USU Theatre performing ‘Frankenstein’
With the throw of a switch a scientist’s experiment goes terribly wrong, unleashing a floodgate of children’s laughter into the Morgan Theatre.
The production of “The Child of Frankenstein” is the cause of all the commotion in the Morgan Theatre. “The Child of Frankenstein” is an original play written by David Sidwell, a Utah State University theater education professor.
“A friend of mine and I used to do a radio show [of Frankenstein] and we would be Dr. Frankenstein and Igor,” Sidwell said. “I thought that I could make a show out of it, and I thought that the goofiest thing that could happen would be for his experiment to be a giant child.”
The play was performed for children grades fourth through sixth, in Cache Valley and surrounding areas. An estimated 6,000 children came to see the play.
“We get extra funding from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation,” Sidwell said. “The foundation pays for the busses because schools can’t pay for it. We used to go to the schools, but that got too tough. Having the children come here works better.”
The play is not only aimed at school-age children, but also at people of all different ages.
“I don’t think that the play is specifically for children, but for the whole family,” said Greg Wells, a junior majoring in theater arts.
Wells plays Igor in the production.
“The Child of Frankenstein” is part of USU Theatre’s annual family production, which has been going on for more than 20 years. USU collaborates with the Unicorn Theatre every year to put on the family productions. The theaters trade off every other year doing plays for older and younger children. USU theater did the play for the older children, and the Unicorn Theatre’s play for younger children will be showing later this spring, Sidwell said.
“It’s a family show, and it’s really funny and so good,” said Ryan Hall, a sophomore majoring in theater arts, and a co-producer of the play. “It’s entertainment for the kids, but there’s a lot of good messages. They get a break from their schoolwork and they get to come and enjoy the show.”
One of the biggest lessons taught throughout the play is the importance of being a child. Having an imagination and being able to discover the world around you through a child’s eyes are very prevalent during the play.
“I think that the show does have a message and that is to enjoy being a kid while you can,” said Lanny Langston, a senior majoring in theater arts, and plays Dr. Frankenstein in the play.
Wells said, “I think it’s great for the children, they really like it. It’s great [for children] to see that they need to remember what it’s like to be children.”
John Belliston, a freshman majoring in lighting design and theater arts, said, “The nature of being like a child and keeping that as you get older is one of the lessons taught in this play.”
Belliston plays the part of Little Victor in the play.
The cast of the play consisted of four different characters. The story also takes place in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory.
“It was the closest cast that I’ve ever been in,” Wells said. “We were able to work so well together.”
The cast said one of the best things about this play is that it’s written by a USU theater department professor. The play is loosely based on the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.
Sidwell said that one of his favorite parts about writing the play was, “seeing the new interpretations from the other artists. I had specifics in mind and it’s fun when they shatter those and make them better.”
Hall said, “My favorite part about this play was the whole scheme of things. This is my first directing project, and it’s nice to step back and to let the actors tell it.”
“The Child of Frankenstein” will be showing for families and USU students on Friday and Saturday. Ticket information is available by calling 797-1500. Tickets are free to USU students with a valid student ID. If not a USU student, tickets are $5 per adult. For every adult ticket purchased, three children are allowed in for free. After the initial adult ticket purchased, the following tickets are $3.
-rbarlow@cc.usu.edu