Shelley - Radically Romantic

Laure Schreiner

(Ce texte n’est pas disponible en version française.)

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Mary Shelley lived and breathed Romanticism. Her extraordinary life unfolded like a gothic novel—moving between light and shadow, illuminated by rapturous love and joy, yet darkened by profound loss and trauma. Standing at the heart of the literary world of her time, almost the only female author among legendary male poets, she had to fight for her voice to be heard. Today, she stands immortal — etched into our cultural memory — as a pioneer, a visionary, and one of the world’s most famous and revolutionary female authors. Mary, the woman who birthed Frankenstein, paved the way for countless other female authors, inspiring future generations to create and dare to imagine. 

Shelley – Radically Romantic, written and performed by Laure Schreiner, is an ode to this fearless author — a tribute to the woman behind the monster and the myth. This monodrama plunges audiences into the beautifully dark, mesmerizing world of the Romantic imagination. It artfully interlaces fragments of Mary’s own writing with the words of other distinguished poets, crafting a lyrical tapestry that echoes Frankenstein’s own stitched-together creation and demonstrating that even centuries-old literary voices can still echo powerfully within us. 

Visually captivating and emotionally haunting, the production reflects on what it means to create life as a woman — and to be a creative woman, an artist. It poses a timeless question: What is the true cost of creation — in art, in life, and especially for a woman? Atmospheric music and evocative backdrops, painted by local artist MeluMa Art, enrich the performance, offering a sensorial theatrical experience as bold and passionate as Mary Shelley herself.

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Générique :

Laure Schreiner : text, performance, scenography

Laure Schreiner, Carla Lucarelli : direction

MeluMa Art by Nadine Weber : illustrations

Laure Schreiner, Arnaud Fis & Holtz Sound by Charel Stoltz : sound design

Carla Lucarelli, Arnaud Fis : lights

Laure Schreiner, Marguy Nicolay, BGT (The Berliner Grundtheater), Atelier Spatz : costume design

Bjørn Clasen : backstage