Brava Theatre Presents MACHINAL Opening March 12

Brava is be presenting Sophie Treadwell's acclaimed expressionistic classic Machinal directed by Evren Odcikin opening March 12.

Machinal is a story of isolation of a young woman whose entire life has been dictated by the people and machines that surround her She dutifully follows the rituals of work, marriage, and childbirth in hopes of finding peace, but when she begins to discover her own desires and needs, the story takes a turn to the unthinkable. Inspired by the real life case of convicted and executed murderess Ruth Snyder and told with a unique juxtaposition of domestic drama, fast-paced language, an experimental soundscape, and striking visuals, Machinal is considered one of the highpoints of Expressionism in American theatre history. Machinal runs March 11-21, 2009 at Brava Theater Center in the heart of San Francisco's Mission district (2781 24th Street, San Francisco). For tickets and more information, please visit the Brava website at www.brava.org.

The play will find an unexpected home in Brava's intimate 2nd Stage with a minimalist production that places the audience all around the action to build on the claustrophobic nature of Treadwell's groundbreaking work. "Machinal is about a young woman's personal struggle with an oppressive society and I think it's essential for the audience to be a part of that society that controls and envelops her life during the course of the play," says director Evren Odcikin.

Juliet Tanner will be playing the central role of Young Woman. Joining Ms. Tanner in ensemble roles playing over 20 individual characters are local favorites Linda Ayres-Frederick (Mother and others), Madeline Brown (Telephone Girl and others), Matthew Chavez (Lover and others), Lawrence Radecker (Husband and others), Randy Rollison (Priest and others), and Christopher White (Doctor and others). The design team behind Machinal includes Josh Goldston Peek (set design), Jarrod Fischer (light design), Will McCandless (sound design), and Steven Lamont (costume design).

Evren Odcikin is a San Francisco-based director, dramaturg, and set designer. His Bay Area directing credits include Blood Wedding (Shotgun Players), The Greek Play (elastic future), 22 Minutes Remaining (Golden Thread Productions), Edge (Phoenix Arts Theatre), Road to Mecca (Secondwind), Death of Yazdgerd (Darvag), and Heavy Days (Shotgun Theatre Lab). He was the dramaturg on Mother Courage and Her Children, Owners, Quills at Shotgun Players and Blue/Orange at Aurora Theatre Company. He has directed numerous readings and workshops at Magic Theatre, TheatreFirst, and Bay Area Playwrights Festival and designed sets for mugwumpin, elastic future, Golden Thread Productions, Shotgun Players. His upcoming projects include directing Ecstasy (A Water Fable) with Golden Thread and designing the set for Wreckage with Crowded Fire.