Concert Readings of MACHINAL
by Sophie Treadwell
directed by Rachel Walshe
Presented in conjunction with
TimeLine's world premiere production of Not Enough Air
by Masha Obolensky
About the play
Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is one of the most acclaimed dramas of the 20th Century and is regarded as a highpoint of expressionist theater on the American stage. Inspired by the real-life murder trial of Ruth Snyder that snared sensational headlines during the 1920s, this emotional play tells the story of Everywoman through nine episodes. Each scene depicts a subsequent phase in a young woman’s life, and as Treadwell notes in her stage directions: “The plan is to tell this story by showing the different phases of life that the woman comes in contact with, and in none of which she finds any place, any peace. The woman is essentially soft, tender, and the life around her is essentially, hard, mechanized.” Told in true Expressionist style, this thought-provoking story was hailed by the New York Times upon its Broadway debut in 1928 as “a triumph of individual distinction, gleaming with intangible beauty.”
Machinal will feature actress Mechelle Moe in her return to the leading role of The Young Woman, for which she received a Non-Equity Jeff Award and After Dark Award in The Hypocrites’ acclaimed 2003 production of the play. This is also the role she portrays in Not Enough Air.
The rest of the Machinal cast includes Tom Bateman (Prosecuting Attorney/Ensemble), Tim Curtis (Husband), Ian Paul Custer (Filing Clerk/Ensemble), Maris Hudson (Telephone Girl/Ensemble), Greg Isaac (Young Man/Ensemble), Laurie Larson (Mom/Ensemble), Ian Maxwell (Adding Clerk/Ensemble), Julie Partyka (Nurse/Ensemble), Dana Scott (Stenographer/ Ensemble) and Michael Peters (Defense Attorney/Ensemble).
Artistic Director PJ Powers comments:
“Masha Obolensky's play Not Enough Air is a thrilling look into the events that inspired Machinal and a stirring portrait of playwright Sophie Treadwell. TimeLine is thrilled to enhance our audience’s experience of this world premiere by offering these special concert readings of Machinal. And in an exciting bit of casting, both plays feature actress Mechelle Moe as Treadwell’s muse, the character of The Young Woman.”
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