Cold Shadows, Big Ideas: Mary Shelley and the Year Without a Summer

Cold Shadows, Big Ideas: Mary Shelley and the Year Without a Summer

In 1816, now known as the “Year Without a Summer,” the world experienced one of the most serious climatic catastrophes of its time. The eruption of the Mount Tambora volcano in Indonesia on April 5, 1815 was responsible. With its powerful explosion, considered the largest documented volcanic eruption, the volcano ejected large amounts of ash and aerosols into the atmosphere. This caused a significant drop in temperature of about three degrees Celsius and blocked solar radiation, resulting in an exceptionally cold and rainy summer in North America and Europe. The consequences were devastating: crop failures and food shortages occurred, driving up the prices of staple foods and leading to hunger. So reported scied.ucar.edu about these dramatic changes.

During this dark time, 18-year-old Mary Shelley found inspiration on Lake Geneva. The scary and stormy summer months led to her writing one of literature's most famous stories, "Frankenstein." Shelley created the character of Dr. Frankenstein, a scientific genius who creates a monster from body parts and ultimately cannot escape his own destruction. This connection between the cruel weather and the creative processes of writers of this era is addressed in the production “A Year Without Summer,” which is currently being shown at the Theater Volksbühne on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin.

The production by Florentina Holzinger

“A Year Without Summer” analyzes profound issues of our time, including the body, health, identity and the dangers of uncontrolled technological growth. Director and choreographer Florentina Holzinger, together with a diverse ensemble, illuminates the pursuit of immortality in the 21st century and the perversion of these aspirations. The production offers outstanding, meaningful approaches to the question of how people in the 21st century deal with the challenges of nature and changing environmental conditions.

The production brings together a variety of artists, including Saioa Alvarez Ruiz, Liane Jil Apel and Andrea Baker. Live music will be provided by talented musicians such as Sofia Borges, Born In Flamez and Gibrana Cervantes. Florentina Holzinger herself will take over the direction and choreography, while the musical direction will be taken over by Born In Flamez and Stefan Schneider.

Production details

The set design is by Nikola Knežević, the costumes were designed by Christiane Hilmer, while the lighting design is by Kevin Sock. The video design is by Zoe Bassi and the dramaturgy was developed by Fernando Belfiore and others. The technical production management is led by Emma Juliard, Stephan Werner and Dario Brinkmann. This extraordinary production is a collaboration between the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Florentina Holzinger/Spirit, neon lobster and several international partners.

“A Year Without Summer” runs through May 25th, with performances on May 23rd and 24th at 7:30 p.m. and May 25th at 6:00 p.m. The production is therefore not only a look back at the events of 1816, but also a critical reflection on the current challenges in dealing with our nature and the wasteful technologies of today. theaterkompass.de reports about it in detail.