“Beware, for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
A quote that could readily send chills up the spine if taken out of context, or perhaps, even presented with context. A beautiful sentence, complex and nuanced, and yet eight simple words. From a creation to its creator, but there is beauty in power, strength too, and fearlessness is what it takes to continue to produce evocative art, challenging the norms, and pushing the envelope when it comes to that mythical, majestic mistress that we dub Theatre. In a TheatreBloom exclusive phone-interview, we’re chatting creation— or at the very least, the current creation of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s 2026/2027 season opener— Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – with long-standing company member Vince Eisenson, who plays the eponymous creator, amongst others in this new adaptation by David Catlin, directed by Ian Gallanar, the company’s founding artistic director.
Hey ho, Vince! How goes?
Vince Eisenson: Hey, Mandy! I can’t complain, I can’t complain!
Well hooray, I love it when people can’t complain or at least could but choose not to!
Vince: I don’t want to waste vocalization on complaints.
So that’s your way of telling me there’s a lot of vocalization in Frankenstein, that’s good to know!
Vince: Oh yeah! There’s a lot of words in that one.
I’m actually really looking forward to it, and thank you for giving us some of your time this morning, let’s get everyone looped in, because even though I’ve known you for what— 15 years now? You may be brand new to our readers!
Vince: That sounds about right— wow— really 15 years?
I just passed my 15-year anniversary of my first show reviewed yesterday*
Vince: Well congratulations.
Thank you! So you’re Vince Eisenson, and you’re a company member with Chesapeake Shakespeare, how long have you been a company member there?
Vince: Ooh— that’s a great question. I want to say from the beginning? Well, since they started having official company members, which I think was 2013. But I can absolutely tell you my first show.
Oh absolutely! I remember the first show I saw you in, but I think you must have been doing shows with CSC before then.
Vince: Well, now I want to hear what you saw me in first!
It was back in the barn— or whatever they used to call that space out in Columbia— the carriage house? It was Merchant of Venice, you were Lorenzo and I think it was early 2012? January or maybe February? That was the first time I’d seen Merchant of Venice, and I think I’ve only seen that Shakespeare done thrice to date, including the one with you.
Vince: Oh, wow! That is pretty early!
But not your first with CSC.
Vince: My first show with them was 2008— no— 2007. It was a rep of As You Like It and Henry V.
That’s amazing! And here you are almost 20 years later! What was the draw for Frankenstein? Do you have a ‘I loved it in high school’ or you grew up with it, maybe you believe you were Mary Shelley in a previous life, what’s your attachment to this particular show?
Vince: You know, I did not really have a connection to Frankenstein. I had never read it. When Ian (Director Ian Gallanar) floated the idea and the character, I instinctively knew it was a character I wanted to play even though I only know what most people know in terms of the lore of the story. I knew he was a scientist who pushed the bounds of human creativity and paid the price for it. And just knowing that, I knew that would be an interesting arch to explore.
Now, I’ve been informed that this particular adaptation for the stage, by David Catlin, is a little different than what audiences might be used to. Can you talk a little bit about what’s so different about this adaptation and what audiences might expect to see in those differences?
Vince: Sure! So, while I had never done Frankenstein, I had done a Dracula adaptation many years ago— not at Chesapeake Shakes, not even in the state of Maryland, it was out in Ohio— and I thought it was pretty dreary. It was just trying to reproduce the book and that doesn’t really work for the stage, I don’t think. In the back of my mind, I was hoping this wasn’t trying to do that because you have to treat it like its own thing. And this, this adaptation of Frankenstein, is totally its own theatrical piece. It really honors the spirit of the book but makes it a play. It is clearly meant to be performed.
People in it are playing other characters. People in it are acknowledging that they are acting and that its theatre. I feel like it’s designed to be a theatrical experience, not the book, not a ‘greatest hits’ from the book, but a pure theatrical experience, with the audience in mind.
See, now you have me deeply intrigued. I’ll be the first to admit that when I saw Frankenstein, it was followed by a sigh of resignation and a head-hang and an ‘oookaaaay…’ because horror season is here so let’s do the spooky thing. But you’re making this sound fascinating and intriguing! So this new Frankenstein is you and four other actors?
Vince: That’s right.
And I’m going to imagine with your vast breadth of having worked as an actor for many, many, many years, that you have worked with casts both large and small. How does a show of this size, where as you’ve mentioned actors are playing different characters and acknowledging that they’re acting, how does that compare to other projects that you’ve done more recently or projects that you do more frequently? What has the experience been like on that front?
Vince: It’s very different in that we don’t really get any time off. We’re kind of all in it always. There’s no real breakdown of “okay, these actors do this scene, and those actors do that scene” like in Shakespeare. I just did The Tempest, and there were some actors who I didn’t even get to talk with them until we were in tech, in the dressing rooms. “Oh, nice to meet you, we don’t have any scenes together, but I like you a lot!” This one is not that. We’re not always all on stage? But we’re so intertwined and intermingled. There aren’t really any breaks. It’s like a team that’s on the field— now listen to me mess up this sports analogy, but I’m going to try it anyhow— we’re all on the field, we’re all keeping the ball moving for the whole game! And there’s no— “your turn, my turn, your turn my turn”— we’re playing the game together the whole time. That’s a lot of fun but it’s also very challenging. I don’t really get any breaks to work on stuff off-stage. So you’ve got to be ready for every rehearsal to just be in it the whole time!
That sounds extraordinary but also exhausting.
Vince: It’s exhausting but in a good way. And you know what, it’s surprisingly short! I’m not going to commit to any sort of official time here, but when we ran act one last night, it was faster than I think a lot of us thought it was going to be. I mean it felt like a marathon— but then you look at the time and it’s more like a mini-marathon.
It’s a half! It’s a 10k!
Vince: There you go— a half!
As a runner, I appreciate that. Now, you are playing Victor— wait— it is Victor, right? I’m having my “which is true” moment over here, Victor/Frederick…I’ve seen too many derivatives—
Vince: Haha! Yes, it’s Victor.
Good. Victor. You’re playing Victor Frankenstein, primarily, along with other characters. But where would you say you, Vince, find yourself having a cross-section with Victor? Other than the fact that both of your names start with ‘Vi.’
Vince: That’s it. That’s the end of the connection right there, haha!
I love it.
Vince: I’m trying to figure out how to phrase this. I’m going to not answer your question and use that answer to answer your question.
Go for it!
Vince: Here we go. In this adaptation, I am playing Percy Shelley, who then takes over the role of Victor, we’ll say. So that is a really interesting way in for me as well. I feel like I relate to Victor’s passion and his drive but he’s definitely more science oriented than I am. So being able to go at it through Percy Shelley, who even though he had a lot of science interests, he was obviously known for being a man of letters, being a poet, for being a more romantic, dreamlike figure; it’s a really interesting way to approach it. Because as much as Victor is a scientist, he’s a dreamer. He wants to do things that no one’s ever done. I don’t want to spoil anything but some of it works out and some of it doesn’t. He’s a man of fantasy, in a way, even though he brings his fantasies to life. I’m an actor, I can certainly relate to imagining things that maybe seem impossible and trying to bring them to life and sometimes paying the price for those ridiculous risks.
That’s a really brilliant answer, I like that a lot.
Vince: Well thank you! I’m not sure I understood it but I’m glad you did!
It creates a correlation between you, Vince the actor, and you, a person who is portraying someone who you don’t necessarily have a lot in common with, but have found this commonality and a thread with which to tie it all together; it speaks volumes of what you’re discovering in this experience!
Vince: Thank you! I like the way you said that.
Well thank you. How would you say, now that we’ve discovered your cross-section, that this compares to other works you’ve done?
Vince: In some ways, I think this is the most challenging and rewarding play I’ve done that I can recall. It’s different, It’s a really big challenge but it’s really inspiring, every day, to see everybody coming together as a group to work on it. It’s just such a great group of people. And I know I’m busting out all the cliches here, but I really do feel like we’re all in it together, every second of it. That’s actually rare to find, even in theatre, I’ve found. It’s team work doing the lifting and that’s a challenge and I’m really enjoying the challenge. I’m excited to see where we take it. I can’t even predict where it’s going to go. We’re going to go beyond the usual boundaries of life and death. We’re going to break those boundaries and go someplace unexplored and I’m very excited to see where we go.
Anything else about how this differs or compares to other Frankenstein works, though I know you said you’ve only got the scope of the lore that most of us have.
Vince: You know, it’s ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ and it is very much about Mary and her relationships. And Fabi (actress Fabiolla Da Silva), she’s playing Mary and she’s awesome. It’s really interesting to see Mary’s relationships and her dynamics come into the play and into the creature as well.
Very cool! What would you say has been your biggest challenge up to this point in this process?
Vince: The big challenge, and I was saying this to Jose (actor Jose O. Guzman, playing John Polodori & others) last night after we ran Act I, but the biggest challenge…since it is so well-written and constructed, it’s kind of like a locomotive. I feel like I gotta get on the train and we gotta keep it moving. And whenever I fall off the train, which is happening right now— for any number of reasons during rehearsal, missing cues, not knowing blocking, all that stuff— it’s just very hard to get back on it. The biggest challenge right now is just oiling the machine for all of us. This thing can be a well-oiled machine but it just takes a lot of— one more train metaphor— it takes a lot of burning coal to keep it going.
You are cracking me up, sir. Sports metaphors, running metaphors, train metaphors. I love it. What would you say you are learning— about yourself as a human, about yourself as a performer, about life in general— by being a part of this very specific, adapted-for-the-stage, unique approach to Frankenstein?
Vince: Wow! You have really good questions! These deserve some thought. I don’t have a pat answer to that! But I know the answer— I’m working on it! Ooh— you know what I’ve learned? If you want to create something with a group of people and to challenge yourself, you actually do have to go out further on a limb than you’re comfortable with going. And that’s a parallel to what’s happening in the story. None of this happens if you don’t keep moving forward into perilous territory. That’s a long-winded way of saying I’ve learned to push myself further and to trust the team more to carry me to places that I don’t normally go. I mean the creative team, the actors, our director, and I’m just really embracing what everybody is bringing to it so that we can all go farther.
That is a gorgeous and very impressive answer. Now, you just mentioned the production team, and I know you’ve done quite a bit with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company over the years, what would you say you are most excited about from the design-side of this show as it comes together all around you?
Vince: I’m really excited to see how light and dark bring out the themes in this and make it hopefully scarier. Right now, we’re rehearsing with the lights on. And I think once the tech comes in and we really start to play with light and darkness, which are referenced a lot in this play, I’m really excited to see how that brings the story to life and how that will make it creepier.
Oooh. I do love a good ‘creepy.’ Would you say that this is one of the spookier or even the spookiest type of stage productions that you’ve been a part of?
Vince: I would say it absolutely is and not in the way that I expected. I’m not a “oh, I’m scared of monsters and ghosts” kind of person. I don’t find Dracula to be scary. And I didn’t think Frankenstein was going to be scary. But working on this play is way more terrifying than I expected.
That gives me excellent thrilling hopes for this. You’ve worked with Ian (Director of Frankenstein Ian Gallanar; Founding Artistic Director of CSC) before, I know, how would you say working with Ian this time around on this specific piece is different from the times you’ve worked with him before?
Vince: I’ve almost always worked with Ian on a Shakespeare play. As you know, Shakespeare kind of tells the actors what to do in the lines. You get your specific ‘enter here’ and ‘exit here’, it’s a little more cut and dry. With this one, we’ve kind of had to create some unique stage pictures and Ian has done a really good job of coming up with ideas that are not literal but totally make sense to the scene. I’m trying not to spoil anything. But he’s coming up with some really suggestive stage pictures that totally honor what we’re saying but not in an obvious way.
That sounds fascinating and has me even more intrigued. I know that this is a unique adaptation, but if you could be anyone in this production, if you could pick up any of the other character tracks in this show, other than the one you’re currently playing, which one would you pick up to play and why?
Vince: Oh wow. You know what? I would not like to be the Creature. I think Josh (actor Joshua Williams playing Creature & others) is doing such a great and I really like working with him and I would really rather not have to be that character. Since it’s such a small cast, that really only leaves Henry and Walton. I think that would be fun to give a try to. There’s also Doctor Polodori, who kind of becomes the observer and the confidant to a lot of characters. In a way I think he gets to witness the most in this play and I’d be curious to switch and be on his end of it and see what he’s seeing.
Fascinating. That sounds like a curious approach! If you had to pick a ‘horror classic’ from the canon of horror existences, to adapt in this format, which one would you pick?
Vince: The first thing that comes to mind is The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Oooh! Why?
Vince: I don’t even remember the details of the story! When I was a kid I was into all the Universal Monsters. And he was always my favorite because I didn’t know anything about him or it or what it was. But he had this human-like creepy quality. And anything that comes from a lagoon— that’s so mysterious because we don’t know what’s underwater, like what is going on down there!?
I absolutely love that. Why do you want people to venture out during spooky season and patronize Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and spend their time with this current production of Frankenstein?
Vince: Well, I think spooky season allows us to explore the darkest parts of humanity and the things we might really be scared of and want to avoid in our lives. But I think it’s actually healthy to confront those things. Maybe so that it prevents us from going there in real life. I think if people come out and see this, they’re going to be scared, they’re going to be confronted with their own humanity, and everything that entails. And hopefully, even though they’re going to get some chills, they might leave feeling a little better about their own lives.
I like that a lot! Now, you have children, yes?
Vince: I do! And they are going to come and see this.
Excellent. And, you don’t have to share if this is super top-secret, but…have your children figured out what they’re being for Halloween this year?
Vince: Oh yeah! They already know. I think one of them is going to be Joker. And I should specify he wants to be Jared Leto Joker. Because he wants all the tattoos. And the other one is going to be Scarecrow— I believe the DC Scarecrow. Our household is a very Marvel Action Figure, DC Action Figure, comic book household.
I love that too. Now, Vince, if you were going to dress up for Halloween, and maybe you are, but who would you be? And let’s make it crazy— unlimited funds, time to create, unlimited creativity, who would you be?
Vince: Oh! Well, my default answer is almost always Robin if I don’t have time to think or create because I have a great Robin costume and it’s just sitting in the closet. But unlimited budget? Unlimited time? If I could be anything, oh gosh, I would be Twisty the Clown!
Twisty!? Why are you trying to create nightmare fuel out here on the streets, sir!?
Vince: Exactly right! Twisty is one scary looking son of a gun. And that’s who I would be. I would juggle too. I would juggle the whole time I was trick-or-treating.
Can you juggle?
Vince: Absolutely! That’s why Twisty is one of my heroes. He’s not a great juggler, he’s an okay juggler and that’s good enough.
This is absolutely fantastic. I’ll take it. Now, I know we’ve talked a little bit about why you want people to come out and see the show, but what is it that people who do come out to see Frankenstein are going to be feeling or taking away with them from this very unique experience?
Vince: Honestly, I hope they have a sense of camaraderie and are actually really happy to be around friends and family. It’s a feel-good story by being the ultimate ‘feel-bad’ story. In other words, if you go far enough in one direction, you’re going to appreciate how great life could be in the other direction. I hope people appreciate that.
That’s a really profound answer. Now I hate to use the word favorite, but do you have a line in the show that defines this experience for you?
Vince: I don’t want to spoil anything! I don’t want to give stuff away. Here’s the thing I really like about it— and I didn’t say this earlier— but because in this version it’s framed as a poet performing this part, there’s a lot of poetry in it that encapsulates the experience and the theme without overtly saying it. And I really like that. I don’t want to give it away but there’s this really nice poem at the end that encapsulates the whole thing. But it’s a bit of a spoiler. So how about this— “We men would be as Gods, we would create a new Eden on earth but instead, in the arrogance of our ignorance, we unleash a trove of ills upon the unsuspecting world.”
Oooooh. I got chills.
Vince: There we go. It’s done its job.
Excellent. Thank you. And our final question! If you had to sum up your experience of working on this production of Frankenstein at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company using just one word, which word would you use?
Vince: Electrifying.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein plays October 7th through November 1st 2026 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company— 7 S. Calvert Street in Baltimore, MD. Tickets a, re available by calling the box office at 410-244-8570 or purchasing them in advance online.
*This interview as held late morning on Thursday September 24th 2026.
