Raleigh Now Spotlight: Theatre in the Park’s Playing with Fire

Creature Feature

Theatre in the Park picks up the story where Mary Shelley leaves off

by Katherine Poole

“Why did you make me?” This is the question at the reanimated heart of Theatre in the Park’s production Playing with Fire by Barbara Field. After an exhaustive pursuit, a dying Dr. Viktor Frankenstein has finally tracked the Creature he’s made to the frozen tundra of the North Pole. He sets out to destroy the evil he unleashed, but discovers in its place a pathetic and broken being looking for acceptance. Frankenstein is forced to admit culpability by confronting his own demons. Who is the real monster? Find out in the final act.

Nestled in a lush garden at the northern end of Pullen Park, Theatre in the Park is a cornerstone of the bustling arts plaza that includes the Pullen Arts Center and the new Gregg Museum of Art & Design. Since the ’70s, under the faithful direction of Ira David Wood III, TIP has also been a cornerstone of Raleigh’s holiday traditions. Post Halloween, two new productions will join the marquee with the beloved A Christmas Carol: Mark your calendar for A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Santaland Diaries, based on the story by David Sedaris.