FRANKY is a 21st Century re-imagining of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, produced by The Absolutely Fabulous Theater Connection (AFTEC) in Hong Kong, under the artistic direction of acclaimed director Dr. Vicki Oi.

When I was at Gehry Partners, I have designed the stage sets for the Richard Strauss Opera Arianne auf Naxos and Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser.

The opportunity to work with AFTEC on the stage set of FRANKY provides an opportunity to continue to develop my set design experience at EC3; and to support AFTEC’s mission as a learning theater to promote and cultivate the appreciation of performing art to the youths in Hong Kong.

Due to the limitation of stage size and the opening of the proscenium at the Quarry Bay Civic Center Theater - AFTEC's performance venue; it was decided to have only one fixed stage set to accommodate the three major scenes : the Living Room, the TV Studio, and the Laboratory.

Collaborating with Dennis Lee of A:I (Architecture Innovativ) in Hong Kong, we created a multi-level stage set with the TV studio hovering above the Living Room.

To meet the very modest production budget at USD 25,000 and to minimize waste, we developed the set by utilizing metal scaffoldings.

The custom-designed metal scaffoldings allowed the set to be assembled easily by the supplier, and reused after the performance . . .

. . . in addition to providing an industrial setting for the Laboratory scene.

Translucent polycarbonate panels in front of the metal scaffoldings provided the backdrop for special lighting effects and video projections.

Large TV screens showing pre-recorded video montages added a multi-media dimension to the overall production value.

The Production received positive reviews for exploring the themes of Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age; and provoking the audience to think about the relevance of Robotics for the future of humanity.

FRANKY has become an instant hit for AFTEC; with 29 consecutive sold-out performances during its run in March, 2017.