Frankenstein is a man with a thirst for knowledge. Stuck in a perpetual state of rumination, he is enamored with the idea of playing god and filled with a desire to create life. Because of this preoccupation, Victor is primed to view humans as insipid skeletons–toys with which he can play. Once his creature is granted life, he is overcome with horror and abandons the fruit of his labor. Left to wander and navigate life on his own, the creature views the world as bare bones. He has no experience to attach human life to any emotion so, to him, the world is simple. He is unable to comprehend the complexities of the human experience. He is introduced to humanity through John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the notated renderings from Frankenstein’s journal, and many cruel interactions with the citizens of Ingolstadt. Assimilation to the human experience through these avenues leads the creature to view the world pessimistically. He too adopts Frankenstein’s view that the human race is nothing more than sacks of bones, devoid of emotion and worthless of life. 

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This production of Nick Dear’s Frankenstein takes place in a world of bones, mirroring the sentiments on humanity shared by Victor Frankenstein and his Creature. Scenic drops of Frankenstein’s journal entries are utilized, setting the stage with pages from the two central characters’ window to the world and establishing locations that support the prevalent themes of the human experience and the fall of humanity.