Storms, Stories & The Birth of Horror: Jule Selbo on "Mary Shelley: The Year Without Summer"

What happens when five brilliant, rebellious Romantics take refuge from a climate catastrophe in a lakeside villa — and decide to conjure monsters?In this episode of Ojai Talk of the Town, we sit down with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and novelist Jule Selbo to discuss her gripping new play, Mary Shelley: The Year Without Summer, premiering in Ojai on August 8, running through August 17th at Matilija Auditorium, directed by Richard Camp as the Ojai Performing Arts Theater's summer production.Set in the summer of 1816, amid the eerie aftermath of a volcanic eruption that blotted out the sun, the play captures a charged gathering at Villa Diodati, where Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr. Polidori, and Mary’s stepsister Claire Clairmont engage in a dark game: Who can write the best horror story?From this stormy retreat, two modern mythologies are born —Mary’s Frankenstein, which redefined horror and science fiction, and Polidori’s Vampyre, the prototype for the seductive bloodsucker that haunts our popular imagination to this day.Jule shares her insights into dramatizing these iconic figures, why the tensions of that fateful summer still resonate, and how creativity thrives in chaos. A must-listen for literature lovers, theater fans, and anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.We talk about how these gothic tales speak to the modern imagination, writing for money and much more. (We do not talk about old English desserts, Arthur Rimbaud or folk dancing.)For more information, check out OPAT's website at OjaiTheater.org or Jule Selbo's site at JuleSelbo.com.