\nopens Muhlenberg\u2019s Theatre & Dance<\/strong><\/span>
\nmainstage season, Sept. 27-30<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Allentown, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2018) \u2014 \u201cMachinal,\u201d Sophie Treadwell\u2019s lyrical, ephemeral drama about a young woman\u2019s drastic efforts to escape from a desperate situation, kicks off Muhlenberg College\u2019s mainstage theatre season this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Machinal\u2019 is the story of a young woman struggling, in increasingly desperate ways, for freedom in a male dominated society which demands her constant submission,\u201d says Lou Jacob, director of the production and this year\u2019s Muhlenberg Baker Artist-in-Residence.<\/p>\n
The play runs Sept. 27-30, in the Baker Theatre in Muhlenberg\u2019s Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance.<\/p>\n
Based on the true story of the 1928 murder trial of Ruth Snyder, \u201cMachinal\u201d was written almost immediately after the trial concluded. Treadwell covered the trial as a journalist, and was among the first playwrights to meld journalism with dramatic writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe play brings individuality to the real-life case that may have silenced this woman, that may have just characterized her in the stereotypical way history remembers women,\u201d says Julia Baker \u201919, who plays the unnamed young woman at the center of the story.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie Treadwell is a fascinating woman, and she herself is part of the reason why I\u2019m excited to bring the play to Muhlenberg,\u201d Jacob says. \u201cShe was far ahead of her time as a passionate suffragette, as an advocate for birth control rights and women\u2019s sexual freedom and expression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treadwell has only recently been accorded a place in the American dramatic canon. While \u201cMachinal\u201d was well received in its original production, Jacob says the play and the playwright fell into obscurity through the latter part of the 20th century \u2014 only recently finding an audience that appreciates their value. \u201cMachinal\u201d is by far Treadwell\u2019s most famous and commonly produced play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe play inspired generations of playwrights and theatre makers with its style and hybrid of journalistic realism and a hyper-theatrical structure,\u201d Jacob says.<\/p>\n
Jacob comes to Muhlenberg from the New School College of the Performing Arts, where he created the Bachelor of Fine Arts theatre program. He is the award-winning director of dozens of professional theatre productions, including the world premiere of Sam Shepard\u2019s \u201cThe God of Hell,\u201d starring Tim Roth and Randy Quaid. He is also a member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee.<\/p>\n
Jacob\u2019s position as this year\u2019s Baker Artist-in-Residence will also include teaching several theatre Muhlenberg courses, as well as public symposia and presentations this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cLou is a treasure,\u201d Baker says. \u201cHe brings a kind of new perspective to things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really appreciate Lou\u2019s directing style in the sense that he gives us the final say,\u201d says Griffin O\u2019Connor \u201919, who plays the young woman\u2019s husband. \u201cHe provides an outline, and he lets us fill in the details.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob says the respect is mutual.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuhlenberg students are incredible to work with\u2014highly motivated, talented, curious, and very brave,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for how generous and welcoming people have been to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cast of 15 delves into challenging subject matter over the course of the play, which spans six years in the life of its protagonist. \u201cMachinal\u201d contains implied instances of sexual assault, and is recommended for mature audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will definitely set off some explosions,\u201d says Christian Gutierrez \u201919, who plays the young woman\u2019s lover. \u201cThere\u2019s material in the show that will make for some great conversations on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob says the play feels surprisingly contemporary for something written nine decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe play is emotionally charged\u2014real and felt and utterly prescient,\u201d Jacob says. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly about the 1920s, but it has some interesting things to say about our current moment, which is not entirely unlike the 1920s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMachinal\u201d (pronounced MA-shin-all, according to Treadwell\u2019s preference) plays Sept. 27-30. Showtimes are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Regular admission tickets are $15. Tickets for youth and LVAIC students and staff are $8. \u201cMachinal\u201d is recommended for mature audiences.<\/p>\n
Tickets can be purchased online at muhlenberg.edu\/theatre or by phone at 484-664-3333. Performances are in the Baker Theatre in Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 West Chew St., Allentown.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, PA., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<\/p>\n
Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. The Princeton Review ranked Muhlenberg\u2019s theater program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theater and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theater and dance.<\/p>\n
Information Provided By:
\nScott Snyder
\nMarketing Manager
\nMuhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance<\/p>\n
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