GRAND RAPIDS — Puppets may not be your first thought when you think of adapting Frankenstein. However, playwright and director Joshua Cagle saw a possibility with his original show Frankenfeldt.
Grand Rapids Players will be performing Frankenfeldt Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 2-4. It tells the story of a high school ventriloquist reading Frankenstein in school and deciding to bring his puppet to life with some unintended consequences.
Cagle told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show that he came up with the idea for the show about two years ago when he directed the Grand Rapids Players’ performance of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, which featured puppets in one scene.
“I had to learn to make puppets, learn to work with puppets. And then from there, it was like, ‘You know what? I should just write a show with a puppet,’” Cagle said.
The Grand Rapids Players put out a call for original play pitches from local authors last summer. Cagle submitted Frankenfeldt and the board loved it. They even asked if he could make the script longer.
Cagle said it’s been surreal seeing something he’s written being performed on stage in front of him.
“I have an extra added bonus where I also get to direct it. I get to make sure that the way that I wrote it is translated onto the stage. It's been super fun and I'm super proud," Cagle said.
The performances are happening right at the beginning of the spooky season. When asked where the show falls on the scary scale, Cagle said, “When we get towards the end, it might be pushing a six, maybe a seven out of ten. But it stays pretty firmly in that four to five. Just really creepy as opposed to spooky.”
Tickets for Frankenfeldt are available at the Grand Rapids Players’ website. Performances on Friday and Saturday nights begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.
Listen to the full conversation with Cagle and actors Fox Schneider and Holly Durfee by clicking above.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
