In conversation with Frankenstein Director Indigo Hogg

Wokingham Youth Theatre’s modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic horror Frankenstein comes to Wokingham Theatre on Thursday 19 February. Ahead of this play coming to life on our stage, we sat down with Director Indigo Hogg to hear what audiences have in store.

Frankenstein has always been a story about creation, ownership, belonging, and consequence.

In Rona Munro’s bold feminist adaptation of this gothic classic, these questions are reframed through the woman who first imagined the monster. By placing Mary Shelley at the centre of the action, this version questions not only what we create, but who gets to claim authorship, voice, and power, and what happens when those things are denied.

For our youth theatre this play has been a thrilling challenge. It demands gothic atmosphere, emotional precision, and the maturity to explore complex and emotional themes.

Our young cast have risen to this challenge with commitment, curiosity, and creativity. They have embraced the horror, the intellect, and the humanity of this story, and in doing so have created something that I hope you will find both unsettling and deeply moving.

I am immensely proud of our young cast. They have worked incredibly hard to bring this dark, intricate story to life onstage, bringing a depth of thought and feeling to the work that exceeds their years. It has been a privilege to direct them.

Rehearsals for this production have been different from any I have known before. Becoming a mum for the first time midway through the process presented a challenge and a shift in perspective. Frankenstein is a play about birth, abandonment, love, fear, and the cost of creation. Engaging with these themes while navigating life as a new parent made this process profoundly rewarding.

I would like to extend huge thanks to everyone who has supported the youth theatre in staging this production including the set building team, costume, props, projection, lighting, sound, front of house, the WYT team and the WT board.

We hope this story encourages us all to look more closely at how we treat difference, and consider where the real monstrosity lies: in what is made, or our responses to it.

🧟‍♂️ Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, adapted by Rona Munro⁠
📍 19-21 February | Wokingham Theatre | Twyford Road⁠
🎟️ WT member: £10 | Child: £6.50 | Adult: £11⁠
👉 Get your ticket here