Shake & Stir’s Frankenstein || Jeremiah Wray

The Fame Reporter interviewed the incredible theatre performer, Queenslander Jeremiah Wray. He is starring in the highly-anticipated Shake & Stir world premiere production of Frankenstein at Playhouse Theatre, QPAC from 14 – 28 October. Jeremiah has been cast as Victor Frankenstein’s Creature.

This production is Jeremiah’s Shake & Stir Theatre Co Debut. Other Theatre credits include, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jeremiah also performed and developed work in Brisbane that was staged at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Metro Arts, as well as working alongside companies such as La Boite and Dead Puppets Society.

We had the exciting opportunity to sit down with Jeremiah and talk about what enticed him to want to be involved in this new world premiere production of Frankenstein as the Creature, what he loves about working with Shake & Stir, his love for theatre in Queensland and more.

Welcome to The Fame Reporter Jeremiah. What was it that sparked your interest in performing initially?
As a little kid I loved stories of these great heroes going on huge adventures. So, when my older brothers were practicing cricketing in the backyard, I was waving a stick around as a sword pretending to be in all these stories I’d read. They still laugh at me now for that, but I think it was all that pretending that lead me to wanting to tell stories and be in those stories as an adult.

What about Shake & Stir’s Frankenstein enticed you to want to be involved in this new production and what was your reaction when you found out you landed the role of the creature?
I had seen a few productions from Shake & Stir; their Animal Farm and Fantastic Mr Fox. Both of these productions were so imaginative and theatrical.

When I heard word that Frankenstein was their next production I knew they were going to go big; lean into the scale of the story. I also knew then that whoever played the Creature would have to give it their all.

I’ll admit there were a few nerves alongside the excitement of landing the role, but it seemed the kind of challenge I was interested in. I’m so excited for people to see this show!

What do you love about working with the company of Shake & Stir and how does it feel being part of the creative process for a brand-new show?
Working with Shake & Stir has been a dream! Developing a new show can be a challenging endeavour and often the rehearsal room can have a lot of tension with opposing ideas. However, there’s a great respect in this company, not only for the creatives in the building, but for the work that we’re doing.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is such a rich source for a story, and it feels like there’s endless theatrical potential within the novel.

I think a company like Shake & Stir, a company that is excited to make the most of a story like this, are perfect people to take on this beast.

What can you tell us about Shake & Stir’s adaptation of Frankenstein and your role as Creature, being a well-known Mary Shelley novel?
I think most people have an idea of Frankenstein in their heads; a scientist creates a monster that is set loose onto the world.

Our memories of this are mostly based of old movies or pop-culture reimagining and as much as those are fabulous and fun, a lot of them take a lot of liberties with the original text.

This production by Shake & Stir is trying to be as loyal as possible to Mary Shelley’s great novel. In the early days of development, we had conversations about how the story could be shaped to comment on the development of A.I, or about our dangerous desire to control nature, but we realised that staying true to the story addressed all the topics we wanted to touch upon. A real testament to work of Mary Shelley!

This production captures the atmosphere of the novel. It’s eerie, unsettling, morbid, and at times a little heart-warming. You can rest assured that if you’re a lover of the classic gothic horror novel, this show will be for you.

As for the Creature, where do you begin? The Creature is created by Frankenstein and sets out into the world to experience everything for the first time. Love. Fear. Hunger. Thirst. Regret. Pain. Loyalty. Betrayal. Things that we understand are innate within us as people, but actually we learned what these things are from the world around us. We are a product of our experiences.

Although his appearance may be frightening (which I can assure you that in this production, it’s FRIGHTENING), Creature is full of wonder and is trying to find his place in the world.

You recently starred in the acclaimed play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play. What did you love about being a part of that phenomenon and what was it like juggling your ensemble role whilst understudying and what does being a cover mean to you?
The Cursed Child was a magical experience (corny, I know!) and an absolute beast to work on. When people ask about what it was like being a part of that company, I tell them that the magic in the show is built upon teamwork and sheer effort.

It was an honour to be surrounded by other performers who have all committed so much, to rock up eight times a week to perform a 3.5hr show that will leave you exhausted, and then recover on your one day off and get back at it again.

The ensemble role in the show I had was extremely physical, spending most of my show lifting people and pushing huge set pieces. It’s funny now looking back at it and thinking that the nights where I’d step in to cover a lead role was actually more of a night off for my body to recover. That show is the pinnacle of what a cover system could be though.

During waves of Covid, there were times where we had close to half of the cast isolating at home, but we were still able to put on the show through rearranging roles and responsibilities, whilst keeping the audience none the wiser.

It was The Cursed Child that really ingrained my respect and admiration for covers in the theatre world. They really are the backbone of a cast.

What three performers dead or alive would you love to have a dinner party with?
Gosh, that’s a tough one! I’ve recently binged a lot of Staged, a show that came out of the Covid lockdowns in the UK. If I could find myself at a table with David Tenant and Michael Sheen, I would be thrilled.

Then to add a third, Miriam Margolyes. I just know that the stories this woman would tell would have us rolling on the floor in fits of laughter!

Why should audiences come along and see Frankenstein when it arrives at QPAC?

Frankenstein is turning out to be more than just a show.

It is a theatrical event! It’s not often a gothic horror story gets staged as people know you need all the bells and whistles to make it sing. And Shake & Stir are making it SING!

They’ve pulled out all the stops to make this the monster of a show it should be. I can assure you that this will be a show you’ll remember.

Lastly who or what inspires you?
I’m not too sure I have any specific role models when it comes to the industry, as I find the work people do more inspiring than the person themselves.

I get such a wave on inspiration sitting in an audience and watching people’s hard work and creativity pay off.

I have such an admiration for the people who commit themselves to the arts, and the work that comes from people who give themselves to this industry is always amazing.

Fame Reporter Word Play

Frankenstein
The Horror!

Dream collaborator
Tim Minchin

Favourite song of all time that you never get sick of
Cherry Wine – Hozier

Causes you are passionate about
Fighting against negative masculine stereotypes and redefining what it means to be a Man.

Theatre in Queensland
Exciting and New

Dressing Room necessity
A kettle and coffee bags

Unlimited show budget – what dream show would you do? Who would you play and who would play opposite you
I’ve always dreamed of touring a little show regionally. So maybe a production of something like Seawall, one performer show, out in the middle of nowhere.

Place you want to travel to
London

Shake & Stir
Pushing Boundaries

Understudying
Backbone of the cast

Australian theatre scene
Forever growing

TV Binge
Only Murders in the Building

Future dream
To start my own theatre company

Finally, favourite thing about performing
Being on stage and watching your cast mate kill it! Sharing a stage with those who amaze you.

Thank you for being our guest Jeremiah and chookas for Frankenstein with Shake & Stir at QPAC!

TICKETS
Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
From 14 – 28 October 2023