Backstage Pass ⋅ From the Director’s Chair
Why Young Frankenstein?
By Brittany Randolph, Artistic Director
July 2026 – 4-minute read
When I started planning this season, I wanted our actors and audience to experience something fresh. My goal was for every production this season to offer something different; to challenge us, teach us something new, and continue building the kind of theatre family that shows up for one another. Did I think we would end up designing laboratories and revolving hidden doors? Nope!
Originally, our first main stage production was going to be a workshop and staged reading of a new musical, written by our own Director of Marketing, Janelle Paris. We have never done a musical workshop before, and I was looking forward to this new type of challenge. While we were finishing up our production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Janelle and I met to discuss what this workshop would look like, and how we would want to achieve it for our audiences. After a few hours of chatting, taking a step back, and looking at the project through a different lens, we realized it wasn’t fully ready for that vision. Instead, we chose to shift the workshop a little later in the year, and we look forward to previewing it during our annual gala!
With that shift, however, we didn’t want the fall to be quiet. Instead, we started looking at the many shows available to us, and one immediately jumped out to both of us: Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.
I personally wasn’t familiar with the musical, but the original film is one of my favorites. And I can’t argue against doing a silly spooky musical in October! The more we talked about it, the more it felt like exactly the show we needed. The set design, special lighting, and props will prove to be a challenge that I am excited to take on. As I continued researching the show, it became more and more impactful to me. Laughter is the best medicine, and this show is fully stocked! I think of how much comedy can bring people together. In times like this, when we feel so divided, sharing a laugh with a stranger may be just enough to soften the shells we’ve built around ourselves.
Once it was locked in, I locked in. From that point on, my imagination started running wild. The first crazy idea I had was doing everything in black and white, just like the film. Will we actually pull that off? Probably not…but I’m excited for all the technical challenges that will push my creativity. I keep repeating Frederick Frankenstein’s line, “It. Could. Work!” Eventually, I stopped thinking about the technical challenges and started thinking about the heart of the story, what did I want to tell.
Young Frankenstein is a musical about acknowledging and accepting the absurdity within us all. Once we embrace that, we become unstoppable.
Dare I say, sounds like a challenge I am willing to accept, will you?
Most of all, I am eager to see who decides to be a part of this utter ridiculous romp. These characters are unforgettable, but that doesn’t mean they’re meant to be imitated. I can’t wait to see what happens when each actor brings their own creativity and perspective to the role. I hope that everyone puts their own stamp on their performance and breathes fresh life to each character. So when you walk into auditions, don’t worry about trying to give me “the perfect performance.” Give me your version. Surprise me. Commit to your choices. That’s where the magic starts.
This adventure excites me with the new technical marvels we will need to achieve, and the many jokes to deliver. I hope our cast discovers the little bit of mad scientist that lives inside all of us; the part that’s willing to experiment, take risks, and embrace the wonderfully ridiculous. And I hope our audience leaves laughing, reminded that life is a little brighter when we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
I hope to see you in the lab!
From the Director’s Chair
— Brittany Randolph, Artistic Director
Inspired to join us?
Think Young Frankenstein sounds like your kind of adventure? Learn more about the show, explore the roles, and find everything you need for auditions here.