Augustana Digital Commons

Production Title

Machinal

Playwright

Sophie Treadwell

Cast

Helen/Young Woman: Christine Broughton

Man/Lover: Debo Balogun

Husband (George H. Jones): Keenan Odenkirk

Mother/Prosecuting Lawyer: Emily Mason

Stenographer/Nurse/Matron: Emily Johnson

Adding Clerk: Andrew Gilson

Filing Clerk/Boy: Thomas Hand

Telephone Girl: Sarah Baker

Man in Bar: Joshua Pride

Woman in Bar: Jenna Stitt

The Overseer: Caleb Ivey

Production Staff

Director: Dr. Jennifer Popple

Technical Director and Lighting Designer: Andy Gutshall

Scenic Designer: Susan Holgerrson

Costume Designer: Ellen Dixon

Stage Manager: Lauren Davis

Dramaturg: Audrey Johnsen

Assistant Director: Keila Saucedo

Scenic Artist: Mari Noga

Props Master: Emma Brutman

Assistant Stage Manager: Joseph Oliger

Sound Engineer: Caleb Ivey

Movement Coach: Lindsey Graham

Makeup Designer: Allyson Jesse

Light Board Operator: Samuel Langellier

Sound Board Operator: Joe Oliger

Welder: Joe Goodall

House Manager: Megan Hammerer

Shift/Props Crew: Shannon Ryan

Costume/Makeup Crew: Amanda Jandernoa, Yulisa Manzo

Poster Design: Quan Vi

Set Construction: Cam Best, Emma Brutman, Amanda Caputi, Morgan Clark, Corbin Delgado, Monica Gil, Carissa Gilliland, Lauren Heiberger, Lauren Imhoff, Ryan Janusz, Jacob Kilburg, Samuel Langellier, Justin MacNaught, Keenan Odenkirk, Joe Oliger, Rose Mary Peterson

Costume Construction: Rowan Crow, Emilee Droegmiller, Allyson Jesse, Amanda Kramer, Margaret Stadtwald

Files

Synopsis

The play's title means "automatic" or "mechanical" in French and is based loosely on the murder trial of Ruth Snyder and her lover, Judd Gray, who together murdered Snyder's husband. Convicted of murdering her husband, Snyder later received the electric chair. A woman's role during this era in history is confined and regimented to wife, mother, housekeeper, and sexual partner. Love is considered unnecessary, and thus many women are trapped in their dependent status, living a hellish life in a loveless marriage. The relationship between Helen Jones and her husband, George H. Jones, is no different. However, when a man intercedes and Helen is given a momentary glimpse of passion, her life is forever changed. She sees how society confines her, how her husband unconsciously dominates her every decision, and she feels that there is no escape. With a feeling of hopelessness, Helen commits an egregious crime, murdering her husband to free herself from the constraints of society and, ironically, to save her husband from the pain of a divorce. This heavy play is a powerful expressionistic drama about women's forced financial dependency upon men during the 1920s and their trapped existence in a male-dominated, oppressive wasteland.

Performance Dates

October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 2015

Venue

Potter Theatre

Disciplines

Acting | Other Theatre and Performance Studies | Performance Studies | Theatre and Performance Studies

Augustana Digital Commons Citation

"Machinal" (2015). 2010-2019: All Shows.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/allshows2010s/2