Mary Shelley by Helen Edmundson
Newcastle People's Theatre,
Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 February 2026
Helen Edmundson's play offers a biographical portrait of Mary Shelley, focusing on the formative years before she wrote Frankenstein at the age of eighteen. Rather than concentrating solely on her most famous work, the play examines the personal and intellectual experiences that influenced the young writer's development.
The production presents Mary Shelley as a teenage figure navigating a complex landscape of personal relationships and radical philosophical ideas. The play explores her experiences with grief following family bereavements, her unconventional relationship with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and her position within a circle of Romantic writers and thinkers who challenged social conventions.
Helen Edmundson's play offers a biographical portrait of Mary Shelley, focusing on the formative years before she wrote Frankenstein at the age of eighteen. Rather than concentrating solely on her most famous work, the play examines the personal and intellectual experiences that influenced the young writer's development.
The production presents Mary Shelley as a teenage figure navigating a complex landscape of personal relationships and radical philosophical ideas. The play explores her experiences with grief following family bereavements, her unconventional relationship with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and her position within a circle of Romantic writers and thinkers who challenged social conventions.
Edmundson's script considers how Mary Shelley balanced intense creative ambition with the difficulties of her personal circumstances. The play addresses themes of artistic obsession, the cost of creative pursuit, and the challenges faced by a young woman attempting to establish herself as a serious writer in early 19th-century literary society.
Matthew Hope and Tracey Lucas co-directs the production, with Holly Stamp taking the central role of Mary Shelley. The play charts her journey from adolescence through the events that would eventually inspire her gothic masterpiece, examining how she navigated societal expectations while pursuing her literary ambitions.
This production is part of the People's Theatre's newly announced season, which features a range of contemporary and adapted works. The season opens this month with Dawn King's The Trials, where a teenage jury puts older generations on trial for environmental destruction.
Other highlights include Amanda Whittington's The Thrill of Love and Lucy Prebble's A Very Expensive Poison, both based on true stories. The season also features stage adaptations of two popular novels: Simon Stephens' version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on Mark Haddon's book, and The Girl on the Train, adapted from Paula Hawkins' thriller. A Christmas pantomime rounds out the programme.
Tickets: £16/£13.50
Box Office: 0191 265 5020 (option 2)
Website: www.peoplestheatre.co.uk
People's Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF
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