Penn State To Present Premiere Of TRUE CRIME FRANKENSTEIN

Penn State will present the premiere production of the musical True Crime Frankenstein or the Modern, Modern Prometheus June 12-15 in the Penn State Downtown Theatre. With Book by Matt cox and Music & Lyrics by Eli Bolin, the show is a co-production between Penn State Centre Stage, Concord Theatricals, and Penn State Musical Theatre. Performance times are June 12 at 7:30pm, June 13-14 at 8pm, and June 15 at 3pm.

John Simpkins directs. Music Direction is by Ben Kiley, with choreography by Johnny Fenton. The cast features Asim Baraka, Kyler Beck, Dante D'Antonio, Johnny Fenton, Madeline Glave, Daman Mills, Maddie Palmer, Joelle Sellers, Kenikki Thompson, Katie Walsh, and Nat Wiley.

When young pop sensation William Frankenstein is murdered, the family's nanny is blamed. However, local high school loner Mary Sheldon knows there's more to the story. Armed with a microphone and her own ambitions, she launches an investigative podcast to expose one Victor Frankenstein's secrets, unraveling a tale of dark science, monsters, and an alarming amount of preventable murder. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes she's not only telling this story - she's in it. A musical comedy about monsters and how you make them - complete with local ads!

Penn State's production is designed by Sara Ahmadzadeh (scenery), William Kenyon (lighting), Kat Myron (costumes), and Kyle Jensen (sound).

For more information and tickets to True Crime Frankenstein, please visit theatre.psu.edu/centrestage or call (814) 863-0255.

Eli Bolin (Music & Lyrics) is an Emmy and Drama Desk nominated songwriter for theater and television. Eli co-wrote the songs for the Netflix special John Mulaney AND THE SACK LUNCH BUNCH with Mulaney & Marika Sawyer as well as DOCUMENTARY NOW's 'Original Cast Album: Co-op' with Mulaney & Seth Meyers. The latter's song 'Holiday Party (I Did A Little Cocaine Tonight)' was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics. He also co-wrote songs for Rachel Bloom's DEATH LET ME DO MY SPECIAL (Netflix). Other TV credits include NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, SESAME STREET, ANIMANIACS, DIFFICULT PEOPLE and the theme song for CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG. For theater, Eli wrote music & lyrics for FOUND and composed the scores for VOLLEYGIRLS, SKIPPYJON JONES (Lucille Lortel nom.) and its sequel SNOW WHAT. He contributed to Rachel Bloom's DEATH, LET ME DO MY SHOW, for which he received a Drama Desk nomination. Eli is the founding music director of Story Pirates, for which he co-wrote and produced their recent single "Llama's Big Day" (featuring Miguel Cervantes) with Mike Pettry, with whom he co-hosts the video game/songwriting podcast BIT PARADE and wrote the musical THE LAST SONG OF EDDIE SCOURGE. Upcoming projects include The new musicals HOW TO WRITE DIRTY BOOKS FOR FUN AND PROFIT with writer Rachel Shukert, VANISHING NEW YORK with David Kamp & Fred Armisen and TRUE CRIME FRANKENSTEIN with Matt cox. Eli is represented by Max Grossman at UTA. @elibolin

Matt cox (Book) is a New York City-based playwright, actor, improviser, sound designer, and former comic book store retail associate. He is best known for Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic, which broke records Off-Broadway, screened in movie theaters across the country with Fathom Events, became the longest-running play of the century in Melbourne, Australia, and is one of the most-produced plays In high schools across the United States. Currently, he is the sound & projections designer, co-producer, and co-writer of seven new comedic plays with GIANT SKYBEAM, a monthly (ish) visiting production at The Second City in Brooklyn, which launched in July 2024. His other works include Witches!? In Salem?!, The Magnificent Revengers, and the geek epic Kapow-i GoGo (along with its spin-offs The Kapow-i GoGo Holiday Special, The Kapow-i GoGo Holiday Special II: The Carol of the Clones, and I Am Mr. Snuggles.) Cox also wrote the radio play El Hombre Bovino for WNYC's The Greene Space and contributed to The Mysteries at The Flea Theater. His work has been staged at New World Stages, HERE, The Elektra Theater, The People's Improv Theater, The Tank, and The Flea Theater, among other venues.He created, wrote, directed, and stage-managed Guy Choiceman Decides to Save America! The Chooseical: Where You Do the Chooses, a live interactive show that ran online from 2020 to 2022. He also writes for The Story Pirates podcast. Upcoming projects include True Crime Frankenstein, a new musical adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Music & lyrics by Eli Bolin); The Ferret Show, a new musical about life, death, and competitive ferret competitions (Music by Dan Mills & Ben Thornewill, Book by Matt cox & Stephen Stout); 2002, a high school time-travel comedy premiering in NYC July 2025; GIANT SKYBEAM, a series of new genre plays written monthly (ish) with Stephen Stout. Up next is King of the Ping: For the Love of the Pong, an homage to sports movies and table tennis.

John Simpkins (Director) is Professor and Nagle Family Chair of Musical Theatre at Penn State University. He is also a professional director whose work includes The Jonathan Larson Project (Orpheum Theatre) and the three-time Drama Desk nominated Off-Broadway production of Bloodsong of Love (by Tony nominee Joe Iconis) at Ars Nova. He also directed world premieres of Iconis shows Love in Hate Nation (Two River) and The Black Suits (Center Theatre Group/ Kirk Douglas), as well as Legendale (Denmark, Human Race - Daly/ Bienstock) and The Raging Skillet (Theaterworks Hartford - Lamarre). His Regional directing includes Weston Playhouse, Sacramento Music Circus, Barrington Stage Company, Engeman Theatre, Lyric Theatre Oklahoma, North Carolina Theatre, and Sharon Playhouse - where we was Artistic Director from 2011-2016. At Penn State, he created and curates a New Works Initiative that commissions NYC writers each year and a wellness center for young artists.

Concord Theatricals is the world's most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, plus dozens of new signings each year. Their unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Tom Kitt, Ken Ludwig, Marlow & Moss, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anaïs Mitchell, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. As a producer and record label, the company has won three Tony Awards and two GRAMMY Awards in the past five years.