NEWS

"Unmasking Talent: Drama Club’s ‘Machinal’ Promises an Unforgettable Experience"

by Leilani Rollines

OTHS’s Spartan Players Drama Club is having their fall show soon and the audience is guaranteed an unforgettable experience. Drama Club’s cast and crew can’t wait to teach everyone about expressionism and life for a woman in the 1920’s.

“Machinal” was written in the wake of the Trial of Ruth Snyder, who killed her husband in cahoots with her lover. They were both executed in January 1928 by the electric chair, with Snyder being the first woman to be sentenced to death by electrocution. “I hope people will open their minds to a different style of theater and see that even though it’s shown in an expressionist setting, after 100 years, the concept is still relevant as the 20s”, says Ms. Gower, who is the director of OTHS Drama Club. 

Expressionism puts an emphasis on uncovering intense emotions and the failure of societal systems that have been overlooked. In “Machinal”, playwright Sophie Treadwell expresses the life of a woman in the 1920s: how she must look, must dress, must act, must behave, how they must talk, and how they must think. Each character in the show represents a part of society, like the office workers representing the mechanical way people are at work. 

The fall show will run from November 21 to November 23 at 7pm and the in-school performance will be November 19 during 1st, 2nd, and 4th block. Our student director, Harmony Greene, wishes that “When watching this play, people get entertainment and an emotional connection. I also want them to know that it's always good to learn something new and learn things from different people’s perspectives”.

Check out the Full Press Release Below: