Sparks Fly in STC’s Electrifying Take on Frankenstein

What does it take to bring a monster to life? Hard work and lots of time, sure, but also the immense passion of a community coming together to build something amazing. This year, Stuyvesant Theater Community’s (STC) annual winter drama—a modern interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein—was performed on January 8, 9, and 10. The play follows Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist whose tragic experiment to conquer death spirals into a chilling confrontation with the creature he brings to life. Although several months have passed since the show’s debut, this article offers a retrospective deep dive into Frankenstein as a way to celebrate not just one production but the success of STC’s entire year. At the head of the production were senior and executive producer Sasha Ruinsky, juniors and producers Angelina Ashie and Jasmine Liang, and senior and producer Samantha Faye Ruinsky. Through late rehearsals, set-building, and dedicated teamwork behind the scenes, STC created a mesmerizing, fully student-led winter drama that reflected both talent and spirit.

On the center of the stage was the drama’s cast. Directed by senior Adeline Sauberli, junior Amanda Greenberg, and sophomore Ananya Gupta, the cast brought the script to life, giving the play the emotion it needed. From auditions to the final performance day, cast members dedicated themselves to learning their lines and understanding the character. “I’d say the biggest contribution that cast played was connecting the crews onstage for the eyes of the audience and bringing the characters to life,” Gupta said in an email interview.

 Rehearsals would typically be composed of line memorization, blocking, and scene work. “It was incredible watching cast come in with their own interpretations of the characters, creative ideas, and unique twists, helping them refine it as rehearsals continued. While the beginning was mainly blocking scenes and becoming familiar with them, everything took a turn and started holding ground once lines were memorized,” Gupta described. By opening night, their endless rehearsals and hard work had paid off for a performance that was authentic, engaging, and fun. 

Besides the crews that were present on the stage, many crew members worked hard backstage to help set up a great performance. On the nights of the show, the tech crew, which built all of the sets for the show, worked to move the show along seamlessly. Directed by juniors Felipe Marin, Tim Volvovskiy, and Nikolaus Lo, tech worked efficiently as a team, making sure that there were no unnecessary delays during showtime. They made the show a more enjoyable experience. 

In addition to working with the cast, the cast directors also worked side-by-side with technical crews to find the best way to bring the story to life. “We offered our vision on how this play would be brought to life from the viewpoint of the dialogue and performers and worked with the other crews to figure out what was feasible, what wasn’t, and how best to combine all of our ideas,” Gupta explained. 

Since Frankenstein was STC’s first show without full-scene transitions or breaks for blackouts, the props crew directors—Samantha Ruinsky, senior Jessalyn Chen, junior Rachel Kim, and junior Elin Kim—endured new challenges to make the show run smoothly. “It established a certain level of trust between backstage crews, and it was so incredible to witness the results,” Samantha Ruinsky described in an email interview.

Chen agreed that this show presented more challenges than any before. “I've been a props director for STC for a few shows now, but Frankenstein was definitely the most difficult show we put on in my opinion,” Chen shared in an email interview. The lack of blackouts required much more communication between crews, which was difficult in the hectic backstage. “The show itself was very technical in the sense that there were so many scene changes and settings, and it was a show without blackouts. The stage crew was a big help during those moments, giving us cues to change out props since we were so used to just waiting for lights to dim,” Chen added.

In order to shift sets without ordinary blackouts, the backstage crews had to use unconventional methods. “We successfully got rid of our (typically) long set transition breaks by transforming the set while the show went on. The play is quickly paced, and the transition breaks would’ve broken the impeccable timing with which the cast unfolded the story. Without the guidance of blacked out lights to cue a set transition, that was tricky to achieve, but ultimately so rewarding,” Sasha Ruinsky shared in an email interview.

Along with being reliant on other crews, the buildup to the actual performance was just as stressful for the props crew, who were in charge of making detailed and complicated sets. “The sets were also some of the most challenging ones I've done, and I can not stress how much pressure was on us to finish all our props on time. We normally have one large project we work on—a sort of magnum opus for the show—that takes up the last two weeks leading up to the show. That requires a lot of time and effort, but for this show, we had three separate large projects: the iceberg, the life-size tree, and the funeral pyre. It was difficult to finish all of these on time and given the materials we had—being duct tape, chicken wire, newspaper, and zip ties—we had to be really creative with how we approached building these,” Chen added.

Although there were setbacks and timing issues, Chen found the final result both relieving and sentimental. “It felt surreal seeing how realistic everything looked and the difference between how it started out versus how it ended up,” Chen shared. “We weren’t too sure how it would work out and had made a last resort plan as a backup that was really bad, so it was a huge relief that we were able to finish and […] use the smoke machine.” Chen also expressed pride in the team’s efforts, and the bond formed between crews. “I really do think this show was the best one I’ve ever done. I remember being super proud of my entire team for pulling it off when I found out that this show sold out in tickets. It was extremely challenging but knowing that we were able to transform the stage into such a dramatic and beautiful set made it so worth it. I love how the technical crews work so closely together and how I could easily communicate plans and ask for help if I needed.”

Also working diligently for the show, the costumes team—directed by juniors Sama Daga, Sophia Huang, and Zoe Waring, along with freshman Claire Stansberry—carefully designed and assembled the outfits for the cast. The crew worked closely with directors and actors to take measurements and ensure every costume fit both the character and the actor. Their attention added detail, depth, and authenticity, helping the audience fully immerse themselves in the story. 

In the booth, the Lights and Sound crew ensured that every moment on stage was enhanced by perfectly timed technical effects. Directed by seniors Abby Jin and Christopher Choe, along with juniors Mimi Gardaner and Catherine Chan, the production came together through months of creative vision and logistical coordination. Choe, who led the sound department, emphasized the importance of immersing the audience in the world of the play. “We worked on setting the scene to make the show look realistic. We used various sound effects such as waves and garden noises to make the audience feel as if they were really there. Lighting-wise, we used bright green and yellow lights for the garden scenes and dark blue moving lights for the ocean scenes,” he shared in an email interview. But the team in the booth faced more than just technical challenges. “[There were] obstacles such as limited time in the booth and early show starts,” Choe said. “We adapted to these situations by just doing one more action for others, and that allowed us to create such a successful show.” By going the extra step, Lights and Sound helped really tie in the show together. 

Choe also reflected on the unique nature of the lights and sound crew’s role during rehearsals. “We don’t really rehearse until the dress rehearsal, and then it’s the show. We see the final product or close to the final product, so we don’t always know what goes into creating the show. However, we are the finishing touch to every show, since we control the technical elements from the booth that overlooks the entire stage,” Choe added. Although not visible to the audience, the lights and sound crew contributed the final layer of polish that transformed the performance into a fully immersive experience.

Putting these crews and technical aspects together was the stage crew. Directed by senior Johnny Lin and juniors Angelina Ashie and Wanxin Gao, the stage crew was backstage and made sure all crews were ready to come in. By communicating through headsets, they helped signal the tech and props crews to change the set and ensured smooth transition between scenes. Additionally, a member of the crew would always be present in the booth above the auditorium to cue the lights and sounds crew. The stage crew ultimately brought the show together and was important in maintaining the flow and energy of the performance. “We did experience a few other setbacks relating to just how many props we had and how heavy they were—that life-size tree and pyre might have weighed around two people each—but the stage and cast crews were really considerate with helping us and making sure our props didn’t collide with tech,” Chen reflected.

However, these smooth transitions required hours of practice and setbacks such as communication issues. “After the first rehearsal was an absolute mess with actors acting three to four scenes ahead of the scene changes, I came together with the cast and tech directors to plan out a better system of scene transitions so the timing of each transition can be more exact and be done by the time the next scene arrives. We ultimately decided on using a page system to get a rough estimate of the time, and I designed a cue sheet,” Gao shared in an email interview. Not only were the timings hard to nail, but the sheer amount of cues that had to happen were overwhelming along with the chaotic nature of being backstage. “Then my other directors and I came together to reassign jobs within our crew to tackle the issue we faced during that rehearsal—multitasking to a point where we were unable to follow along and cue at the same time. The backstage was mostly too loud for us to properly hear the script while moving around to remind the tech and props crew of the upcoming scene changes. Additionally, some scenes were incredibly short, so by the time we get to warn everyone of a change, the following scene is already happening,” Gao added. 

In order to avoid as many conflicts as possible backstage, the directors tried to split responsibilities to lighten the load for each member. “As a result, we further broke down the Props and Tech cues to script and warnings: people would be responsible for either following along the script or giving out the warnings and the directors would be the only people cuing each transition,” Gao said. These changes ended up working, allowing for smooth transitions between scenes and ultimately a smooth show. “The turning point for me in this show was the night of our first show, when the transitions were very smooth except a few mistakes that were fixed by the time the second show came around. Looking back, I was very proud of how quickly my crew and the other backstage crew adapted to dealing with no blackout transitions,” Gao continued. 

In order to really set the scene, the art crew worked painstakingly over many weeks to paint all the sets for the show. Directed by junior Elizabeth Chao, junior Lixin Zhang, and sophomore Alexis Eber, art brought the show to life through their vibrant paintings. Frankenstein was the first show Eber played a larger role in as assistant art director, and despite it being her first time in the position, she didn’t feel overwhelmed. “The communication between the art crew and the tech crew felt very streamlined, and I remember the workload seeming much more manageable,” she said in an email interview. The art crew was responsible for many visual components of the show, including the backdrop, playbill cover, and merch designs.

Despite low crew attendance and the stress that often came with painting so close to opening night, Eber found value in the imperfections. “I think sometimes that is part of the charm; the audience can see that everything in the sets is handmade and painted by a group of devoted students,” Eber shared.

However, the real Dr. Frankenstein of this show was executive producer and senior Sasha Ruinsky, who truly brought the show to life. Senior Samantha Ruinsky, her sister, emphasized Sasha Ruinsky’s importance in bringing the show to life. “I wish more people understood just how much our executive producer, Sasha, did for this show. She pushed each crew to be the best version of themselves, and it honestly wouldn’t have been even a fraction of the show it was without her,” Samantha Ruinsky said. 

Despite her own contributions, the executive producer emphasized how communal the entire show was. “I was incredibly lucky to have the most creative, hardworking, ridiculously wonderful team of directors that weren’t fazed by the limited rehearsal time we had or any other setbacks that come with every show. We ended up with an incredible cast that gave their all in every scene, whether laughing or killing, and a set that continued to show off the story’s richness with a glacier, ship, boat, coffin, jail cell, and jaw-dropping laboratory,” Ruinsky described. Her words highlight STC’s collaborative nature, with every cast and crew working under pressure to form an intricate and final product. “The sheer size and variability of the set is another way that the show pushed STC forward. The props and tech crews were absolutely genius in their execution of the glacier and our smoking funeral pyre. That, combined with the art crew’s stunning designs and our lights & sound crew’s deliberate and impeccably done effect, made for a visually stunning show,” Ruinsky emphasized.

The success of the STC production did not come from one person; rather, it was the result of the combined efforts of hundreds of people, led by student directors across multiple crews both on and off the stage. The end result was a huge creative success, bringing the classic story to life in a new, exciting way. Despite the fact that it is a school production, STC is constantly finding new ways to invent itself and take risks. This community is a fundamental part of Stuyvesant as a whole, so if you were unable to watch this year’s winter drama, be sure to attend next year’s fall musical. This will give you, regardless of whether you are interested in theater or not, a taste of what STC can offer–another production that is sure to be the product of hundreds of students from a myriad of crews.