Solo performance explores motherhood and ambition

Offspring (A Modern Frankenstein), a solo performance by Emily Terndrup, explores themes of motherhood and artistic ambition, drawing inspiration from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. The piece emerged from a period in which Terndrup was asking herself many questions about her desire to have a child while she had just turned 36.

Artistic challenges and personal reflection

In a milieu where tours are often considered essential to success and where schedules are full and unpredictable, she was wondering how to manage everything that comes with bringing a child into one's life. Many of her friends and colleagues had children, and many of them felt overwhelmed by this experience: they loved their children, but their role as a parent exhausted them, isolated them, or prevented them from resuming the artistic career they had built.

Inspiration from Frankenstein

Terndrup chose Frankenstein as a reference figure in the solo because she wanted to create a work centered on a story whose theme would really touch her, something that could move from the personal to the universal. While she was going through a list of public domain works in search of a narrative starting point, Frankenstein caught her attention. It immediately struck her: a horror story written by a young mother that tells the downfall of an ambitious man struggling with his creation.

Balancing humor and depth

The greatest challenge for Terndrup was preserving the humor despite these heavy themes, and finding the right balance between ambiguity and artistic dimension. She loved this challenge, but it also pushed her to her limits. It took a lot of work to find this balance, but she believes the result is a work as funny and thought-provoking as she hoped, and that speaks to so many people about their own experiences: starting a family and maintaining one's life path.

Production details and support

Offspring (A Modern Frankenstein) is directed and written by Emily Terndrup, based on Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. It features sounds and musical composition by Michael John McCarthy, lighting by Matt Burke, and choreography in collaboration with Luke Murphy, Kath Duggan, and Ryan O’Neill. The performance runs from October 30 to November 1, 2026, at the Sarah Bernhardt City Theatre, Coupole, Paris. It is funded by Cork County Council and co-produced by Cork Theatre Collective – Dance Cork Firkin Crane – MAKE – The Everyman Theatre – FRINGE LAB with the help of the Dublin Fringe Festival. It also receives support from Attic Projects and Luail, and support for the Focus Ben Duke & Friends from the British Council.