Photos by Mike Morgan Photography.
ADA AND THE ENGINE
January 20-February 4, 2023
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Raven Lawes
Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age! As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul mate Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Together, they envision a whole new world where art and information converge—a world Ada might not live to see. A music-laced tale of love, friendship, and dreams!
Cast:
Ada Byron Lovelace - Cheyenne Haynes
Lady Annabella Byron - Ivy Opdyke
Mary Sommerville - Melissa Crouch
Charles Babbage - Stephen Miller
Lord Byron - Leon Watson II
Lord Lovelace - Lionel Gonzalez
Creative Team:
Director - Raven Lawes
Admin Producer - Evelyn G. Hall
Tech Producer/Master Carpenter - Steven Merritt
Stage Manager - Rayven Harris
Assistant Stage Manager - Dorothy Jolly
Lighting Designer - Mia Lindemann
Scenic Designer - Ellen Mizener
Set Dresser - Bruce R. Coleman
Sound Designer - Ryan Brazil
Costume Designer - Dallas Costume Shoppe/Michael A. Robinson
Property Designer - Meredith Butterfield
Light Board Operator - Eric Ryan
Sound Board Operator (A1) - Ryan Brazil
Additional creative team members to be announced!
"I am thrilled to be making my MainStage directorial debut with Ada and the Engine, after appearing as Christine Penmark in Bad Seed last season. It's humbling to reflect on being given the opportunity to express my artistry both in front of and behind the curtain. Telling stories has always been a passion of mine and this story is definitely one worth telling. One of the most remarkable aspects of Ada and the Engine is Ada's vision of the future, notably the potentiality in the 'analytic engine,' being used not only to compute but create art. I hope audiences will sense the genius that these historical figures' passion, perseverance, and creativity held. Ada believed in the power of her ideas, of a future where the impossible was possible. I, too, believe that each us of hold a little genius within and, like Ada and Babbage, that we are all capable of making our dreams a reality."
-Raven Lawes, Director