Local high school drama students are excited to perform their fall productions after months of rehearsals. Providence Hall High School will kick off the fall theatre season with their own drama teacher’s version of “Frankenstein.”

Knowing the performances’ dates would fall just after Halloween, Jason Purdie considered the macabre story of Frankenstein’s monster and searched for stage adaption that would work for his cast of 16 high school students.

“I looked at all these different versions, and I was just like, ‘I don't like any of this,’ and then I was like, ‘What if I just write my own?’” he said.

Over the summer, he wrote (and his wife edited) a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s novel in which Frankenstein’s monster is female and has a past life, and Dr. Frankenstein spends some time as an actor and playwright before he becomes a mad scientist. Several other plot differences will surprise audiences but still deliver the creepy, horror vibe of the original story.

Students, especially the two main leads, have put enormous effort into accurately portraying the characters’ dispositions.

Senior Quinn Hanemann plays Victor Frankenstein, the doctor who is both the protagonist and the villain.

“Victor is, by far, the angriest character I've ever played,” he said. “I’ve played angsty, I’ve played annoyed, I have never played a character who genuinely has hate in his heart. And that's what makes it really interesting, the transition from obsession and love to hate and how do I express that, while also expressing the nuance of the character to make him seem like a human and not just a cartoon villain.”

Ivy Purdie, a senior, plays the role of the monster, which she said requires a lot of physicality in her acting.

“I put way more thought into, like, how I carry myself and just how I move and how I speak,” she said.

Seven stage tech students have risen to the challenge of realizing Purdie’s vision of creating a creepy setting for the show within the budget, availability of equipment and physical parameters of the stage.

“I have some really great tech kids, and every day, we're like, ‘What can we do?’ and they have lots of great ideas,” he said.

Cast members believe audiences will like the play but warn that sensitive or young children may be upset by some gruesome scenes and loud, disturbing noises.

Providence Hall High School’s theatre department presents:

“Frankenstein”

Written and directed by Jason Purdie

Nov 5, 6, 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 adults/$5 students.

Herriman High School’s theatre department presents:

“Spongebob the Musical”

Nov. 19, 20, 21 and 22 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 adults/$8 students and can be purchased online or at the door.

Mountain Ridge High School’s theatre department presents:

“Fiddler on the Roof”

Nov. 20, 21, 22 and 24 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 adults/$8 students and can be purchased online or at the door.