FULL-LENGTH: Mary Shelley, author of the seminal science fiction novel Frankenstein. Confined to a Swiss villa during one of the rainiest summers in memory. Competing in a ghost story contest involving her lover, her stepsister, and one of the most pompous assholes in history: Lord Byron.
Mary, a playwright in the 21st century. Participating in a modern day writers’ workshop. Creating groundbreaking works with a poetic nice guy, a too enthusiastic coordinator, and one of the most pompous assholes in history: some guy with an MFA.
These two worlds converge, giving an updated context to the world’s first science fiction novel. Part examination of modern theatrical practices and part period piece depicting an editorialized version of an actual historical event, this is a play that asks the question that hangs over every workshop or development opportunity in theatre and beyond: who are we allowing to be our own modern Prometheus?