“On behalf of the cast and creative team, I want to thank you for joining us this evening. What we do as artists is not possible without the support of patrons.  Jay and I started talking about staging Frankenstein in 2022.  I had read the novel in high school, as it was a required read, but admittedly I hadn’t remembered much of it. After he delivered Act I, I was immediately hooked and decided that we had to go forward with it.  I was immediately struck by how modern the story reads. It is a story about understanding what constitutes life, challenging our understanding of nature, one’s individual relationship to a higher power, and above all what it means to be human. Jay and I wanted to bring something new to Frankenstein, and not focus solely on the gothic horror aspect. We had multiple conversations, we had a staged reading at Well-Spring that provided invaluable feedback, and we had a fantastic cast and production team that has brought life and depth to this story. A story written originally by Mary Shelley in 1818 at the age of 18, which gave birth to the entire genre of science fiction. This process of bringing the novel from page to stage, and more specifically Jay Smith and his skill and subtlety as a playwright, has delivered a fantastic script that I am incredibly proud to have had involvement in developing.  I truly hope you enjoy this performance of Frankenstein."

-David Sebren, Goodly Frame Theatre Artistic Director and Frankenstein production director


"A little over a year ago, David Sebren and I were working at a concert and during a break, we talked about possible plays for Goodly Frame to produce. We talked about works that are in the public domain and I told him that I had always wanted to write an adaptation of Frankenstein and that I would write one for Goodly Frame to produce as a world premiere. He said, ‘Show me a script.’ So… I did. He said, ‘I like it. Where’s Act II?’ We started talking about the idea of the ‘sailors’ playing the roles in Victor’s memories and incorporating sea shanties into the atmosphere and mood of the play. And so, the 'creation' you see before you now was born. Writing my first full-length play has been quite a challenge but watching this production come together; seeing and listening to the actors (both in the production and the staged reading) bring the characters to life, hearing the music, watching the production team guide the process has been an absolute joy. Thank you to the cast and crew who have taken this script and turned it into more than I could have ever imagined and to Goodly Frame for producing a world premiere and continuing its tradition of supporting arts and artists in the Triad."

-Jay Smith, playwright

​Inspired by the original practices and direct address techniques practiced at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, Goodly Frame Theatre consistently models innovative staging choices that open minds and challenge typical conceptions about the relationships between texts, actors, and audiences. By rediscovering and redefining the boundaries of performing Shakespeare, we reconnect with all forms of theatre, classical and contemporary, and encourage sustainable dialogues among the voices of Greensboro, the region, and across “this goodly frame," the earth.