The Empty Space’s mission is to provide professional quality live theatre to the community of Bakersfield and to create an opportunity for local actors, directors and technicians to work in a creative environment that allows them to express themselves and their artistic ideas while encouraging them to continue to study and improve their craft.
Description
MACHINAL
Written by Sophie Treadwell
Directed by Ron Warren
September 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 @ 7:30pm
September 20 @ 2pm
ABOUT THE SHOW
From the outside, Helen Jones and her husband had a ‘happy marriage’. Until she murdered him.
Based on the true crime story of Ruth Snyder in 1928 that shook a nation, Sophie Treadwell’s seminal Machinal follows a young woman struggling to maintain her identity in a world determined to define it for her. Pressured into marriage, motherhood, and a life she never truly chose, she finds herself trapped within systems that value obedience over individuality.
Machinal follows a 1920’s Everywoman’s rebellion against a life of crushing conformity—where passion, desperation, and defiance collide in a shocking act of violence. However, nearly a century after its debut, this play remains a strikingly relevant meditation on gender, power, and the oppression of “the machine.”
Starring: Charlotte Smith, Matthew Brown, Julia Stansbury, Tyler Espinoza, Jason Dollar, Luca Basulto, Erica Ortega, Malia Williams, Adam Decker, Daniel Ramos, Tyler Thomas, and Yelitza Amador
TICKETS
$25 general admission
$20 seniors & students
RUSH SEATS: All unsold seats are available at the door each night for pay-what-you-can, and subject to availability first-come, first-serve.
Refund/Exchange Policy: Tickets are non-refundable but may be transferred to another show date of the same production. Please respond to your confirmation email at least 48 hours in advance. Emailing less than 48 hours in advance is subject to availability. No tickets will be transferred after the event starts.
Content Warning: This production contains themes of misogyny, coercive marriage, unwanted sexual advances, mental health struggles, infidelity, murder, imprisonment, and execution. Audience members who may be affected by these subjects should plan accordingly.
Health and Safety COVID Policies: Masks are optional and guests are encouraged to stay home if they are ill or have recently been exposed to Covid or other illnesses.
Running Time: 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission
Age Range: This show is recommended for ages 12 and up. Children under 5 will not be admitted.
Late Policy: Due to the intimate size of our theater, we unfortunately are not able to seat late patrons. Thank you for your understanding.
Additional Information About this Show: The use of video or audio recording including still photos is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Photos may be taken pre- and post-show and at intermission.
More Frequently Asked Questions and Additional Theatre Policies may be found on our POLICIES PAGE.
Date & Time
Sep 18 - 26, 2026
Venue Details
The Empty Space
5417 Woodmere DriveBakersfield, California 93313
