About the Play

In recognition of World Goth Day on May 22nd, The Community Cooperative has partnered with Re-Casting the Movies (RCtM) to present “Frankenstein” originally by Mary Shelley, an adaptation by Alexander Utz. Listen in as Mary Shelley tells her nightmarish tale of a creature and his master. This queer reading of “Frankenstein” explores the subtext of the relationship between Henry Clearvel and Victor Frankenstein as well as the power play between Mary Shelley and her listeners. As Utz says, ”Perhaps the monsters we conjure are not always as inhuman as they seem.” Revel in Utz’s uncomfortable and strange tale of Frankenstein’s gruesome creation.

Lord Byron played by Jemarc Axinto

Jemarc is excited to be in another performance for "Re-Casting the Movies." His life has always been about creating and storytelling through artistic expression. Since his days on stage at St. Mary's College he has gone on to create short comedy skits, and analyses on youtube. Now he is the CEO and co-founder of We Are Heroes Productions LLC, a production company dedicated to giving a voice to marginalized communities by telling their stories and providing a space for them to tell their stories. Since founding his company in 2018 he has launched the only dual narrative podcast in the world titled: Tabletop For the End of the World. A podcast featuring a DnD podcast within a radio-drama that seeks to critique capitalism and make people laugh along the way. In the meantime, Jemarc looks forward to continue performing with the talented folx at "Re-Casting the Movies" and would like to thank the cast and crew for all of their excellent work.

Elizabeth Lavenza played by Isabella Benning

Isabella Benning is a junior theatre performance and criminology/criminal justice double major at the University of Maryland: College Park and is so excited to be a part of this virtual staged reading of Frankenstein! Her credits include; Machinal (Stenographer #2/Defense Lawyer), Fearless New Play Festival (Ayaa, By Grace Part 2), A Doll’s House (Anne-Marie), Company (Marta), and Hamlet (Guildenstern).

Claire Clairmont played by Alexis “Lex” Bolisay

Lex Bolisay (she/her) is a new actress based in New Jersey. Although new to the acting world, she is an active hip-hop dancer and choreographer, having taught for studios and performed in California, Houston, Toronto, and all along the east coast. Alongside dance, she is currently developing her skills in singing and writing as well. Lex recently made an appearance in the pilot of a romance series, Drama High, and is excited to learn more about the industry and craft through this project! Find out more or get in touch here: https://www.lexbolisay.com/

Dramaturge, Victor Frankenstein played by Digs Brown

Digs Brown is a screenwriter, novelist, and special effects makeup artist in Brooklyn, New York. He received his undergrad degree in English Media Studies from The University of Maryland, College Park, and is currently a graduate student at Long Island University studying television screenwriting and producing. As a life-long gothic horror fan, Frankenstein has consumed his every waking hour and he is ecstatic to be working on this project When he isn’t spending hours writing spec scripts, Digs can be found as the co-host of the Genre Blind podcast and on his website.

Mary Shelley played by Erica Burns

Erica Burns is a creative, who earned her B.A. in Film and Media Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Since graduating, Erica has acted in an array of plays and short films from coast to coast. While pursuing her creative passions, she also finds time to engage in advocacy efforts for the transgender community, being trans herself.

Producer, Justine Moritz played by Jessica Chen

Jessica W. Chen is a Taiwanese-American producer, screenwriter, and actress based in Queens, NY. Originally from Rockville, MD, Jess’s work explores themes of identity, love, womanhood, and becoming an adult. Currently, Jess is pursuing a TV Writing and Producing MFA at LIU Brooklyn. While in this program, Jess created Drama High, a romantic comedy series and a love letter to Asian dramas. A self-starter, Jess is also the founder of Lil Swimmers Productions, a Taipei-based film production company, and Re-Casting the Movies, a non-profit that promotes diverse casting and media representation.

Henry Clerval played by Wesley Han

Wesley Han (they/them) is a Korean-American actor and writer based in New York City. Recent bookings include a small part on season 2 of Russian Doll and a lead role in the world premiere of Steven Otfinoski's Nowhere Man. Having graduated with a B.A. in theater and English literature from Swarthmore College in 2018, Wesley now lives in New York City with their partner Kyle and their cat Felix.

Narrator, Voice, Professor Waldman, Understudy played by Emily Haver

Emily Haver (she/her) is a Taipei-based actor and playwright with an M.A. from Shanghai Theatre Academy who has performed in Taipei, Shanghai, and Seattle. Her Shanghai appearances include devised physical theatre piece Body Architecture(身体建筑), sketch show Briefs, Climate Change Theatre Action Festival, Romeo and Juliet, and new work Yellow Fever by Susan Xu. Emily's most recent stage appearance in Taipei was at the 24 Hour Redeye Theatre Festival. Her latest film project, web series Existential Crisis Club, will be dropping later in 2021. As an artist Emily collaborates across cultures, making ensemble and experimentation-based work that provokes social questions and is emotionally grounded. She's currently writing two plays: a queer international love story in 1920s Shanghai and an absurd reality TV-inspired dramedy. She's thrilled to indulge her love of 18th century British literature with Frankenstein! Find out more or get in touch here: https://www.emilyhaver.com/

William, Professor Kempe played by Lisa Lam

Lisa Lam (she/her/hers) is a Cantonese-American actor, writer, and model. Born and raised in Boston, Lisa can be described as the girl next door. She is best known for her role in Where’s Kate, which won the Vegas Movie Awards for Best Comedy in 2021, where she plays the titular character, Kate. In her free time, she can be found on her couch bingeing TV and snacks. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Boston.

Dr.Polidori played by Bardia Memar

A writer, a musician, an editor, a student of law...but for today, an actor.

“Don’t let them find the biscuits. If they find the biscuits, then there’ll be no more biscuits. That means we won’t have enough biscuits. There will, in fact, be a biscuit deficit. Nobody would fare well with a biscuit deficit. Let’s ensure there is no biscuit deficit be ensuring that the next batch of biscuits is sufficient for biscuit servings to ensure every biscuit finds a good biscuit home. Together, we can save the biscuits."

Director, Abigail Olshin

Abigail Olshin is a director, actor, and playwright from Rockville, Maryland. She received her Associate’s Degree in Theatre Performance from Montgomery College and is now finishing up her last semester at the University of Maryland, College Park where will be receiving a dual degree in Theatre and English, and a minor in Arts Leadership. Some of her favorite productions she has performed in are Marie Antoinette in “The Revolutionists”, Sister James in “Doubt, a Parable”, and Petra in “An Enemy of the People”. In addition to acting, she has directed productions such as “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, and the premiere of “Martius” with UMD’s Second Season. To learn more about Abigail check out her website.

The Creature played by Ronan Powers

Ronan Powers is honored to be playing the role of the Creature. His last role was Caliban in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' with the Monroe Community Players, where they performed in Michigan's AACT FEST. He has also starred in Sweeney Todd, The Curious Savage, and Butterflies Are Free. He has thoroughly enjoyed being involved with such a fantastic cast and crew.

Executive Producer, Clara Richards

Clara Richards is the founder and Creative Director of The Community Cooperative. This is her 2nd experience as executive producer of a zoom theater performance and her 1,000th experience bringing people together in a vibrant community. She is so excited to be a part of the entertainment community in this creative way. She is also so excited to be working with Re-Casting the Movies on another awesome live zoom performance! Stay tuned for more.

Percy Shelley played by Autumn Shenko

Autumn Shenko is an actor from New Jersey currently living in Brooklyn. She is excited to be making her Zoom debut with Frankenstein. Her past projects include three separate productions of No Exit in Asbury Park, Bread and Butter by Mary Kelly, and the webseries Don’t Die and Living With Suicidal Thots.

Captain Walton played by Anton Van De Motter

Anton Van De Motter is excited to take part in this reading of Frankenstein. He has most recently appeared as Sicinius in the student-written musical, Martius. He has also participated in productions with OperaTerps at the University of Maryland as Leon in Signor Deluso, in the ensemble of Down in the Valley, and Peter in the student-written opera, Can You Keep a Secret? Other roles include Chino in West Side Story, Joly in Les Miserables, and the ensemble of the Pajama Game. Anton is currently a junior voice performance and journalism double major at the University of Maryland, College Park.