Machinal | Lowe Center for the Arts
Machinal
By Sophie Treadwell
Directed by Mary Trotter
Machinal is a powerful expressionist play about the status of women in an increasingly mechanized society and the torture of a loveless marriage. From the outside, Helen Jones and her husband had a ‘happy marriage’. Until she murdered him. Based on the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder, Sophie Treadwell’s ground-breaking Machinal is a pulse-pounding journey of someone pushed to the breaking point by the relentless machinery of life, expectation, and convention. Machinal explores ideas of feminism, equality, crime, and freedom in Prohibition Era America.
Performance Dates
Feb. 27-28 & March 5-7, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
March 1 & 8, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Toland Theatre, Lowe Center for the Arts
Assigned Seating.
ONLINE ticket sales begin Wednesday, October 1 at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-and-dance. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the box office in the Lowe Center for the Arts or by calling 608.785.6696 beginning Monday, November 3 at 1:00 p.m. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.
ONLINE TICKETS: $20 adults; $18 senior citizens/non UWL students/military; $8 UWL students. Online tickets will have a small credit card processing fee added at checkout. Patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets online and download the tickets to their phone/email. Tickets may be purchased online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-and-dance beginning October 1, 2025.
IN PERSON/PHONE TICKETS: $22 for adults, $20 for senior/non UWL students/military and $10 for UWL students (processing/printing fee already included in the price). Tickets are available for purchase in person at the box office in the Lowe Center for the Arts or by calling 608.785.6696 beginning Monday, February 23 for in person/phone ticket sales. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.