Monster of a Show
locals stage original Frankenstein adaptation
Kinzy Janssen, photos by Frank H. Robinson |
It’s not exactly Mary Shelley. Nor is it Mel Brooks. Lot Turner’s original adaptation of Frankenstein – the debut production for an up-and-coming theater group called Chapter 13 Productions – is itself a creature that has been “dead and resurrected dozens of times,” according to Turner.
Several years ago, back in his home state of Indiana, Turner had convinced his friends (rather hastily, as it turns out), that he could pull off writing, directing, and producing Frankenstein. A telemarketer at the time, Turner wrote a single line after each phone call, stringing together what would eventually become an original version of the classic gothic tale. Despite roadblocks, Turner finished his first production admirably. In 2008, newly arrived in Wisconsin, Turner was already incubating schemes for a fresh cast, stage, and audience for Frankenstein.
At first, Turner said, it made sense to tap support from neighboring Eau Claire’s established theatrical organizations. After struggling to organize within existing groups, however, he decided to go solo and seek out a venue. He had only to look “just up the hill” to the Heyde Center. Now he trusts that high quality entertainment will draw people from Eau Claire and further. It helps, too, that he is smitten with Chippewa Falls. “I’m in deep smit,” he says.
The decision to support the local playwright and his burgeoning theater group was an easy one, according to Heyde Center director Deb Johnson. While she appreciates the familiar faces and clear influence of well-known groups, she sees them as parts of a larger whole. “It’s important to see new groups starting up … so that we have not just a few people involved, but lots,” she says.
Case in point: the Heyde Center’s mail carrier is actually a talented light technician in powder-blue disguise. Referred to Turner by Johnson, she is now in charge of illuminating the production. While Turner’s stylistic preferences remain “bare-bones,” he and Johnson are excited about Frankenstein’s mood-rendering light and sound. “As soon as you walk into the building, it’ll be like stepping into the story … and that just gives me chills,” says Johnson.
While it is important to uphold some expectations – the notion of Frankenstein’s monster as “threatening,” for example – Turner wants to shatter others. “There will be no ‘releasing of doves,’ ” he says, referring to the mammoth-sized gestures some people come to expect (sometimes grudgingly) from community theater.
“It’s definitely a step up from what they’ve done in the past,” says Chippewa Falls resident Ann Pearson of her children’s involvement in theater. As the fiancé of Victor Frankenstein, Pearson will be rubbing elbows with her three children onstage, all of whom have varying levels of acting experience. She says their family has enjoyed exploring the story through movies like Young Frankenstein. “This play is not a comedy, though,” Pearson acknowledges. “It’s bordering on horror.” Fitting, of course, is the fact that the play runs through Halloween weekend.
Though he’s taking Chapter 13 Productions one step at a time, Turner mentioned a desire to host workshops that would allow cast members to level with scriptwriters. Once words are lifted off a page, dramatic effectiveness is much more apparent. “It’s like refurbishing a car,” he says. “You take it apart, put it back together, throw away the pieces you don’t really need,” he says.
In addition, Turner has some goals he deems “kind of far-fetched,” but exciting nonetheless. “If you know who to talk to, you can bring in investors … and if you provide quality entertainment, you can get it published, take it on the road. Not every play has to start in New York,” he says.
Frankenstein plays at Heyde Center for the Arts, 3 N High St., Chippewa Falls on Oct. 23, 24, 30, and 31 at 8 pm, and Oct. 25 and Nov.1 at 2 pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $5 for youths 18 and under. If it warranted a rating, it would be PG-13.
