The URI Theatre Department opened up their season with “Machinal” on Oct. 10, marking the f irst theater performance of the year.
“Machinal” is a 1928 play by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell. The play is inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer, Ruth Snyder. The show follows the young woman’s life as a stenographer, who is forced to marry for the convenience of money. Eventually, she finds true love outside of her marriage and kills her husband to be free.
The cast has been in rehearsal since the semester started. Auditions were held Sept. 4, requiring those interested in to prepare and memorize a 1-2 minute long monologue. Callbacks were held the following day and the first official rehearsal began on Sept. 6.
Second-year Eva St-Germain will lead the 13-person cast as Helen Jones, inspired by Ruth Snyder.
“[This role] has given me so much,” St-Germain said. “All of the women in the past, it’s incredible what they did and how they did it. They didn’t have any outlets, they didn’t have any rights. That’s such a painful thing to go through. Even in a play, I can’t imagine real women going through that. I just feel so honored to have been able to portray that.”
Treadwell handles themes of gender inequality and freedom vs. captivity in this piece. Its Broadway premiere, directed by Arthur Hopkins, is considered to be one of the best plays in the past 100 years, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“The real heart of it is that you should make an effort to hear the people around you,” St-Germain said. “Helen Jones was searching for someone to answer her, to listen to her and everybody in her life just passed her by and didn’t really take any initiative to care about her.”
Second-year Princess Johnson takes on her first directorial role as assistant director alongside director Rachel Walshe.
“I’ve learned that storytelling is such a beautiful art,” Johnson said. “From somebody who gets to showcase how the story is told, how important that is.”
Students interested in the aspects of theater apart from acting can still benefit from the URI Theatre Department. The program offers opportunities for multiple aspects of theater, providing experience for students whose interests include writing, directing, set design, costume design, running sound and lights and more.
“If there’s something you want to do, talk to somebody,” Johnson said. “There’s so many opportunities here and there’s something for everybody here, I truly believe that. If you want it enough, you’re just going to have to go for it.”
Performances will continue daily from Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the URI Theatre Department website.
The URI Theatre Department’s next fall production will be “Peter and the Starcatcher,” set to be performed on Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 8. Their spring season will consist of “Bakkhai” and “Guys and Dolls.” Rehearsals for “Peter and the Starcatcher” begin on Oct. 22.