Candlelight & Creation: “Mary Shelley” Under the Stars in Fair Oaks

Oct 06, 2025

This October, Women’s Theatre Collective (WTC) returns to The Hut Event Centre in Fair Oaks with a theatrical séance of sorts: Mary Shelley by Helen Edmundson, performed outdoors in the venue’s intimate courtyard, under the stars and by candlelight. It’s the perfect setting to meet the woman behind one of literature’s most enduring Gothic visions—and to feel the electricity that sparked Frankenstein into being.

Edmundson’s play is no dusty biography. It plunges into the quick of Mary’s life—her incendiary love for poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, the crackling, complicated bond with her philosopher father, and the grief that forged her imagination into myth. WTC’s atmospheric outdoor staging leans into contrast: romance glows in warm candlelight; darker currents drift in with the night air. You’ll hear a line, glance up at the stars, and suddenly understand how a storm-lit ghost story became a revolution in empathy.

And there’s a community current, too. WTC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving the portrayal and treatment of women through theatre. A portion of proceeds supports other nonprofits serving women in need. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, WTC is partnering with Susan G. Komen® to help meet critical local needs and advance research.

Plan Your Night

Admission: Adults $28; Students, Vets, Seniors $25
Info & Tickets: womenstheatrecollective.org
Bring a wrap—the autumn air plus candlelight equals instant mood.