Ada and the Engine
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jon Jon Johnson
Virtual live performances January 15-February 6, 2021
Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm
Sunday matinees at 2pm on January 24 and 31
“It is not to be missed.” – DC Metro Theater Arts
“Very much worth watching.” – Maryland Theatre Guide
At age 18, Ada Byron is fixated on mathematics, music, and the legacy of her absent, infamous father poet Lord Byron. When she meets Charles Babbage — whose conception of the Difference Engine was a critical first step towards the computer — the two begin a long intellectual partnership, with suppressed romantic undercurrents. Ada’s mother works hard to keep her daughter from a marriage of passion to a man significantly older that is sure to provoke scandal and pushes her to marry Lord Lovelace instead. Over time, Ada still finds a way to provide critical insights into the would-be Engine and playwright Lauren Gunderson gives us a glimpse of another woman from history whose life and contributions have been kept out of our public consciousness.
Producers – Alika Codispoti and Maura Suilebhan
Cast:
Ada Byron Lovelace – Danielle Gallo
Lady Anabella Byron – Dayalini Pocock
Charles Babbage – Kevin Dykstra
Lord Lovelace – Nick Temple
Mary Sommerville – Susan Holliday
Byron – Walter Riddle
Understudies:
Ada Byron Lovelace – Shana Laski
Lord Lovelace, Charles Babbage, and Byron – Diego Maramba
Lady Anabella Byron and Mary Sommerville – Nancy Blum
Production Team:
Stage Manager – Kristen Davis
Assistant Stage Manger – Sophia Menconi
Intimacy Choreographer – Helen Aberger
Lighting Designer – Ian Claar
Sound Designer – Jeff Goldgeier
Costume Designer – Stephenie Yee
Set Designer – Leigh K. Rawls
Dialect Coach – Lena Winter