson, Katie Ross-Leckie, Eloi ArchamBaudoin, Rosie Callaghan, Thomas Giroux.

We would like to gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario. 
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
We acknowledge rehearsal support from TO Live.


 

CREATORS' NOTES

Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

This idea of feeling alone and lonely was one of three inspirations for me to adapt Frankenstein: it's universally relatable. All three stories in our Connection Trilogy ask the question "How can technology connect or disconnect us?" Captain Nemo disconnects from humanity to create his technological utopia; Mowgli is disconnected from humanity by animals, but from nature by humanity. The Creature in Frankenstein is not human at all: it's disconnected from everyone. My second inspiration was that I'm a cartoonist, and was excited to bring that graphic form to life. The third is that I'm a lifelong fan of Science Fiction and Horror, so I relished the opportunity to adapt Mary Shelley's novel – the original Sci-Fi Horror – and to design our own Creature. I hope you feel less alone as you connect with the audience in the blackness of a darkened theatre. Enjoy the monster we've created – this show!
– Craig Francis, Co-writer / Co-director


I remember reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein around the same age she started writing it – 18. Besides being blown away by her skill and maturity (leagues beyond mine!), I was struck by how our popular culture has distorted her creation, in particular her "Creature". She imagined an eloquent, innocent victim, and we've turned it into a monster. It made me wonder about other monsters of our own making, particularly climate change – one of many existential threats hanging over us today. Shelley's novel is over 200 years old, and still sheds light on the human condition. How can we better care for one another? How can we take responsibility for our actions? How can we create without destroying? I hope these questions buzz in your heads, as you connect with the amazing work of our cast and creative team. 
– Rick Miller, Co-writer / Co-director


When we first started working on this adaptation, a friend and fan of the book told me “Knowledge is knowing that Frankenstein is not the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is the monster.” Our nameless creature has gotten a bad rap over the past 200 years. But it’s the creator of the creature that is as much to blame for all the trouble in this story. If we create out of ego and ambition it often has rotten results. But when we create out of love and altruism the results can ripple with positivity forever. Victor Frankenstein created a creature he did not love. Mary Shelley created a story she loved with a passion. We’ve chosen to follow Mary’s example in making this play. And as scary as her story might be, I hope it ripples with positivity for you forever. 
– Paul Van Dyck, Co-writer

_______________


Why Frankenstein? Why a living comic book?
"Frankenstein is the original Science Fiction novel, and we were amazed that it was created by a young woman of 18. It's such an integral part of pop culture that it was irresistible to do our own take on it, through comics and cartoons, which were my own introduction to Sci-Fi and horror. The comic book effects bring it instantly up to date, stylize the horror, and make it a ton of spooky fun! Besides, the idea of "bringing something to life" is what theatre is best at." – Craig Francis, Co-writer / Co-director

What do you hope the audience takes away from the show?
“We always try to create experiences that celebrate the presence of others, and heighten the present moment. It's about what we can do together, now, to build the world we want - and prevent the world we fear. We hope audiences walk out feeling like they’ve shared something they couldn’t experience online… and feeling more alive for doing so!” – Rick Miller, Co-writer / Co-director

A statement regarding the creative and production process.
"Our productions are known for pushing the boundaries of touring multimedia theatre, and we achieve this by surrounding ourselves with terrific creative artists. Beyond writing a play script, we develop our productions with a collaboration of sound, lighting, and multimedia artists working in concert. Theatre is a collaborative art, and the results always surprise and delight us beyond what any single person could have envisioned. That's the lesson that Victor Frankenstein never learned… how to play well with others!" – Craig Francis and Rick Miller

 

Rick Miller (he/him) is a Dora and Gemini award-winning writer / director / actor / musician / educator who has performed in five languages on five continents, and who Entertainment Weekly called “one of the 100 most creative people alive today”. He has created and toured solo shows such as the BOOM Trilogy (BOOM, BOOM X, and BOOM YZ), MacHomer, Bigger Than Jesus and HARDSELL; and family shows with Craig Francis and Kidoons, such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jungle Book, FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book, and HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales. With Robert Lepage, he has collaborated on Geometry of Miracles, Zulu Time, Lipsynch, Dragon’s Trilogy, and on the film Possible Worlds. Current projects in development include MONEY, and The Time Machine. Rick hosts an intergenerational podcast called Xing The Gap, and sometimes teaches an interdisciplinary class at the University of Toronto called The Architecture of Creativity. He lives in Toronto with his partner Stephanie Baptist. www.rickmiller.ca

Michael makes theatre in the USA and Canada, but calls Toronto home.  He is the Artistic Director of November Theatre, who produce and develop alternative musicals, including their celebrated National Tour of Tom Waits, Robert Wilson and Williams S Burroughs’ The Black Rider.  Favourite acting credits include: Hard Core Logo (November Theatre / PuSh Festival); El Terremoto (Tarragon Theatre); A Good Place (Factory Theatre); Mata Hari (New York Musical Theatre Festival); Refugee Hotel (Theatre Passe Muraille); Th’owxiya (Axis Theatre); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Theatre Network / Sterling Award Winner); The Blue Orphan (Catalyst Theatre / UK Tour); Alice Munro Stories (Belfry Theatre); Little Mercy’s First Murder (Touchstone Theatre); Tideline (Neworld Theatre / Jessie Award Nomination); Taming of the Shrew (Jessie Award Nomination), Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet (Bard on the Beach); and Cloud Tectonics (Vancouver Playhouse / Pi Theatre).  Select Film and Television credits include: Cross (Amazon/Paramount), Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount); Chucky (SyFy/NBC); Fringe (Fox); Smallville (Warner Bros.); The Collector (CHUM); Jeremiah(Showtime) and Special Unit 2 (UPN).  Michael is thrilled to be working again with Rick, Craig and the whole WYRD team after helping out in the development of HANS: My Life In Fairy Tales and MONEY.   www.novembertheatre.com 

Mondoux has worked in the Canadian theatre scene for a decade, having productions with Shakespeare in the Park, Just For Laughs, Montreal Fringe, Fierté Montréal and Place des Arts under her belt. She works regularly in voice-over and motion capture for video games (Eidos, Red Barrels, Nintendo) and sings and plays with Montreal’s most promising all-girl traditional Irish band, Gráinne. She is a recent recipient of a Montreal English Theatre Award for an outstanding lead performance and is represented by Haus of Marc Talent.

Arun’s love of acting goes way back to when he would perform William Wallace narration pieces from Age of Empires II to amuse his family at parties. It took two decades and a detour into studying neuroscience at the University of Toronto before those little spores of performance mania truly took hold, but he now counts himself firmly in the clutches of the dramatic arts. He is based in Toronto with his partner and two chaotic cats, but is thrilled to have the opportunity to take FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book out on the road to a whole host of exciting new venues and audiences! Selected theatrical credits include: Mahabharata (Why Not Theatre); Jungle Book (Kidoons / WYRD Productions); From the Stars (Geordie Theatre); Counter Offence (Teesri Duniya). Other credits: Interstellar Ella (original animation/Apartment 11 Productions); Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (video game/Ubisoft); The Bold Type (TV/Freeform); About Sex (TV/CBC Gem); Future Man (TV/Hulu). Arun is very excited to be a part of this most brain-tingling and funny-bone-tickling production of “Frankenstein”. Enjoy the show! @arunawaywithme

Rick Miller (he/him) is a Dora and Gemini award-winning writer / director / actor / musician / educator who has performed in five languages on five continents, and who Entertainment Weekly called “one of the 100 most creative people alive today”. He has created and toured solo shows such as the BOOM Trilogy (BOOM, BOOM X, and BOOM YZ), MacHomer, Bigger Than Jesus and HARDSELL; and family shows with Craig Francis and Kidoons, such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jungle Book, FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book, and HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales. With Robert Lepage, he has collaborated on Geometry of Miracles, Zulu Time, Lipsynch, Dragon’s Trilogy, and on the film Possible Worlds. Current projects in development include MONEY, and The Time Machine. Rick hosts an intergenerational podcast called Xing The Gap, and sometimes teaches an interdisciplinary class at the University of Toronto called The Architecture of Creativity. He lives in Toronto with his partner Stephanie Baptist. www.rickmiller.ca
 

Craig Francis is a playwright, director, and visual artist. His plays have toured Canada and the US, including Off-Broadway. A founding member of The 20K Collective, Craig co-created Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jungle Book, and HANS: My Life In Fairy Tales with Rick Miller; and FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book with Miller and Paul Van Dyck. He's a producer, dramaturg, and stage manager for Miller's BOOM trilogy and MONEY productions in Canada, the US, France, and Taiwan. Current projects include CYNIC, The Time Machine, and The Turn of the Screw. Craig is an educator, speaker, and emerging artist mentor, including co-authoring Redwood Woman with Andrea Friesen. He has performed improv and sketch comedy with Just For Laughs, CBC, CTV and Showtime. Craig lives in Montréal, has illustrated books, and voiced animated series. Videos he co-created with Kidoons and not-for-profit organizations are installed in museums in six provinces.

Born in Brockville, Ontario, Paul Van Dyck is a playwright, screenwriter, director, and performer whose work has been produced across Canada and around the world. Paul holds a BAH in Stage and Screen Studies from Queen's University and a Masters in Creative Writing from UBC. He has received numerous awards including The Tom Hendry Playwrights Guild of Canada Comedy Award, The Montreal English Critics Circle Revelation Award, and The Montreal English Theatre Awards Outstanding Direction. Paul is a past Intern Directors Project participant at the Shaw Festival, a National Forum Representative of Quebec for the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the founding Artistic Director of Rabbit in a Hat Productions. As an actor, Paul has appeared in dozens of plays, films, and TV shows, and voiced characters for video games and animation, including Unicorn Academy on Netflix and SuperKlaus with Colm Feore. Paul’s newest play, The Last Hanging at Redbridge, received an OAC Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators and a staged reading at the inaugural St. Lawrence Writers’s Festival.
 

Jeff has a lifelong passion and vision for combining art and technology to develop original works. His projects are inspired by a love of storytelling and innovation. Through WYRD Productions, Kidoons theatrical productions, and digital works on the Kidoons Network, Jeff's artist collaborators help organizations to tell their stories onstage and online. He works with Not-for-Profits and corporate clients across Canada and the United States with a vision to inspire and empower all generations. Jeff dedicates this show to his mother, Evelyn Lord.

Aidan Ware hails from Calgary, and is a graduate of the BFA Technical Theatre program at the UofA. After an 18-month lighting practicum at Banff Centre, Aidan moved to Toronto where his creativity and passion for bringing new technologies to live performance have led him to work for Canadian Stage, Level Productions, Solotech, Moment Factory, and Carbon Arc Projects. He is currently part of a team designing a new state-of-the-art space for the BMO lab at the University of Toronto, focusing on emerging technologies and AI in performance. Credits with Kidoons/WYRD Productions include the BOOM Trilogy (TD/LD), FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book (TD),  HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales (TD/LD), Jungle Book (TD), and MONEY (TD/LD). @aidanware

Irina is a multidisciplinary artist with expertise in graphic design, video production, and multimedia storytelling. She has been a longstanding collaborator with Rick Miller and Craig Francis, contributing to onscreen media projections for MacHomer, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Game of Clones. Recent work includes branding and projection/media design for BOOM X and BOOM YZ, for which she was nominated—alongside Rick Miller and Nicolas Dostie—for the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Projection or Video Design. Irina is the multimedia designer for Jungle Book, FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book, and HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales. Upcoming projects include MONEY and The Time Machine. As a web and video production artist, Irina also serves as the designer and editor of the Kidoons Network animated series.

Sabrina Miller is a set, costume, and puppet designer based on ontréal/Tiohtià:ke land, and a member of APASQ (Association Des Professionnels Des Arts De La Scène Du Québec) and an Associate Member of ADC (Associated Designers of Canada). Their award winning work has been showcased across Canada, and they have designed for many companies alongside Kidoons including the Segal Centre, Theatre New Brunswick, Geordie Theatre, Black Theatre Workshop, Roseneath Theatre, Repercussion Theatre, Infinithéâtre, Hudson Theatre and Teesri Duniya Theatre.

As a freelance, full-time designer & maker of Puppets and Masks, Mathieu René works with a wide range of tools and techniques, originating in countless disciplines and traditions, from Crafts to Fine Arts. As an instructor of custom creative workshops, he has a passion for encouraging people to discover their inner artistic & problem-solving potential. We're all artists-in-becoming! www.youtube.com/user/Creaturiste/playlists

Andrea Lundy is an award-winning Lighting Designer and Production Manager who has worked professionally across Canada and internationally for 37 years. She is the recipient of 9 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and 2 Montreal English Theatre Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design. She has worked extensively with the National Arts Centre, Shaw Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, Canadian Stage, Necessary Angel Theatre, Centaur Theatre, George Theatre among others. Andrea has been the Director of the Production Design and Technical Arts Program at the National Theatre School of Canada for the last 12 years.

Richard has been creating music and soundscapes for theatre, dance & film since 1992. He has won seven Dora Awards, the 1999 Pauline McGibbon Award, and was the first sound designer ever shortlisted for the Siminovitch Prize, in 2012. For Kidoons: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (music & sound design), Jungle Book (audio consultant). Other recent credits: The Inheritance, Public Enemy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage); Dangerous Liaisons, Hamlet (Stratford Festival); The Drawer Boy, Sequence, Mary’s Wedding (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Waitress (Grand Theatre/Theatre Aquarius); Heist (Grand Theatre/Citadel Theatre); The Cold War (VideoCabaret); Big Ticket (Theatre Kingston). His music is available on Bandcamp and every streaming platform.

Julian Smith is a recent graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada's Production Design and Technical Arts Program. A born and bred Newfoundlander now living in Quebec, Julian is curious about all facets of Management and Design. Julian and his company “This Might be Satire Productions” are recent recipients of The Canada Council of the Arts Concept to Realization for a show in current development. Recent select credits include- APM and ASM Wonderbolt International Circus Festival (Wonderbolt). Assistant Sound and Video Designer Everybody Just Calm the F*ck Down (Artistic Fraud) and Sound and Video Designer Out of It (Rising Tide). Julian is incredibly excited for everyone to see this show and would like to thank his partner Robyn for always believing in him. For Lottie.

Photo credit: Riley Harnett

Jessica Campbell-Maracle (She/Her) is a mixed Kanien’kéha:ka / settler theatre artist from Toronto. She is currently studying at The National Theatre School of Canada in the Production Design and Technical Arts New Pathways Program. She also graduated from Humber College’s Theatre Production Program in 2017. Select theatre credits include: Reckoning (ARTICLE 11), Almighty Voice and His Wife (Soulpepper) theatre, and Honour Beat (The Grand Theatre). She is super excited to be working with Kidoons and Geordie theatre for the first time.

Rosie is simply ecstatic to be finally mounting Frankenstein, after being with the project for almost 3 years! Rosie is an award-winning performer originally hailing from Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). Rosie just finished up her first season with the Gros Morne Theatre Festival in Newfoundland, and is so excited to be back in her hometown for this incredible show. She is a graduate of both Dawson College’s Professional Theatre program (Valedictorian) and of Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Selected Credits: April Fools (Segal Centre) It Shoulda Been You (Segal Centre/DWYT), Last Night at The Gayety (Centaur Theatre), Robin Hood (Festival Antigonish), The “Captain Aurora” Saga (Montreal Fringe/Mainline), tick, tick… BOOM! (Rentrobuff), and Spring Awakening (Persephone Productions), among others. When not onstage, Rosie works as a VO artist, having done spots for Via Rail, Air Canada, Circle K, Spotify, Desjardins, and many others. Rosie has received numerous awards for her work, including the prestigious Banks Prize from The Musical Stage, a BroadwayWorld Award, and an Alternative Film Fest award. Much love to her Mo for always believing in her and being by her side.

A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Eloi has been seen on various Montreal stages including the Segal Centre (Marjorie Prime), Centaur Theatre (Hosanna, Intimate Apparel, With Bated Breath), Duceppe (Sunderland, Frères de sang), and in many shows for young audiences (The Halloween Tree, Geronimo Stilton, Holy Cow!). A two-time recipient of a META (Montreal English Theatre Award) for Outstanding Performance, he was recently featured in Juste Pour Rire's production of the musical Annie and starred in Mamma Mia! at Théâtre Saint-Denis. Screen credits include District 31, Jack Ryan, 19-2, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.