Machinal

by Sophie Treadwell

Inspired by the real-life events surrounding the murder trial and execution of Ruth Snyder in 1920s America. Machinal highlights a young woman’s experience of a society in which free choice, power and agency are the privileges of the few.

16 – 19 November 2019 – Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

The story of Machinal

This young woman, an ordinary young woman, cannot find her place, cannot find peace in an industrialised world where ordinary people are compelled to submit to the repetitive machinery of life. When she finds herself caught in a loveless marriage, our ordinary young woman’s bid to be free leads to devastating consequences.

Artistic Director Suzanne Gorman worked with students to examine this powerful story of female oppression from a culturally diverse perspective.

“Working on Machinal was truly one of the most important experiences in my professional career thus far and one I am even more thankful for now in these times – I had that opportunity when I know many other studying designers’ shows got cancelled. It was my first time properly working towards a production and what that entails; collaborating with the creative team and crew, working closely with the director, making important decisions. As a lot of this was new to me I was very fortunate to have such a patient and understanding director who made the learning process of a production much easier and certainly less daunting.”

Conor Smart, Designer

Photos by Conor Smart

Click on the photos to enlarge

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