8 PM, THURS, DEC 16

A Staged Reading and World Premiere of a New Steampunk Penny Dreadful by Kayla Bashe

The plucky young scientist, Ms. Anna Cartridge, and her bubbly best friend, the mildly famous actress Poppy Valdene, travel to a deceptively charming cliff side resort to save Dr. William Boyle, her fiancé and the ingenious inventor of  2,5-pentlyl sentirate, from the contemptible clutches of long-time rival and nefarious hypnotist, Charles Rawlingson, a would-be scientific mastermind.


The Raconteur Bookshop
431 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840

Admission FREE!
Complimentary drinks. Bring your own teacup.

Tentative Cast in Order of Appearance:

William Boyle: Carlye Owens

Anna Cartridge: Gwen Owens

Poppy Valdene: Kristy Lauricella

Charles Rawlingson: Laurence Mintz

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.^[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

What is a penny dreadful?

A penny dreadful (also called penny horrible, penny awful,^[1] penny number and penny blood) was a type of British fiction publication in the 19th century that usually featured lurid serial stories appearing in parts over a number of weeks, each part costing a penny. The term, however, soon came to encompass a variety of publications that featured cheap sensational fiction, such as story papers and booklet "libraries." The penny dreadfuls were printed on cheap pulp paper and were aimed primarily at working class adolescents.^[2]