ECU SCREENS is bringing its 2014 hit show “Frankenstein” back to life on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in East Central University’s Raymond J. Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center.
This encore screening is $5 for ECU students (with ID) and $10 general admission.
Before the screening, Dr. Carl Gilbert, dean of ECU’s College of Health and Sciences will join with Dr. Kenneth Andrews, chair of ECU’s Department of Biology, in a “Humanities vs. The Sciences Iron Cage Match” against Dr. Jennifer McMahon and Dr. Joshua Grasso of ECU’s Department of English and Languages. The Iron Cage Match will begin at 6 p.m. in the Estep Center and is free of charge and open to the public.
Nick Dear’s 2011 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel dramatizes the thrilling tale of a grotesque but innocent and childlike creature that is cast out into a hostile world by his creator, Victor Frankenstein. As the creature grows more desperate and vengeful, he decides to find his creator and strike a terrifying deal. Urgent concerns of scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil are embedded within this deeply disturbing gothic tale.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (12 Years A Slave, Star Trek: Into Darkness) as the Doctor and Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Mansfield Park) as the Creature, the production was sold out at the National Theatre in London in 2011, and the broadcast has since become an international sensation, experienced by almost half a million people in cinemas around the world. The screening contains some scenes of sexual violence and is not recommended for children.
The Iron Cage match will feature a panel discussion of ethical and philosophical issues raised by the play and by contemporary biological research that might give Dr. Frankenstein chills. The panel will also discuss whether General Education courses are needed any longer in this age of rapid scientific and technological advancement.
ECU SCREENS’ next event will be NT Live’s Hamlet, also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, on Wednesday, November 16 at 2 p.m. To learn more about ECU SCREENS and the fall schedule, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page or visit ecuscreens.blogspot.com. Contact Dr. Rebecca Nicholson-Weir, co-director of ECU SCREENS, at (580) 559-5929 or rnichlsn@ecok.edu. For more information about the Royal National Theatre in London and the NT Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/.
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