Machinal

Sophie Treadwell's classic expressionist play inspired by the true story of Ruth Snyder, who murdered her husband and later went to the electric chair. Directed by Mark Jackson, an SF State alumnus.

Noted Bay Area director and SF State alum Mark Jackson — named 2007 Best Theatrical Auteur by SF Weekly — directs “Machinal,” a classic expressionist play inspired by the true story of Ruth Snyder, who murdered her husband and later went to the electric chair. Jackson’s intense, physical production makes parallels between the 1928 setting of the play and 2008. In both eras, mounting technological, moral and economic pressures emerge in a mechanized society, creating a burning anxiety nationwide. Something has to give.