Frankenstein – Playing with Fire

by BARBARA FIELD (from the novel by MARY SHELLEY) 
directed by ROB MELROSE
Wurtele Thrust Stage

A riveting ethical argument 

Adapted by Minnesota playwright Barbara Field from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (celebrating its 200th anniversary this year), this captivating retelling of the classic tale imagines a meeting between a dying Frankenstein and his creation in the Arctic Circle. As Frankenstein prepares to right his greatest wrong by confronting the Creature, scenes from their past are replayed and the line between good and evil is debated, revealing a powerful and agonizing question that interrogates the ethical limits of science and human imagination.

Play guide

Want to dig deeper into the story? Download the play guide

Video

Feature

Learn how a ghost story Mary Shelley penned 200 years ago became a modern myth that lives on today. 

Feature

There’s a burning question at the heart of Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Director Rob Melrose tells all in our latest video

In the news

Review

“A remarkable meditation on the compulsive lure of scientific experimentation” 

Read the full Lavender Magazine review.  

Review

"The toying with time is the play’s greatest beauty, and it is what makes me want to see it again."

Read the full Minnesota Monthly review. 

Feature

Through interviews with playwright Barbara Field and director Rob Melrose, MPR News reveals how Frankenstein is brought back to life.

Hear the full story on MPR News.

Photos

Ryan Colbert (Victor), Jason Rojas (Adam), Elijah Alexander (Creature) and Zachary Fine (Frankenstein) in Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Photo by Dan Norman. 

Ryan Colbert (Victor), Robert Dorfman (Kempe/Old Man) and Elijah Alexander (Creature) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Photo by Dan Norman. 

Jason Rojas (Adam) and Ryan Colbert (Victor) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Photo by Dan Norman. 

Zachary Fine (Frankenstein), Amelia Pedlow (Elizabeth), Elijah Alexander (Creature) and Ryan Colbert (Victor) in Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Photo by Dan Norman.

Zachary Fine (Frankenstein) and Elijah Alexander (Creature) in Frankenstein – Playing with Fire. Photo by Dan Norman.

Artists

Cast

Elijah Alexander

Creature

Ryan Colbert

Victor

Robert Dorfman

Krempe/Old Man

Zachary Fine

Frankenstein

Amelia Pedlow

Elizabeth

Jason Rojas

Adam

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Creative

Barbara Field

Playwright

Rob Melrose

Director

Michael Locher

Scenic Designer

Raquel Barreto

Costume Designer

Cat Tate Starmer

Lighting Designer

Cliff Caruthers

Sound Designer/Composer

Carla Steen

Dramaturg

Jill Walmsley Zager

Resident Voice Coach

Beth Brooks

Movement Director

Aaron Preusse

Fight Director

Chris A. Code

Stage Manager

Jamie J. Kranz

Stage Manager

Jane E. Heer

Assistant Stage Manager

Jonathan Beller

Movement Coach

Lauren Keating

Intimacy Consultant

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