MACHINAL
A story by Sophie Treadwell, based on the life of Ruth Snyder, a woman convicted of murder.
Machinal tells the story of Helen Jones( inspired by Snyder), a woman not quite living the American dream in the late 1920s. As her life progresses, Helen follows the rituals that society would expect of a woman at that time, despite her opposition to them. She is forced into marriage with her repulsive boss, in fear of losing her job as a stenographer, and has a child. After her affair with a younger man, Helen is driven to murder her husband in a final act of defiance. She is then found guilty of homicide and is executed. Miserable, we know.
In December, our Year 10 ensemble was led by the wonderful Ms Willis to stage this play within three months. At first the cast had doubts:‘ How is this going to work?’,‘ What’ s the difference between Young Woman, Woman, and Woman 1?’ and,‘ I really hope this won’ t be as stressful as The Pearl [ last year’ s production ].’ Our principal role, Young Woman, was played by many of the talented actresses in the cast throughout the play, wearing the signature dreaded red jumpsuit and cap, calling for some fast costume changes backstage. The show often felt fuelled on adrenaline alone.
But despite pneumonia, a dislocated knee, concussion and a missing flower on opening night, it was a great show, balancing both comic moments of tomfoolery and philosophical moments of selfconflict. And we had fun on and off stage. Games of Splat before performances were a highlight, and really helped reduce nerves. Both cast and crew joined in, even Ms Willis herself. Despite it being a very serious and dark play, it was one of the most enjoyable I’ ve ever performed in. It was an amazing experience, for everybody involved, and hopefully our audiences too!
Owen Pearse, Year 10
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2024-2025 41