OCTOBER 2 - NOVEMBER 1
Fri. & Sat. - 8:00 PM
Sun. - 7:00 PM
Special $5 Thursday performance - October 29 - 8:00 PM

The Hunger Artists presents Barker's funny, horrific Guignol epic just in time for Halloween.  When Dr. Frankenstein flees to South America, his monster goes after him, staging a political coup in the process.  Andrew Vonderschmitt has previously directed for the "Dead Letter Office" festival at Hunger Artists.

This play contains graphic violence, gore, and adult situations.
 

CAST
Zen Josey ..................................................................................................................................... Maria
Robert Dominguez ........................................................................................................ Perez/Fook
Carlos Zavala ...................................................................................................................... Cockatoo
Angel Correa ........................................................................................... Cesar Guerrero; El Coco
Danielle Louie .................................................................................................................... Veronique
Don Dench ............................................................................................................................. Cardinal
Devri Richmond ................................................................................................................... Follezou
Jeff Kietiet .................................................................................................................................. Mattos
Mark Rosier ............................................................................................................................... Lazaro
Scott Keister .................................................................................................................. Frankenstein
Tony Viramontes .................................................................................................................... Bozuffi

PRODUCTION CREW
Andrew Vonderschmitt...........................................................................................................Director
Hayley Jackson............................................................................................................Stage Manager
Megan Lovegren..............................................................................................Asst. Stage Manager
Angela Lopez..........................................................................................................Movement Director
Cat Elrod...................................................................................................Costume/ Makeup Designer
Sean Gray................................................................................................................Set/ Prop Designer
Stacey Hennon.......................................................................................................Asst. Set Designer
Michael Turner...............................................................................................................Scenic Painter
Daniel Berger............................................................................................................Lighting Designer
Jonathan Lewis..........................................................................................................Sound Designer
Lauren Kushin.................................................................................................Violin Accompaniment

THE HUNGER ARTISTS THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS A GORY TREAT FOR HALLOWEEN
CLIVE BARKER’S FRANKENSTEIN IN LOVE
OCTOBER 2 – NOVEMBER 1, 2009

FULLERTON, CA – The Hunger Artists Theatre Company is proud to present Frankenstein in Love, or the Life of Death by Clive Barker as their Halloween show for the 2009 season. Frankenstein in Love is directed by Hunger Artists company member Andrew Vonderschmitt.

In a fictional Central American country, a dictatorial government has been overthrown by guerilla forces led by the horribly disfigured Cesar Guerrero, also known as El Coco.  The rebels discover an underground laboratory where an European expatriate, Dr. Frankenstein has been performing torturous and inhumane experiments on live human beings.  A bizarre love triangle is created when El Coco, who is actually the Monster,  and Dr. Frankenstein both fall in love with Frankenstein’s masterpiece creation, Veronique.

Frankenstein in Love, one of Clive Barker’s earliest plays, was first produced by The Dog Company in London in 1982.  The Dog Company was co-founded by Clive Barker and actor Doug Bradley who also played Dr. Frankenstein.  Doug Bradley would reunite with Clive Barker in 1986, when he was cast as the now iconic Pinhead in Hellraiser.  It has been produced by a number of smaller theatres in the last ten years, notably in Atlanta, Georgia’s Sensurround Stagings in 2002 along with Barker’s The History of the Devil.

This production features Angel Correa as El Coco, Scott Keister as Dr. Frankenstein, Zen Josey as Maria and Danielle Louie as Veronique.  Angel Correa has appeared at the Hunger Artists in past productions of Dead Letter Office and 24 Hour Theater. Scott Keister has appeared in number of shows at Hunger Artists since first appearing in our 2005 production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, including Guignol X, Twelfth Night and The Pledge Drive :Ruminations on the Hunger Artist.   Zen Josey is a Hunger Artists Company member and appeared in last year’s productions of Top Girls and Beyond Convention 2. Danielle Lewis is making her Hunger Artist debut.  The rest of the cast includes Robert Dominguez, Carlos Zavala, Don Dench, Devri Richmond, Jeff Kietet, Mark Rosier, and company member Tony Viramontes.

Hayley Jackson is the Stage Manager for this production with Megan Lovegreen as the Assistant Stage Manager. Angela Lopez is the Movement Director.  Costume and Makeup Design were provided by Cat Elrod.  Sean Gray is the Set and Prop Designer with Stacey Hennon as Assistant Set Designer. Scenic Painter was Michael Turner.  Light Design was by Daniel Berger and Sound Design was by Jonathan Lewis.  Lauren Kushin provides Violin Accompaniment.

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, UK in 1952 and has been an internationally recognized author of horror and fantasy novels since the mid 1980’s. He is also a motion picture director and producer, best known for his Hellraiser series, which was based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. He also wrote and directed Lord of Illusions and was the executive producer of the critically acclaimed Gods and Monsters.

“I have always loved the Mary Shelley classic FRANKENSTEIN, it’s themes of life and death, creation, alienation etc ring true in any time,” says Director Andrew Vonderschmitt.

“The same could be said about Clive Barker’s FRANKENSTEIN IN LOVE. Except in Barker’s retelling we can add themes of cannibalism, sexuality and politics as well as the gender role motifs explored in the original. It is written in a style that is not entirely Guignol, not entirely melodrama and not entirely straight comedy/drama. No, this play finds itself square in between them all. The chance to bring this play to life is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel blessed for it. It is a play that will mean something different to everyone who experiences it. And it may not be right for some. A wise man once said: if it pleases everyone then maybe it is not art. But of one thing I am sure; it will strongly affect each and every person involved. I speak in these terms because to attend this play is to experience it: to be involved in it. And that, to me, is what theater is for.”

Andrew Vonderschmitt recently became a Hunger Artists company member at the beginning of 2010.  He has previously directed in our Dead Letter Office one act festival and has done the set design for this year’s production of Shape of Things in February and designed the lights, set and sound for last September’s production of Rupyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.  He is also the Technical and Artistic Director of the Long Beach Playhouse.

“The Hunger Artists has a long tradition of presenting Grand Guignol theatre with our own Madame Guignol series that ran for 10 years,” says Artistic Director Amber Scott.  “Frankenstein in Love is a perfect return to that dark, funny sensibility that this company was founded on.  This is what Halloween is about.”