From Feb. 19–22, Campbellsville University will tell the story of Ada Lovelace, a visionary who imagined machines that could sing. “Ada and the Engine,” written by Lauren Gunderson, is set in 1830s England and will be directed at Campbellsville University by assistant professor of theatre Christen Connolly. The production team includes Starr Garret, Alia McClendon, Kristin Dowdy, Haley Hutchins, Eli Wiggins and Logan Christner.
Ada Lovelace is the daughter of Lord Byron, the famous poet. According to laurengunderson.com, she is a “fiery, brilliant woman who wrote the first computer program and imagined that computers would make music…in 1830.” At the age of 17, she and Charles Babbage learn to program computers to do complicated calculations, talk to themselves, predict outcomes and to even create music.
“What excites me about this story is that it’s about what it means to be a woman with a mind that moves faster than the world around her,” Connolly said. “Ada sees machines not only as tools for calculation, but as engines of imagination that can create music and new ways of thinking.”
Star Garrett, professor of theatre and director of theatre and dance, who is the technical director and lighting designer, said the cast has been practicing since last semester.
“I think it’s a good reminder of a couple things,” Garrett said. “It’s a good reminder that we need to dream outside of the parameters of the moment. She was really envisioning something that could be…. The container that the world wants to put you in isn’t always the container that you have to fit in.”
Connolly said she hopes this production will help bridge the gap between the arts and science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
“Ada and the Engine shows that imagination, creativity and storytelling are not separate from scientific discovery,” she said. “I want audiences to see that innovation happens when disciplines talk to each other rather than isolate. Since the performers are playing real people, they have done a large amount of historical research on their characters. By embodying real individuals, the actors developed a greater sense of responsibility to tell these stories. I hope they learn how historical evidence informs performance and how honoring real lives deepens the emotional truth of the work onstage.”
Haley Hutchins works as a part-time faculty member, teaches courses in the theatre department, oversees the creation and purchasing of the costumes and manages student crew members who are assigned to the costume shop. She said she based the costumes off historical research as well as the native birds of England.
“The color palettes are based off of birds native to England, the country the play is taking place, and how those birds’ personalities reflect those of the characters,” Hutchins said.
Hutchins said that every production teaches her something different about her design process and creativity, as well as how to work with others better. She said she enjoys working with Connolly and the rest of the design team.
“Working together to bring a vision to life is always an excellent learning experience,” she said.
Hutchins hopes the audience will walk away with a new sense of respect for women who work in male dominated fields. She also hopes the performers will grow in their confidence after acting in these roles and that they will grow in their acting skills.
Elizabeth Wiggins, the props design assistant, finds and purchases props as well as helps to create props for the show.
“It is a lot more difficult than I initially thought it might be,” Wiggins said. “It taught me about the amount of work that goes into a process like this.”
Wiggins is hoping that “Ada and the Engine” will teach audiences and performers more about the past and what these historical figures were like. She said she would like the audience to learn these historical facts and to gain more of an understanding of the story.
Kristen Dowdy, assistant professor of theatre and dance, is the show’s sound designer and is also helping with props. While working on the show, she learned that she’s a perfectionist.
“I have learned throughout this process that I really am a perfectionist and I also really like to feel prepared and get things done early, and it’s sometimes frustrating when you can’t know if something’s working until later in the process,” Dowdy said.
Dowdy wants this performance to get people to think about humanity as a whole and how people are all interconnected to their pasts and how people are all connected to their futures, specifically through the sound design.
“We’re using modern songs, but the show is set in the 1800s, and so how does our past help connect us to that?” Dowdy said. “So, the music being contemporary, I think, is a great representation of that, that we’re all of our family’s history, we’re all of our society’s past histories wrapped into one.”
Tickets for “Ada and the Engine” can be bought online at www.townhallpro.com. General admission will be $15. Student tickets will be free. CU faculty, staff, military, seniors who are 65 and older, and kids who are 12 or under will pay a discounted ticket price of $10. Updates on the production will be posted on the Campbellsville University Theatre and Dance Facebook page.
