This fall, A.B.L.E. is trying something new by revisiting something old. For the first time ever, we are remounting a production and bringing our critically acclaimed adaptation of Frankenstein back to life for audiences this fall at Theater Wit.
This week, our ensemble took some time from rehearsal to reflect on the process of revisiting the show. Read on to hear from the ensemble about the celebrations and challenges of this experience.
Testing for the Future
Frankenstein expanded on our previous performance model in several ways. For the original run, we invited only actors who had worked with ABLE before to apply, and hosted a group audition to select an ensemble that worked together and balanced each other’s talents and support needs. The ensemble rehearsed for 3 hours each week, as opposed to ABLE’s standard 90 minute weekly rehearsal, and, for the first time ever, we hosted 3 performances instead of just one. This all served as a chance to test the waters for our future plans of developing a professional, paid touring company.
While planning for the 2025-2026 season, ABLE Executive Artistic Director Katie Yohe saw an opportunity to take this a step further. Inspired both by the Program Advisory Council’s choice of Memory for a season theme, and by a budget crunch driven by the recession and uncertainty around government funding, Yohe proposed the remount. “So much work goes into building a show, it’s a shame to have it be one-and-done,” she says. “We already had the costumes and the props, the research and the adaptation was written, the projections were designed – we could conserve our resources and at the same time learn more about what it takes to make some of our future plans possible.”
Making Adjustments
Fortunately, Frankenstein was designed to be easily mobile – props and costumes are packed away in road cases that become the set. However, while borrowing the road cases from the prop department at Chicago Shakespeare, a colleague in the production office warned “there’s no such thing as a remount.” And that’s one major lesson we’re already learning from the process: every new venue means a new show.
Being in a different theatre with different dimensions means adjusting our blocking and traffic patterns, and reconfiguring some tech elements to fit the new space. ABLE’s Company Manager Haley Schroeck says, “This is challenging but it’s been a really good challenge and I think we are learning a lot about what we need to be successful. These are all stepping stones to get us where we want to be.”
For all the challenges, Rachel, who plays 4 different characters including Henry and Felix, says “It’s easy to perform in Frankenstein because I’m part of a show with all my friends.”
Growing the team
Actor Erin Harvey plays multiple roles in the show including Victor’s love interest Elizabeth and the Creature’s Partner. For her, one big adjustment has been working with a new facilitator. “The second time has been very interesting. I have a new person to drop me in, so I have to get used to that. We are getting to know each other.”
While we are working with all 9 of our original actors, we have 3 new facilitators joining the ensemble. Kate McDuffie, Jenna Rapisarda, and Paige Henderson have all stepped into the cast to partner with different actors onstage. Erin’s partner, Paige, supported our original run backstage so is already familiar with the mechanics of the show, she has been brushing up by watching the archival video between rehearsals so she feels ready to drop in both Erin and Ben (Memory Creature) during the show.
Jenna, who is supporting Marissa onstage says, “I loved Frankenstein when I saw it in the spring; I told so many people about it. It was such an impactful and awesome performance to experience as an audience, so I feel very honored to be on this side of it now and be part of this evolution of ABLE. My job is to try to figure out what was great and special about that first run so that I can give Marissa the support she needs to give a great performance.”
Meanwhile, this is all new territory for Kate. “I missed the original run,” she says, “It’s such an honor to come in at this part of the process and see how everyone is connected to their roles and get to know this story better. This is such an incredible cast and such a beautiful script.”
Keeping it Fresh
Co-Director Lawrence Kern relishes this opportunity to dive deeper into the material. “We put the whole show together in just 8 rehearsals, and now we have 5 more to make it even better. Now that the actors know their characters, we can go back to moments that didn’t quite land the first time through or that we didn’t have time to really explore and give them a little extra umph.”
Marissa, who plays Victor Frankenstein, adds, “This time we are finding different ways for me to move onstage and bringing out more of the drama.”
One thing we reflected on after the original run was that sharing such a heavy story can take an emotional toll. It can take an emotional toll. Zach, who plays The Creature shares: “Coming back here has been really fun but also for me it’s very hard to be the Creature again because I have to use some sad feelings that I’m still trying to learn how to let go of when the show is done.” We have added a new ritual where we physically brush ourselves off to say goodbye to our characters at the end of rehearsal.
Reaching New Audiences
The original run of Frankenstein at Chicago Shakespeare Theater sold out all 3 performances and was celebrated in The Chicago Reader and featured in American Theatre Magazine. But with just one weekend of shows, it’s hard for us to build momentum. The remount is an exciting opportunity to introduce this story and ABLE’s mission to more people. Ryan, who plays journalist Roberta Walton, says “I love doing this show with my friends. And now I can invite more people this time like my new friends from Camp Hope.” Colleen, Andrew, and Ben are excited to invite their family, and Rachel is inviting her roommates.
Ensemble member Matt LaChapelle sums it all up by saying “We have a great time working together, but it’s all about our audience who shows up for us. It will be different every time we do it because we perform for different people. It shows how ABLE is growing even bigger and we’re making history!”
