Irvine World News / 22 May 2003
'Reading Frankenstein' no longer work-in-progress
By Michael Rydzynski
An artificial-life scientist of the 21st century by the name of Mary Shelley creates a life form that goes haywire and ... .
Wait a minute. Wasn't that the way last year's story on "Reading Frankenstein" began?
True. But the "Immersive Theatre Experience," to quote the present subtitle of last spring's UC Irvine Research Work-in-progress Presentation, is back—and no longer "in progress."
"Reading Frankenstein" returns as a full-length presentation May 27-June 1 at the UCI Beall Center for Art and Technology in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
Those who viewed the work-in-progress last year won't be shocked by its outcome.
"We have continued following the rubric we set up last year," said Annie Loui, drama professor, who is directing the presentation she co-wrote with Antoinette LaFarge, UCI digital-media professor in the Studio Art Department.
"It's grown in sophistication and in length, but essentially the context is the same."
And that is?
"It is an inter-media performance in which a virtual character interacts with a live performer." Loui said.
The virtual character—Dr. Frankenstein's Creature, portrayed, as last year, by Noel Iribe—is "represented in real-time video by scientific data (such as brain scans and EEGs) and by computer code (such as layered digital projections and brain imaging)," according to Loui.
The live performer is Marika Becz, a professional actress and UCI alumna new to the project. Also new is the sound-score, created by Mark Zaki, who "works extensively with manipulated text here and brings his background as a composer for films to this project as well," Loui said.
A blending of artistic creativity, scientific research and high-tech wizardry, and utilizing multiple projection surfaces (floors, walls, screens, monitors) and a surround-sound system, "Reading Frankenstein" concerns a scientist, Dr. Shelley, who creates a creature with which she interacts.
"Let's just say that, in the end, Mary and the creature end up in the same world—the world of the computer game," Loui said.
"This inter-media performance includes not only actors relating to each other, but actors relating to projected actors, and projections and sound relating to each other," said Loui, who added that the presentation will be filled "with a lot of very playful touches, as we look at where the Virtual Creature will be projected."
The script—partially an adaptation of the 1830 novel by English author Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin-Shelley (1797-1851), wife of the famed poet Percy Bysshe Shelley—was researched with the input of James Fallon, a neurobiologist and anatomist with the UCI School of Medicine, who serves as consultant on "Reading Frankenstein," which was two years in the making.
"Jim has been invaluable, both as our scientific adviser on the script and for being our conduit to the scientific community in procuring the sophisticated brain imaging data we're using," Loui said.
Fallon and scientist-visual artist Cheryl Cotman will discuss the scientific side of the presentation immediately after the Friday performance, called "Art and Science Night."
"Cheryl contributed two very impressive animated brains for this project," Loui said.
Following the Saturday matinee, dubbed "Hands-On Technology Demo Day," technologists will demonstrate the technology used in "Reading Frankenstein."
The whole idea originated with Loui, who chose "Frankenstein" for obvious reasons.
"It's a timeless story about the power of creativity and the ability to take responsibility for your actions," she said.
Far less obvious is what Loui hopes the audience will take with them after attending "Reading Frankenstein."
"It operates on so many levels," she said.
"It'll be interesting to see what different people get out of this."