Frankenstein
Frankenstein, autoritratto d’autrice – Nuova Creatura
Based on texts by Mary Shelley
Concept, Dramaturgy and Performance: Margherita Saltamacchia
Original Live Music: Robin Bressani — electric guitar; Ali Salvioni — percussion
Dramaturg: Cristina Galbiati
Costume Design: Marianna Peruzzo
Lighting Design: Marzio Picchetti
Produced by: Teatro Sociale Bellinzona – Bellinzona Teatro and LaTâche21
Production: 2020–2026
World Premiere: 22 October 2020, Teatro Sociale Bellinzona
Duration: 60 minutes, no interval
Mary Shelley was writing at a time when intellectual and literary life was defined overwhelmingly by men. Against this background, the central act of Frankenstein — the creation of life — acquires an extraordinary significance. A young woman writes about a man who seeks to create life without a woman. Victor Frankenstein appropriates the power of creation, yet the moment his Creature comes to life, he recoils from the responsibility that creation entails. The novel therefore poses a question that remains strikingly contemporary: is the ability to create something enough to justify its creation? And what responsibility does a creator bear towards what they bring into the world?
Margherita Saltamacchia explores this chain of creation: the relationship between Mary Shelley and Victor Frankenstein, the character she created, and, in turn, between Victor and the living being he brings into existence. Through this double reflection, the boundaries between author, creator and Creature become increasingly unstable. Who creates whom? And at what point does a creation begin a life independent of its creator?