HoiTong Ung

Machinal shows different phases of life that an American woman in the 1920s comes in contact with. It reveals the contrast of the woman’s tender character against the mechanised world with no freedom. By setting in the original period exposes the audience to the contrast of women’s life and social status a hundred years ago.

Inspired by marionettes and the way in which they are manipulated by strings, all furniture elements are hung on wires from above to show the control of the society. More furniture will be introduced after each scene change until the last episode when the young woman, who cannot escape her fate, is electrocuted on the final element - an electric chair.

The stage is surrounded by metal frames which lock the world into a restricted area, literally putting the characters in a cage. This abstraction further emphasises the sense of control with the people unable to escape the space.