The Theater Project’s Young Company put on “Frankenstein,” playwright Dorothy Louise’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 novel, from Nov. 7-16 to coincide with the release of a new film adaptation directed by Guillermo del Toro. The Brunswick nonprofit helps children and adults build skills and express themselves through theater.
Frankenstein’s Creature, played by Owen Vachon, sets the village ablaze after being rebuffed by the terrified villagers during a performance based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel at The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 9. Vachon channeled The Creature’s confusion and rage to inform the physicality of the role and to “go a little bigger, be more angry,” he said. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Crawford Martinez as Victor Frankenstein and Ella Yazwinski as his fiancee, Elizabeth, communicate via letter during a rehearsal for the play “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 5. The set, by Keith Anctil, provided symbolic separation of space and time. The production’s prop master, Hannah Publicover, seeded the stage with “books, quill pens, trees (and) severed body parts.” (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Light spills from an upstairs window at The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 5. Built in 1827 and repurposed by the nonprofit in 1986, the historic building hosts a year-round slate of community theater productions and workshops funded by donations, grants, sponsorships and ticket sales. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Owen Vachon, as The Creature, clasps his hands, made up to appear stitched to his arms, as he listens to director’s notes after rehearsing the second act of “Frankenstein” at The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 5. “I think Creature is a really interesting and diverse character, not one-sided,” Vachon said. “The Creature did bad stuff, but (he was) not unjustified.” (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Leeiah Colson, left, and Milo Cardella take in feedback during a dress rehearsal of The Theater Project’s production of “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 5. Julia Brown, the play’s director, said cast members learn collaboration, teamwork, body awareness and research skills. “It’s not until the very, very end that we even get to acting techniques,” Brown said. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Kaden Oliver brings gothic horror author Mary Shelley to life during rehearsal for The Theater Project’s production of “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 5. Executive Director Amanda LaFlamme chose the play for its seasonal suitability and to coincide with the release of a new movie by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
The brilliant but insecure student Victor Frankenstein, played by Crawford Martinez, right, seeks advice from his supportive and pragmatic friend Henry Clerva, played by Milo Cardella, during a performance of “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 9. The teenage cast members are part of The Theater Project’s Young Company. The organization also has a preteen program and a program open to all ages. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Ella Yazwinski, as Elizabeth, observes the stage while rehearsing a scene in the Dorothy Louise adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” at The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 5. “I’ve been here so long,” said Yazwinski, who has been involved with The Theater Project for 12 years. “I love it. I’ve known the whole crew my entire life. I used to think the older leads here were celebrities.” (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Crawford Martinez begins to explore the hubris of his character, Victor Frankenstein, during a “Frankenstein” rehearsal in Brunswick on Nov. 5. The Theater Project was founded as a teaching theater, valuing process over product. Many alumni, including Julia Brown, director of “Frankenstein,” return to contribute their skills to the organization. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Wynnie Wahlquist, as a dying Caroline Frankenstein, lower right, is comforted by adopted daughter Elizabeth, played by Ella Yazwinski, upper right, and husband Alphonse, played by Milo Cardella, in The Theater Project’s “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 9. The play’s director, Julia Brown, said half the cast performed their first speaking roles in the production. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
The Creature confronts his creator, Victor Frankenstein, during a performance of “Frankenstein” by The Theater Project’s Young Company in Brunswick on Nov. 9. “One could argue that Victor is the villain,” said Creature actor Owen Vachon, citing Frankenstein’s cruel abandonment of his creation. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Ian Buck, as the blind De Lacey, strums his guitar while his family, played by Leeiah Colson, right, and Ella Yazwinski, warm themselves at a fire inches from a rapt audience during The Theater Project’s production of “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 9. “I think the show is going really well thus far,” Buck said after the matinee performance. “I feel like we were able to do a lot with it with the time we had.” (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Ian Buck, as the magistrate, places a noose around the neck of the doomed maid Justine Moritz, played by Wynnie Wahlquist, during a scene in The Theater Project’s production of “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 9. Moritz is wrongfully executed for the murder of a child, William, while a guilt-ridden Victor Frankenstein remains silent about her innocence. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
A gaunt and hollow-eyed Victor Frankenstein, played by Crawford Martinez, contemplates the consequences of his actions and the loss of all he held dear near the conclusion of The Theater Project’s “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 9. “It’s heavy. You’re watching Frankenstein lose his mind,” said the play’s director, Julia Brown, of the challenging material. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
From left, Ella Yazwinski, Leeiah Colson, and Grace Ward play villagers horrified by their first sight of The Creature during a performance of “Frankenstein” by The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 9. Yazwinski called the play a “story about the effects of playing god.” (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Crawford Martinez, as Victor Frankenstein, shares his fears about The Creature with fiancee Elizabeth, played by Ella Yazwinski, at The Theater Project in Brunswick on Nov. 9. The cast members helped each other develop their roles, using contemporary references from anime, comic books, and Dungeons & Dragons to inform their interpretation of the characters. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Victor Frankenstein (Crawford Martinez) draws a gun after finding his beloved Elizabeth (Ella Yazwinski) murdered by his own creation during a dress rehearsal of The Theater Project’s “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 5. “It’s about a murder every 10 pages,” director Julia Brown said about the play’s body count. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Captain Walton, played by Leeiah Colson, mourns the death of Victor Frankenstein while The Creature lurks in the shadows during dress rehearsal for “Frankenstein” in Brunswick on Nov. 5. Walton, an Arctic explorer, befriends a dying Victor Frankenstein and serves as the narrator of the sinister story. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
Milo Cardella plays Victor Frankenstein’s concerned and loving father, Alphonse, during a dress rehearsal for The Theater Project’s “Frankenstein” production in Brunswick on Nov. 5. The character of Alphonse serves as a foil to Frankenstein, who feels revulsion and antipathy for The Creature he brought to life. (Bisi Cameron Yee photo)
