Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo By Thomas Martin

 Machinal : Talent takes the stage

By Tj Martin

tjmartin@vwc.edu

Technology! It has a different meaning for all of us. Some of us listen to iPods. Some of us use computers to play video games or surf websites for research projects. Or, we use cell phones to send text messages, check our email, listen and store our favorite music, and most importantly it keeps us in contact with our loved ones. One way or another, technology is imbedded into our everyday lives.

The fall production of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell examines the impact of a technological society on an individual. Machinal explores how technology and society strip individuality by replacing it through labels such as a wife, husband, waiter/waitress, mother, priest or nurse, which define and enforce our roles through society. Anyone who does not follow their role in society is cast aside for someone who will follow their role with rigor.

Machinal is based on a true story of a woman driven to extremes by the pressure of family, love, and American society during the twentieth century. The young woman is forced by the expectations of society and her family to fall into marriage and motherhood. Oppressed by the machine-like qualities of living in modern society, she finds love through an affair. Unable to break free from her marriage, she kills her husband. Since the young woman acted outside of the expectations put forth by society, she is tried and put to death.

The play criticizes every aspect of society, such as societal roles, labels, gender, sexuality, parenthood, fashion, crime and punishment.

 In the end, you will learn something and take something away from this play, expresses Dr. Travis Malone.  It is thought provoking, but yet entertaining.

Ticket reservations for Machinal begin Monday, October 1.

The play is free to the Virginia Wesleyan community. General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, high school students, college students and military.

Machinal will run October 25 thru 27 and November 1 thru 3 at 8 p.m. October 28 performs at 2 p.m.

Sophie Treadwell was a pioneer in her era. When women s rights were on the forefront of American society, she writes a play based solely on a woman s perspective. The play became a hit on Broadway when it first opened. By the 1930s, women s plays and playwrights began to disappear. Even though her play was well-acclaimed, it became lost through the pages of time. Regarded as one of her best plays, Machinal is strikingly appropriate for today s audiences.

The production will feature a large combination of lights, sound, set, mask work, and performance styles that go beyond the boundaries of realism. It is a production that is sure to challenge the way we think about ourselves, society, and theater.

Machinal is directed by Dr. Travis Malone. The cast includes JC Caldwell, Luke Crownover, Stephen Eley, Kimberly Fahle, Lisa Francis, Alan Gurdal, Andrew Page, Tamara Ritter, Missy Sullivan, Kimberly Sypniewski, and Kyle Ulsh. All cast members will assume multiple roles except for Lisa Francis who plays the Young Woman, the main character.