Frankenstein, Episode 1
at Mount Vernon High School

Reviewed on November 20, 2020

Gabriella Molseed
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

While Frankenstein is one of the most well-known Halloween villains--green, stitched-together skin; steel neck bolts; thumping gait; sentences closer to groans than words--the original story was much different, as many will tout: "Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster!" The book inspiring these adaptations is also much more thrilling. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is the iconic tale of a young man going mad from grief, attempts to reanimate human life, and the trials he underwent as a result of his hubris. Mount Vernon High School's episodic radio play, Frankenstein, Episode 1, captured both the chilling eeriness of this classic novel, the originator of the science fiction genre, and the clever parallels to Mary Shelley's own life.

Mount Vernon High School's performance, the first of several podcast-style episodes telling Danielle Molhman's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, danced between a rendition of the promethean tale of Frankenstein and a portrayal of Mary Shelley's own ghosts haunting her as she writes it. Mount Vernon cleverly took an already poignant stage play and made it more so through their socially distanced radio play.

Leading the listeners' by their emotions throughout the performance, Bridget Snyder (Mary Shelley/The Creature) created a wonderful duality of storyteller and story itself, especially in her portrayal of The Creature: not a separate character but a manifestation of Mary Shelley's creativity. Quinn Montgomery (Percy Bysshe Shelley/Victor Frankenstein) and Kimani Moore (Henry Clerval) had wonderful chemistry together, despite recording their lines separately, and the production created the image of a clearly intimate friendship that gave heart to the show as a whole. Emma Fisher's performance as Caroline Frankenstein, the tragic mother of Victor who died of scarlet fever and sparked his quest to reanimate the dead, fairly oozed motherly love and sacrifice.

The technical aspects behind the performance cannot be unnoted, for their hard work made the show as spectacular as it was. The sound crew and editing, led by Sound Crew Heads Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey, and Katia Ramirez, for Frankenstein, Episode 1 were standouts in this production. The soundscape of eerie lullabies, a chilling heartbeat, a baby crying, hushed gossip, and moody music set the tone of the show, and the editing of all the vocal tracks together was so near flawless that one might have thought the actors recorded their lines side by side. Additionally, the transitions from the real world to the written world were seamless, adding to the storylines' mirroring themes and blurring the lines of reality and story. The Assistant Director, Hayleigh Wankowski, led the directing of the scenes between Victor Frankenstein and Henry Clerval, which were some of the most heart touching and poignant of the whole performance. The Publicity Team, made up of Emma Fisher, Catherine Stankewick, Lily Dominguez Castro, and Breyla Rhymes created posters and trailers for each episode of the story, creating intrigue and artfully capturing the vibes of the performance.

All in all, Mount Vernon High School's production of Frankenstein, Episode 1, was truly impressive, especially given the limitations of social distancing. What the show lost in transition from a normal performance format to a radio play, as the show had to do without all visual elements and cues, the cast, crew, and directors more than made up for it in immense creativity and remarkable nuance in their acting ability, sound editing, and brilliant choices. While Victor Frankenstein may have regretted his choice to bring life to what was already dead, Mount Vernon need not regret their reanimation of this chilling tale!

Bethanya Yared
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

"No one can reanimate that piece of your heart." This is the line that stuck out most in Episode 1 of Mount Vernon High School's audio production of Frankenstein. With a mixture of bone-chilling sound effects and passionate voice acting, this production will leave listeners on the edge of their seat with each new episode.

In 1818, English author Mary Shelley released her best-selling novel Frankenstein. It follows the character Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, who creates a living creature through unusual scientific experimentation. This particular production, however, took a spin on this classic story and intertwined the life of Mary Shelley herself with the popular gothic novel.

The production began with the death of Mary Shelley's daughter Clara. Due to this tragedy, Shelley spirals into a depressive episode while her husband Percy proceeds to go about his daily routine. Suddenly, Shelley's mother (Mary Wollstonecraft) appeared to her and urged her to continue writing her novel. Eventually, Shelley is convinced to continue writing and the production dives into the original plot of Frankenstein. As the story continues, listeners begin to realize how much of Mary Shelley's life parallels the popular themes of the novel.

Through her phenomenal characterization, Bridget Snyder gave listeners an immediate sense that her character Mary Shelley was a cool and calculated artist dedicated to her craft. Both Snyder and Katia Ramirez (Wollstonecraft) played off each other well and established a distinct connection in every scene. Quinn Montgomery (Percy Bysshe Shelley/Victor Frankenstein) had amazing vocal inflection that allowed listeners to picture the character Victor's slow descent into madness. Especially in the scene where Victor is frantically searching for his mother's body, Montgomery does an excellent job of depicting the character's desperation. The dynamic between Montgomery and Kimani Moore (Henry Clerval) showed the loving friendship between their two characters. Emma Fisher portrayed the depth of Caroline Frankenstein's maternal love, as shown when she panics over her adopted daughter's illness. Despite the large amount of female characters in the production, Emily Whorley (Elizabeth Lavenza) made her character stand out from the rest with a well-defined innocence that contrasted the other women. Percy Shelley's party group had a distinct vocal timbre that revealed characters' lavish lifestyles as well as their adeptness to a life of gossip.

The most remarkable aspect of this production was its flawless use of sound. From claps of thunder to baby cries, the sound effects helped establish a "stage" in the listeners' minds. Even the simplest of sounds one may not think of, such as clinks of glasses or horses neighing in the background, lent itself to the overall image of what the live production would look like. One scene in particular done with intense attention to detail was when Percy Shelley was going to speak to Mary about their child's passing. Listeners could hear the sound of Percy's footsteps getting louder as he walked towards her room and softer as he left. This production was unique in its usage of both Mary Shelley's real life and her fictional world, and through the precise usage of transitions these two storylines mixed effortlessly. Lastly, it's important to mention the efforts of the Assistant Director Hayleigh Wankowski, who assisted in all the rehearsals and led in directing the scenes between Henry and Victor. One of the many reasons the scenes between those two characters shined so brightly was due to her hard work and dedication.

Mount Vernon High School's production of Frankenstein is one that you won't want to miss. Make sure to tune in for the rest of the nine-episode series!

Oscar Lazo
Westfield High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

Limbs, torsos, and heads are stitched together for a monstrous creation. Lightning strikes, thunder growls, and lullabies are sung as such horror is brought to life by none other than mad scientist Victor Frankenstein. Filling ears with sweet terror and awe, Mount Vernon High School takes Frankenstein and twists it into an auditory experience through the magic of a podcast production.

Normally performed as a stage production, Frankenstein was converted into a radio play by the playwright, Danielle Mohlman, for MVHS to perform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A rendition of the classic Frankenstein story, Mohlman's version meshes the original author into the plot to provide backstory before the events of Victor Frankenstein's creation and follows Mary Shelley's original 1818 text closely. The script delves into the mistreatment of women among other sensitive subjects that plagued Victorian-era lives.

Quinn Montgomery, in his role of the mad man himself, Victor Frankenstein, swept the podcast's stage through his powerful vocalization and crisp enunciation. Through moments of regret, stress, and even exhilarating fear, Montgomery depicts his crises with a warm personality and appreciable characterization. Portraying Victor's right-hand man Henry Clerval, Kimani Moore instilled a sense of comfort in places of urgency and fear. As Victor met Henry with anxiety and exhaustion, Moore gracefully depicted a kind and patient Henry, providing a sweet spot for the performance and strengthening the bond between the fellows.

Portraying Mary Shelley, Bridget Snyder depicted the heartbreak Shelley faced from experiencing the loss of her daughter. Weaving in a sentiment of pain to her portrayal, Snyder opens the production with brilliance as Shelley isolates herself from the world to write Frankenstein--despite her husband overlooking the tragedy. Snyder's performance does not end at Shelley's misery but becomes the creation Shelly writes about: the monster Victor Frankenstein crafts from the remains of the dead. In the menacing role, Snyder certainly does not fail at sending chills up the spines of audience members at the realization that she is the Creature.

Thunderstorms, ghostly instrumentals, and heavy footsteps put together by the Sound Design Heads (Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey, and Katia Ramirez) created a captivating scene for those tuning in to truly absorb the ambiance in which the story took place. In the podcast setting, the ability to create an atmosphere for audiences to indulge in may be difficult, but the Sound Heads successfully illustrated a dark and eerie setting, lighting the stage for what is to come in future segments. Assisting Sound Design in creating an environment, Publicity (Lily Dominguez Castro and Breyla Rhymes) created posters for episodes as well as a general one for the entire production, giving audiences a sense of what is to come through captivating visuals and graphic design.

"There is madness afoot, and dreams to be dreamt." The first in its series, Mount Vernon High School's podcast production of Frankenstein displayed commendable voice acting and precise attention to devising an audio-based setting, the cast and crew forged a haunting rendition of Danielle Mohlman's retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Emma Saville
Heritage High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com

The beloved tale of a man, sewn together and reanimated by an obsessive scientist, has permeated our culture for generations. In Mount Vernon High School's podcast adaptation of Frankenstein, it offers a gripping story as it has never been told before, complete with a deliciously eerie mood and a hearty serving of suspense.

The crew of Frankenstein began meeting in the summer of 2020 to brainstorm how to do a fall show safely in a world struggling with a global pandemic. What they created was positively brilliant; they would adapt a show meant for the stage into a multi-episode podcast format. It would not be an easy endeavor, as the chilling tale often relied heavily upon visuals to best tell the tale, but this did not deter them. In actuality, they took this opportunity to take on delicate topics, such as death, love and relationships (both heterosexual and homosexual), as well as the lack of rights women experienced in that time period.

One of the ways Mount Vernon remedied the lack of visuals was through the outstanding voice acting and storytelling. An exorbitant amount of character and emotion was squeezed into every line, and it indubitably shone through in the first episode. Kimani Moore's portrayal of Henry was positively brilliant, beautifully toying with the line between lover and friend with Quinn Montgomery's Victor, the two exchanging endearing teasing and making the audience feel something during the pauses in dialogue. Assistant Director Hayleigh Wankowski, who directed the majority of the scenes between the two, built romantic tension in a truly beautiful way without simply stating it, and for which she should be applauded. As for the aforementioned Montgomery, he wonderfully portrayed a man beginning to spiral into madness and obsession with the reanimation of human tissue. Another standout performer was Emma Fisher, who delivered a gutting portrayal of Victor's devoted, yet deeply unhappy mother, Caroline Frankenstein. Similarly, Bridget Snyder's Mary Shelley and Katia Ramirez's Mary Wollstonecraft made an incomparable mother-daughter duo, creating an ethereal, eerie, yet powerful dynamic between the two. Montgomery and Snyder's duality as actors was put to the test, as he portrayed Victor in addition to Shelley's dismissive husband, and she portrayed Shelley as well as the Creature. The similarities drawn between the fictional story and real life in the show is brilliant and offers an abundance of food for thought.

In regard to the technical side of Frankenstein, the sound technicians truly went above and beyond. The transitions between scenes helped to differentiate between settings and characters; similarly, the sound effects added into scenes made the audience feel as if they were right there with the characters, running through mud or enjoying a posh party.

Publicity was excellently done, including posters, trailers, and more! It truly captures the audience's attention, leaving them with questions that can only be answered by listening to Frankenstein.

Episodes one through four of Mount Vernon High School's podcast series Frankenstein are available now! Anyone looking for a chilling yet candid story positively must listen.

Ysanne Sterling
Centreville High School
Submitted for publication to Alexandria Times

Audio, sound effects, action! Mount Vernon High School took virtual theatre to a different level when they performed an audio-only play, Frankenstein, by Danielle Mohlman. The students performed Episode 1 "Mary Shelley" this adapted Frankenstein series. Although there were no visuals, the cast and crew were able to bring the eerie world of the characters to life beautifully!

The voice actors were able to express an incredible amount of emotion consistently throughout the performance. The interactions between characters such as Mary Shelley (Bridget Snyder), Mary Wollstonecraft (Katia Ramirez), and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Quinn Montgomery) throughout the play brought to life the eeriness due to the loss experienced by all of them. This was especially strong at the beginning when they portrayed the initial grief of losing Mary Shelley's baby. Bridget Snyder and Quinn Montgomery were able to accurately express the emotions of anger and sadness towards each other, and it was a very powerful moment brought to life by incredible emotion from the voice actors.

By showing the anger and emotional abuse from Percy Bysshe Shelley towards Mary Shelley, and his indifference to their marriage when talking to The Party (Kailah Augustine, Emily Grinstead, Christine Johnson, Emma Thatcher), the cast was able to bring to life a historical aspect of the show. By showing the difficult scenes, the audience saw how tragic Mary Shelley's life really was in real-life, as well as the disrespect and mistreatment of women in the time period.

There were many emotionally raw scenes in the show, however, an important character dynamic was that between Victor Frankenstein (Quinn Montgomery) and Henry Clerval (Kimani Moore). The actors were able to express pure friendship and all of their scenes were extremely natural. As stated in the virtual playbill, the actors worked on these scenes with the Assistant Director (Hayleigh Wankowski), and the hard work paid off!

The emotion throughout the show was enhanced by the use of creepy sound effects and perfectly timed music cues. The Sound Crew Heads (Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey, Katia Ramirez) used sounds, such as a baby crying, thunder, and the neighing of horses to bring some of the most emotional scenes together. At the beginning of the play, there was a mashup of many different sounds that brought an eerie mood to the play immediately. Although these sounds were all amazing, the most important sounds were the smaller, detailed ones, such as the sound of people running through mud or the music in the background of intense scenes. These sounds and the music combined helped make the story easier to follow, made transitions between scenes easily recognizable, and brought the world of the characters to life, even without the visual element.

The students of Mount Vernon's theatre department took a huge risk by doing an audio-only show, but it was a risk met with nothing but success! This show was entertaining, different, and the cast and crew worked diligently to produce a show that left viewers wanting more! By having certain actors play multiple roles and using the scary sound effects, the elements of the show became more complex and kept viewers on their toes. This show was very well done, and tickets for more of the nine-part series are on sale now!

Caroline Jareb
Centreville High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

Wind blew and whistled over a soft piano until cracks of thunder and a baby's cries punctured the surroundings. The audience felt as though they were surrounded by the walls of an old, dark mansion in a different time, but they opened their eyes and saw their modern home and laptop. Mount Vernon High School presented Danielle Mohlman's "Frankenstein, Episode 1," a radio play adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. They not only retold the classic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his creature but drew parallels with Mary Shelley's tragic life.

Mount Vernon faced the challenge of an online performance and overcame it by making the strong choice of using audio only. The actors and techs had the audience feeling like they were following the characters as they ran from one place to the next and created emotion and depth without the physicality that can feel necessary to put on a performance.

Bridget Snyder's emotional vocal delivery brought Mary Shelley's pain from her infant daughter's death to life and put an image in the audience's mind of her hunched over, paralyzed from her despair. Snyder conveyed a character different than herself and showed the audience Shelley's backstory through only her emotion, along with Katia Ramirez as Mary Wollstonecraft. The audience could tell they were mother and daughter from the chemistry and blend of their voices and could sense the passion for feminism and strength in Ramirez's words. Snyder was also able to change her voice to create a completely different character as The Creature, along with Quinn Montgomery who played both Percy Shelley and Victor Frankenstein. The characters were clear and easy to differentiate, which allowed the audience to see how Percy, as the man, created the public's perception of Mary just as Victor created The Creature.

The environment was most clearly shown through the outstanding soundscape created by Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey and Katia Ramirez. At the beginning of the production, a minute and a half of only sound effects was crafted to place the audience into the world of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. A chilling lullaby produced a creepy tone while background, forgotten sounds like footsteps and the clinks of a glass jar allowed the imagination to form a clear scene. Even the blending of voices and inclusion of breathing heightened the emotion and made the audience feel as though they were sitting with the characters. The beautifully themed and cohesive posters that included actors in perfect period clothes and tragic makeup prepared audience members for the environment they would be placed in and gave them a visual to facilitate their imaginations.

Theatre is currently limited by COVID-19, but Mount Vernon was able to exceed the expectations of the audience by creating such a strong environment with every single aspect of the show. And there is more than just "Frankenstein, Episode 1." They left the story on a cliffhanger and will keep audiences entertained for a total of 7 episodes. Instead of binging a TV show or podcast, allow Mount Vernon to bring you back to the theatre and immerse you in the world of Mary Shelley with just a computer and a pair of headphones.

Katie Wood
Centreville High School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

In this time of uncertainty where theaters have gone dark, Mount Vernon High School stretched the limits of their creativity and created the powerful and innovative podcast adaption of Danielle Mohlman's Frankenstein in a series of episodes. Frankenstein Episode 1, airing now, begins the story with a mourning Mary Shelley writing the story of Frankenstein. Set in the early 19th century, it follows the lives of Victor Frankenstein along with his family and friends as they experience hardships. However, when Victor's experiment comes to life, horror comes upon them, or so they think.

Besides providing only entertainment, this production also educated through its representation of the historical oppression of women which the cast portrayed truthfully through the delivery of their lines and the emotion behind them. Thematically, Mary Shelley proved that she is more than just Percy's wife by writing her book with the push of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. Bridget Snyder, who portrayed Mary Shelley, was able to emphasize this heavy subject through the immense character development and confidence gained by her character over the course of only one episode. Snyder further demonstrated her range and duality when also playing "The Creature."

Without a reliance on physicality, the cast impressively took on the challenge of voice acting, and created their characters through inflection and timbre. Within all the doom and gloom, tension was momentarily relieved in scenes between Victor Frankenstein (Quinn Montgomery) and Henry Clerval (Kimani Moore). Their conversations were filled with care and sounded as if they had been friends for ages, just as the characters had been. Impressively, these scenes between Victor and Henry were instructed with the direction of the student Assistant Director, Hayleigh Wankowski.

A daunting task for tech, this podcast production specifically showcased their skilled sound crew. Especially the Sound Crew Heads Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey, and Katia Ramirez. They shined through their hard work editing the sound effects and actors' audios together, creating dialogue that sounded very much like natural conversation even when the actors recorded in completely separate locations. Down to the smallest details of pouring a drink then adding a clink when the character set the glass down created a specific image that changed almost immediately during scene transitions. With the additional use of eerie music, which was accurate to the time period, tech was successful in setting the ominous tone of the production.

Mount Vernon High School overcame the obstacle of present-day life to bring a suspenseful story alive in Frankenstein, Episode 1. There were moments of tension, sorrow, fright, and love that were just as strong as if they were performing it for an audience on a physical stage. Overall, delivering a time accurate and enthralling performance leaving questions unanswered strategically which encouraged viewers to watch the next episodes.

Zoe Benton
Tuscarora High School
Submitted for publication to Lorton Valley Star

An eerie violin is suddenly met by the cries of a baby and a distant, sorrowful lullaby. It is already clear that this is no ordinary interpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This podcast series looks deeper into the characters of not only this classic horror novel, but also the woman behind it. Mount Vernon High School's take on Frankenstein is the only one of its kind, as the play's author, Danielle Mohlman, rewrote it into a podcast specifically for them. It not only dives into the classic Frankenstein story, but also the treatment of women in the 1800s and the commonality of death. In a podcast, there are no sets or costumes. There is no body language or lighting. It all rests in the sound. This production exceeded expectations with its perfectly timed audio effects and overall voice acting.

Victor Frankenstein, portrayed by Quinn Montgomery, was a friendly, yet mildly awkward and sometimes concerning character. He was seen slowly spiraling into madness through tone. His Creature was played by the same talented actress that voiced Mary Shelley, a choice that created more mystery surrounding this creature. Bridget Snyder expertly expressed the pain of loss, the anger at her husband, and the annoyance at her mother. There was also a subtle difference between when Mary spoke a line and when she read it from her works. Though small, it greatly added to the reality of the play.

Taking on the role of a famous feminist was no small feat. Katia Ramirez clearly portrayed a woman who wanted the best for her daughter and wanted to be close with her, but was constantly pushed away. Mary Wollstonecraft died when Shelley was still a baby, and so this detail expands the connections to the real people depicted in this podcast. Henry (Kimani Moore) was Victor's closest friend, but possibly more than that. He was natural, charming, and witty, while showing true concern for Victor. His choices in inflection and pauses really drove the character home.

The technical aspects of this podcast were astounding. It was clear that the audio team, led by Sebastian Fisher, Caden Mulvey, & Katia Ramirez, put enormous thought into every little detail. Characters could be heard pouring themselves a drink, entering or leaving a room, or closing a door. Most classic and intimidating, however, was the beating heart, which could be heard at the most intense moments. The assistant director, Hayleigh Wankowski, created some phenomenal interactions between Victor and Henry. She took the lead on their scenes and did a fantastic job bringing their relationship to life.

Though creating theater through audio alone might seem impossible, Mount Vernon High School was certainly up for the challenge. These students created tension and emotion through a creative use of sound effects and classical music. Episode 1 ended on a startling cliffhanger, leaving the audience hanging on the edge of their seats. With more episodes arriving in the coming weeks, who knows where the story may lead?