To mark the bi-centenary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, students at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) are staging the Shelley Season, a rich programme of theatrical performances celebrating and re-imagining the iconic novel. The productions will be performed at poignant Bournemouth locations connected to the Shelley family and will take place during November and December of the anniversary year.
The Shelley Season is the result of a collaboration between AUB students studying for BA (Hons) Acting, BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design, BA (Hons) Creative Writing and BA (Hons) Make-Up for Media and Performance. The breadth of creative talent at the University has enabled students to produce every element of the production from the cast to set design, make-up to costume.
Katherine Piercey, Course Leader, Acting at Arts University Bournemouth said:
“There is something particularly special about today’s students shaping and performing a series of theatrical performances inspired by Mary Shelley’s most iconic work. Shelley herself was only a teenager when she conceived and began writing this novel, so it is fantastic to see the young creative talent of today connecting with the young creative talent of the past.
These productions not only act as an historic commemoration of Shelley’s iconic novel, but also showcase the incredible talent we have emerging here today at Arts University Bournemouth.”
The first two productions to be performed in November are Mary Shelley, a play exploring the author’s scandalous elopement with Percy Bysshe Shelley aged just sixteen; and Blood and Ice, a performance which weaves a web of connections between Mary Shelley’s own tragic life and that of her literary monster. Both productions will be staged at Bournemouth’s Shelley Theatre, which was built for Mary Shelley by her son, Sir Percy Florence Shelley.
The final two performances are Freakenstein, a theatrical experience drawing on the themes of the book with a contemporary twist; and finally, Ctrl C, a play written by AUB’s BA (Hons) Creative Writing course students. Freakenstein will be staged at the Shelley Theatre in November whilst Ctrl C will be performed in December at the atmospheric St Peter’s Church, where Mary Shelley is buried.
The four theatrical performances form part of AUB’s year-long programme of commemorations to mark the bi-centennial. The University has explored the importance of Shelley’s iconic novel through an interdisciplinary conference with international experts which included a lecture with Christopher Frayling; and also a creative writing competition to engage children with Shelley’s work.
AUB has also supported the wider Shelley Frankenstein Festival, taking place across Bournemouth this bi-centenary year. The festival provides a platform to explore the Shelley family’s accomplishments, making the work accessible to a new generation through theatre, art, fun, philosophy and reflection. Partners include Bournemouth Council, Bournemouth Libraries Service, Bournemouth University, Creative Kids UK, St Peters Church, Shelley Theatre Trust and The Shelley Trust.
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