IMAGE: Penn State Harrisburg
Maria Enriquez, director of the play and assistant teaching professor of theater at the college, said that she faced difficulty over the summer in selecting a play for the fall production, as the pandemic made it more difficult to secure production rights to certain titles. She decided on “Machinal” in early August, having previously directed a production of the play.
“I was very familiar with this play,” she said. “As a director, you have to know the play forwards and backwards, do all of the necessary research, and understand the cultural context.” Enriquez already had this work under her belt, so this decision made the process easier to navigate during a pandemic.