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About the Composer
Timothy C. Takach
Timothy C. Takach Publications
Unfashioned Creature – Choral Ballet
A choral ballet, taking themes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: rejection, self-discovery, and love. A complex character who seeks to find belonging and equality.
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Unfashioned Creature
Ballet for SATB, cello, percussion
Listen to the whole piece on your favorite music platform here.
Unfashioned Creature takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s timeless 1818 novel Frankenstein. Weaving together contemporary social themes: rejection, self-discovery, and love, both works forward a complex character who seeks to find belonging and equality.
While Frankenstein is a classic horror story, its themes are as relevant today as ever. The Creature is a beautiful creation, and through no fault of its own, is rejected by Dr. Frankenstein and the world at large. With no parental guidance, the Creature embarks on a search for belonging and love, only to be shunned as an outcast by society. Just as each of us holds multitudes inside ourselves, the Creature in this production is cast as three dancers working together, showing many facets of one being.
Sharing a passion for creating unconventional and thought-provoking work, Takach and choreographer Penelope Freeh shaped the form of the piece, questioning what is considered beautiful and inspiring respect for identities that are different from our own. Unfashioned Creature is a poignant reminder of the importance of accepting and embracing difference in all its forms.
Composer’s Notes
When I got the idea to write a ballet adapting Frankenstein, there were a few things I knew right away. Firstly, I knew that I wanted my choreographer and artistic partner to be the amazingly thoughtful and collaborative Penelope Freeh. She and I met years ago when Cantus performed with James Sewell Ballet. Secondly, I wanted to write for voices and for the libretto to be constructed from excerpts of Mary Shelley’s original text. Thirdly, I wanted a small chamber ensemble to accompany the piece: something that could convey lyricism and aggression. Something emerged as I started to stitch the libretto together. I realized that I wasn’t interested in simply re-telling the story from the novel, allowing people to follow along with plot points from either the book or the movies. Instead, I wanted to dig deeper into the social themes in the novel and highlight them in a way that was relevant to today. In doing so, the creature quickly became the protagonist of the ballet. We see someone who has to mature and navigate the world around them without a parental role model. We see someone who is judged based on the way that they look and are preconceived to be violent and wretched. They are scared of being different. Others are scared of them for being different. They are not understood or known, and so they are feared and judged. And finally, we see someone who only wants to love and be loved and “live in communion with an equal.”
Penny and I decided to focus on three themes in the piece: identity, love and rejection, and along these lines we cast The Creature as three dancers together, just as Frankenstein’s monster is pieced together from multiple bodies. We can see the Creature’s journey from creation to confusion of their identity to self-awareness and a recognition of Victor’s negligence to a final desire for equality.
– Timothy C. Takach, 2023
Text
Libretto by Mary Shelley
ed. Takach
The libretto is taken from Shelley’s novel, deconstructing the prose to form more poetic phrases.
Prologue
Listen to me. Believe me.
We are unfashioned creatures, half made.
1. The Idea
Darkness
The raising of ghosts or devils
A promise I most eagerly sought
Darkness
Bodies deprived of life – food for the worm.
Darkness
In the change from life to death, and death to life,
a sudden light broke in upon me.
Animation upon lifeless matter.
2. Creating the Creature
the unhallowed damps of the grave.
the instruments of life around me,
a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.
3. Awakening
one in the morning
the dull yellow eye of the creature
convulsive motion
their features: beautiful
yellow skin
muscles and arteries beneath
hair lustrous black and flowing
teeth a pearly whiteness
watery eyes, dun-white sockets
shrivelled complexion
straight black lips
Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished
breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.
I beheld the wretch— the miserable monster whom I had created.
Their jaws opened, a grin wrinkled their cheeks.
They might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out…
4. Cottage
A small room, whitewashed and clean, bare of furniture.
In one corner, near a small fire, sat an old man, his head on his hands.
A young girl sat down beside, taking up an instrument, he began to play,
sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the nightingale.
A sweet mournful air drew tears from the eyes of his companion.
He raised her, and smiled with such kindness and affection.
Sensations: a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced.
I withdrew from the window, unable to bear these emotions.
5. Similar and Yet Unlike
The gentle people; I longed to join them, but dared not.
I cherished hope but it vanished when I beheld my person reflected.
I remembered the treatment I suffered,
and resolved that I would remain quietly, watching.
I found myself similar yet strangely unlike them.
I understood them, but was unformed in mind.
What did this mean?
I have no relation or friend upon the earth.
These amiable people have never seen me, know little of me.
I am full of fears; for if I fail, I am an outcast in the world forever.
Do not despair. The hearts of all are full of love and charity.
Rely, therefore, on your hopes; do not despair.
An outcast in the world forever.
6. Listen and Believe
Listen to me, Frankenstein.
Listen to my tale.
Life is dear to me, and I will defend it.
Believe me, Frankenstein:
I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity:
but am I not alone, miserably alone?
If mankind knew of my existence, they would arm themselves for my destruction.
Shall I not hate them who abhor me?
Listen to me, Frankenstein.
Listen to my tale.
I ask you not to spare me: listen to me;
and if you can, if you will, destroy the work of your hands.
7. The Creature’s Demands
Cursed, cursed creator!
Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark which you bestowed?
If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear.
I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart.
I swear to you that when I live in communion with an equal,
my evil passions will have fled,
for I shall meet with sympathy; my life will flow quietly away.
The sun shall shine on us as on us all.
8. Rely on your Hopes
Do not despair. Listen to me.
The hearts of all are full of love and charity.
Rely, therefore, on your hopes; do not despair.
Believe me.
We are unfashioned creatures, half made.
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