FREE THEATRE CHRISTCHURCH
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      • Ubu Nights >
        • Past Ubu Nights >
          • Ma Ubu Night
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          • Ubu in Wonderland Ubu Night
          • Frankenstein Ubu Night
          • Casablanca Ubu Night
          • Faust Ubu Night
          • Not Hamlet Ubu Night
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          • The Art of the Deal Ubu Night
          • Crossroads Ubu Night
          • Ubu Shows Us the Way to Brecht's Whiskey Bar
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          • Berlin Kabarette
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          • Ubu Ubu Night
          • Lovecraft Ubu Night
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        • Production Credits - Piloctetes
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      • Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
      • Achternbusch in the Antipodes
      • Caucasian Chalk Circle
      • Samson Airline
      • Kabarett Kabul
      • Footprints/Tapuwae
      • Last Days of Mankind
      • Medea
      • Bakkhai / Diotek
      • Krapp's Last Tape
      • Murderer Hope of Women / The Philosopher's Stone
      • Comrade Savage
      • Love on a Bicycle
      • Resolution Island
      • Songs for the Judges
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      • Electra
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      • The Girl Who Sings Waterfalls
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      • G.O.P. Helpomatic
      • The Mortal Pleasure of Wander Lust
      • Red Cross & Takeaway
      • Lulu Earth Spirit
      • The Meeting
      • Action / Tongues
      • Cowboy Mouth
      • The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
      • A Letter from L
      • Dinosaurs and All the Rubbish / The Hunting of the Snark
      • The Ride Across Lake Constance
      • Electra
      • In Three Minds
      • The Rapist Over Suzannah
      • 1984: The Future Is Now
      • Leonce and Lena
      • Kabernette
      • The Joffongract
      • My Foot, My Tutor
      • King Lear
      • King Ubu
      • Jazz Cellar Dada / Heavy Metal Cabaret
      • Kabarett
      • Black Cat Cabaret
      • The Gas Heart/Ox on the Roof/The Mirror Wardrobe One Fine Evening
      • Round Dance
      • Woyzeck
      • Make-up Ground down / Texts for Decomposition
      • Court Case: Arts Centre vs Free Theatre
    • Image Gallery 1979 - present
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    • Selected Reviews
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Frankenstein

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“When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?”
​Mary Shelley, ​Frankenstein
Production Credits

Premiered at The Gym
June 17 - July 2 2016

Currently in development for touring
This is a really fun, wry and accessible show that finely balances spectacle, performance and audience engagement, and the show’s terrific opening image alone is worth attendance.  ​
Erin Harrington, Theatreview 

I was reluctant to move to Christchurch with my husband after the earthquakes remembering it as an angry provincial town. Free Theatre is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bland cultural city. If a group like this, which would be celebrated in great cities for the extraordinary work they do, is not supported it does not bode well for the city. It's not the size of the place, it's the narrow-minded mentality that stifles any hope for it to be an interesting place to live in. Having now seen Frankenstein, I can say that this city doesn't know how lucky it is to have this very special company in its midst. Bravo. I know I'm one of many that looks forward to whatever you present next - you provide us with hope.
Stuff.co.nz - comments

About Frankenstein...

​Scientist and artist Dr Frankenstein invites you to be part of one of the most exciting projects of modern times as he is on the brink of creating a perfect human being. With your generous support, he can take this final step and create a new man. Come and hear the Doctor talk about his remarkable discoveries and see the extraordinary prototypes that have led to this exciting possibility.

Directed by Peter Falkenberg and with a set designed by Stuart Lloyd-Harris, Frankenstein is a production that will provide a feast for the senses. Music, dance, film and puppetry all play a part in this engaging multimedia performance which will envelop its audiences in a magical, mystical, mythical spectacle. Frankenstein follows the success of our popular Ubu Nights and ongoing projects The Mauricio Kagel Project (presented at last year’s Christchurch Arts Festival), Kafka's Amerika and I Sing the Body Electric and is performed in Christchurch’s contemporary performance space, The Gym in the Arts Centre.

See your blog page to see how we developed the work.

Previews and Reviews

"Finely balances spectacle, performance and audience engagement"
Erin Harrington, Theatreview, 18 June 2016


"Intriguing pageant of ideas and theatrical wizardry"
Lin Clark, Theatreview, 19 June 2016

​
"Free Theatre's latest offering "completely mad""
Georgina Stylianou, The Press, 18 June 2016


"Frankenstein comes alive again at Christchurch's Free Theatre"
Charlie Gates, The Press, 14 June 2016

​
"Christchurch's experimental Free Theatre in "precarious state"
Charlie Gates, The Press, 10 June 2016

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"I came to the Frankenstein performance last night, and I just want to say thank you so much, we really enjoyed it.  Your performances always leave me feeling like I have been jump started back into real life again. I took my partner who has recently emigrated here from Japan and she said it was the first time since she arrived that she felt like she was in a proper cultural city again. Thanks for everything, keep up the great work. We are looking forward to your future projects."

"[I] wanted to let you guys know that I saw your show tonight and thought it was incredible, the dedication and commitment from every performer was so essential and you all beautifully manipulated the energy of the audience. Left with a lot to talk about - on our drive home we discussed souls and the limitations of our physical bodies, where science has (and will) lead us, the nature of performing. And also about how polished it was in general (absolutely loved the sampled texts incl. the obscure and brief passages from Shelley's diaries etc) -- you managed to capture the ethereal essence of Shelley's tradition whilst forging a new experiential aesthetic. Totally loved and was moved by it, congratulations to all!"

“[I] think of it as a tribute to the enduring relevance of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, with text sourced from Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Janet Frame and references to modern horror films. It comments on our modern obsession with image and challenges whether perfection is something we should strive for or whether by striving for perfection we turn ourselves into 'monsters'. Well...that was my interpretation of it anyway. It's the best piece of theatre I've seen in ages! And very, very creepy and disturbing. I like creepy and disturbing."

"Thanks so much for having us last night, what a treat! It really is a whole other world in there, so great to experience something transformative like that. It's been ages. All the best for an excellent season. Please pass on our thanks to the whole cast and crew. It's a great show."

Frankenstein
(​images courtesy of Marine Aubert)

Frankenstein
(images courtesy of Damia Prat)


Images from the Frankenstein Ubu Night in September 2015, which served as a launching pad for the larger production. Images courtesy of Damia Prat.

Picture
Picture
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • A brief history...
    • Jarry, Ubu, Pataphysics and Free Theatres
    • Manifestos and Writings
    • Who We Are
    • Shirley Horrocks documentary
    • Training and Devising
    • Home, Space and Design
    • Praise and Awards
  • Te Puna Toi
    • Past Te Puna Toi Projects
    • Artists in Residence
  • UPCOMING
    • Woyzeck
  • EDUCATION
    • Kidsfest and Holiday Programmes
    • Schools Workshops
    • Adult workshops
  • ARCHIVE
    • Productions 1979 - present >
      • The Tempest
      • The Axe
      • Endgame
      • Digitising Performance
      • Erewhon: Over the Range
      • A Summer Night's Dream
      • How Dare You
      • A Winter's Tale
      • Ubu Nights >
        • Past Ubu Nights >
          • Ma Ubu Night
          • Ubu Through the Looking Glass
          • Ubu in Wonderland Ubu Night
          • Frankenstein Ubu Night
          • Casablanca Ubu Night
          • Faust Ubu Night
          • Not Hamlet Ubu Night
          • Punk Ubu Night
          • The Art of the Deal Ubu Night
          • Crossroads Ubu Night
          • Ubu Shows Us the Way to Brecht's Whiskey Bar
          • The Devil and the Blues Ubu Night
          • Bowie Ubu Night
          • Warhol Ubu Night
          • Berlin Kabarette
          • Beat Ubu Night
          • Twin Peaks Ubu Night
          • David Lynch Ubu Night
          • Kafka Ubu Night
          • Tango Ubu Night
          • Ubu Ubu Night
          • Lovecraft Ubu Night
      • Ars Acustica
      • Alice
      • The Black Rider
      • Frankenstein
      • The Mauricio Kagel Project
      • Te Puna Toi 2015: Footprints/Tapuwae
      • Kafka's Amerika
      • The Soldier's Tale
      • Canterbury Tales
      • I Sing the Body Electric
      • Hereafter
      • Passion, Pulse and Power
      • The Earthquake in Chile
      • Doctor Faustus
      • The Marvellous Corricks >
        • Corricks - Credits
      • Distraction Camp
      • Remake
      • Ella and Susn
      • Free Theatre - 25 years and counting...
      • Faust Chroma
      • Enigma Emmy Goering/Nico Sphinx of Ice
      • Faust Feast
      • Diana Down Under
      • Philoctetes >
        • Production Credits - Piloctetes
      • Fantasia
      • Christmas Shopping
      • Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
      • Achternbusch in the Antipodes
      • Caucasian Chalk Circle
      • Samson Airline
      • Kabarett Kabul
      • Footprints/Tapuwae
      • Last Days of Mankind
      • Medea
      • Bakkhai / Diotek
      • Krapp's Last Tape
      • Murderer Hope of Women / The Philosopher's Stone
      • Comrade Savage
      • Love on a Bicycle
      • Resolution Island
      • Songs for the Judges
      • Crusoe
      • Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus
      • States of Shock
      • Empire Builders
      • Yes
      • Power
      • Robinson Crusoe: Or I THat Was Born To Be My Own Destroyer
      • Newsbites
      • Dumped in Space
      • MedeaMaterial
      • Salome
      • Electra
      • Sphinx and Strawmen
      • The Girl Who Sings Waterfalls
      • Hamletmachine
      • Oresteia
      • A Respectable Wedding
      • Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
      • Double Act and Postponeless
      • Cloudkiwiland
      • Preversions
      • G.O.P. Helpomatic
      • The Mortal Pleasure of Wander Lust
      • Red Cross & Takeaway
      • Lulu Earth Spirit
      • The Meeting
      • Action / Tongues
      • Cowboy Mouth
      • The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
      • A Letter from L
      • Dinosaurs and All the Rubbish / The Hunting of the Snark
      • The Ride Across Lake Constance
      • Electra
      • In Three Minds
      • The Rapist Over Suzannah
      • 1984: The Future Is Now
      • Leonce and Lena
      • Kabernette
      • The Joffongract
      • My Foot, My Tutor
      • King Lear
      • King Ubu
      • Jazz Cellar Dada / Heavy Metal Cabaret
      • Kabarett
      • Black Cat Cabaret
      • The Gas Heart/Ox on the Roof/The Mirror Wardrobe One Fine Evening
      • Round Dance
      • Woyzeck
      • Make-up Ground down / Texts for Decomposition
      • Court Case: Arts Centre vs Free Theatre
    • Image Gallery 1979 - present
    • TV3 Clips
    • Selected Reviews
  • SUPPORT
  • BLOG