Excerpt II from Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"

Part of an Apple Seed project dedicated to bringing some of the world's best printed stories to the radio stage, featuring stories about new life. With the help of members of The Acting Company, Noah and Leah Kershisnik, director of The Acting Company and sometimes contributor to The Apple Seed, Suzanne Christensen, hear words from Lewis Carroll, Mary Shelley, and Frances Hodgson Burnett. The stories you'll hear in this episode are accompanied with music by musician, Cherie Call.  Stories & Songs Featured in May Stories:

The Secret Garden is the story of Mary Lennox, a troubled, sickly, and unloved 10-year-old sent to live with her uncle after the death, by cholera, of her wealthy parents in India. There she discovers a walled garden, long locked away by the miserable Mr. Craven following a long-ago tragedy. As Mary works the garden, the whole house, including its inhabitants, seems to come to life. In this excerpt, performed by Sam Payne and the Acting Company, Mary seeks permission to work the earth of the walled the garden.

The Secret Garden is the story of Mary Lennox, a troubled, sickly, and unloved 10-year-old sent to live with her uncle after the death, by cholera, of her wealthy parents in India. There she discovers a walled garden, long locked away by the miserable Mr. Craven following a long-ago tragedy. As Mary works the garden, the whole house, including its inhabitants, seems to come to life. In this excerpt, performed by Sam Payne and the Acting Company, Mary seeks permission to work the earth of the walled the garden.

In an episode devoted to spring and new life, Frankenstein might seem like an odd choice. However, Mary Shelley's horror classic is also a story of a doctor who meticulously looks at how things grow, the relationship between creator and creation, and ultimately, of family and relationships. In this scene, "the wretch" (as Frankenstein's monster is referred to in the original tome) comes to life to the horror of its master.

Mary Shelley's horror classic that is about, among other things, new and renewed life. In this scene, "the wretch" revisits its creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and confronts him about existence, creation, and destruction.

While admirers of Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books include readers of all ages, this letter was written to his youngest members of his audience-- to children at the approach of Easter 1876.