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Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine at
NCSU Is as Instructive as It Is Entertaining

The N.C. State University Theatre production of Ada and the Engine stars Brayden Spencer Hearn
and Chloe Dexter as Charles Babbage and Lady Ada Byron Lovelace (photo by Matt Ramey)

Twelfth-grade English students are taught about British poet George Gordon, Lord Byron; and they are served up a few of his poems. But we are never taught anything about his daughter, Lady Ada Byron Lovelace, and her mark on the world. Playwright Lauren Gunderson and the N.C. State University Theatre and director Mia Self come to the rescue with Ada and the Engine! The second week of this shows two-week run can be seen Wednesday-Sunday, April 10-14, in the Titmus Theatre in N.C. State University's Frank Thompson Hall in Raleigh.

Wikipedia tells us that Ada Byron was "the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron and reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke," that "Byron separated from his wife a month after Ada was born," and that Ada "was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine ... [and] the first to recognize that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation." It is also worth noting that "Ada described her approach [to her studies of math and science] as 'poetical science,' and herself as an 'Analyst (& Metaphysician).'"

Chloe Dexter stars as Lady Ada Byron Lovelace in Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine at NCSU (photo by Matt Ramey)

The Play:

As this production of Lauren Gunderson's play begins, we witness the upstage "construction" of a "human machine" that is "built" by several actor/dancers (which suggested to me a tight connection between art and science and between human-as-creator and creation). The costuming of these performers suggests not only creativity, but also the notion of work-in-progress and the idea of the human habit of imagining a future.

These performers act as "running crew" throughout the play (changing the set, striking props and set-pieces, etc.); but they do so in a stylized, creative fashion, thereby perpetuating the influence of creativity and art in Ada's life.

The action of the play begins in 1833, when Ada is 18; and it consists of a series of episodes in which we learn about the relationship between Ada and her rather domineering mother, about Ada's friendship and collaboration with Charles Babbage, about the progress of Babbage's development of his "Analytical Engine," about Ada's marriage to Lord Lovelace, and about key events Ada's life until her death in 1852 at age 36 (and a little thereafter). Most of these episodes are representative of moments in her life, but there are a few scenes in which Ada and Charles recite (back-and-forth) letters that the two wrote to each other.

Becket Patterson stars as Lord Byron in Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine at NCSU (photo by Matt Ramey)

The Acting:

Chloe Dexter captures the passion, the exuberance, and the headstrong determination of the free-spirited Ada as she faces the restrictions placed on women in Victorian society. She also realistically plays Ada's final moments with aplomb.

As Lady Anabella Byron (Ada's mother), Kira Lee Britt's posture and carriage let us know from the moment that she walks on stage that her character is a no-nonsense, no-questions-asked type of parent. And Britt's performance sustains this attitude throughout.

Brayden Spencer Hearn, as Charles Babbage, definitely has "the look." Hearn shows the character's commitment to his invention as well as his sense of propriety (and his reaction to his momentary diversion from it).

Solomon Hill plays Lord Lovelace's conventionality to the hilt and makes sure that we do not miss the idea that, in the Ada-Babbage-Lovelace dynamic, he is the odd man out.

Dasha Royal (as Mary Somerville) and Becket Patterson (as Lord Byron) and the members of the ensemble round out the cast.

The N.C. State University Theatre production of Ada and the Engine stars (from left) Solomon Hill as Lord Lovelace,
Chloe Dexter as Lady Ada Byron Lovelace, and Brayden Spencer Hearn as Charles Babbage (photo by Matt Ramey)

The Tech:

Scenic designer Jayme Mellema, lighting and sound designer Robyn Warfield, projection designer Joshua Reaves, and technical director David Jensen team up to serve an audio-visual-cerebral feast.

As designer of costumes, hair, and makeup, Laura J. Parker does the show proud with regard to period-specificity as well as to the surreal, imaginative aspects of the piece. Especially impressive are:

• The manipulation of the weights on the rope-and-pulley system used to signify scene changes and to define the acting areas.
• The suggestions of machinery painted on the floor and appearing on the backdrop.
• The gradual changes to the backdrop (and the number of elements involved) as the show moves toward the end.
• The costumes in the final scene.

The N.C. State University Theatre production of Ada and the Engine stars (from left) Brayden Spencer Hearn as Charles
Babbage, Chloe Dexter as Lady Ada Byron Lovelace, and Dasha Royal as Mary Somerville (photo by Matt Ramey)

Nice Touches:

• Using stacks of books for weights in the pulley system.
• The choreography of the scene changes and the variety of the movements.
• Two onstage costume changes (that seem to signal major changes).
• The occasions on which Lord Byron's poetry is an issue and/or an element in the play.

Memorable Lines:

• "They all think the poems are about them."
• "Math is the opposite of passion."
• "Music and Mathematics share a language."
• "I shall be a bride of science."
• "Would you tell me what a logarithm is?"

The N.C. State University Theatre will stage Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine on April 4-14 (photo by Matt Ramey)

The Bottom Line:

This show is as instructive as it is entertaining. It fills in some gaps in the story that we call "history" (while reminding us that gaps have existed and most likely will continue to exist). It is two hours well-spent.

Chloe Dexter Brayden and Spencer Hearn star as Lady Ada Byron Lovelace and Charles Babbage (photo by Matt Ramey)

Lauren Gunderson's ADA AND THE ENGINE (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 10-14), directed by Mia Self, and starring Chloe Dexter as Lady Ada Byron Lovelace, Kira Lee Britt as Lady Anabella Byron, Brayden Spencer Hearn as Charles Babbage, Solomon Hill as Lord Lovelace, Dasha Royal as Mary Somerville, and Becket Patterson as Lord Byron, plus an Ensemble that includes dance/movement captain Brianna Bernhardt, fight/intimacy captain Brinley Carter, Constantina Anastasia Pappas, Abhirami Archana Linesh, Quinn Kinser, and Nicole Cooper-Williams and Swings that include Angela N. Farmer, Lucy Roseman, and Connor Martinez (N.C. State University Theatre in the Titmus Theatre in N.C. State University's Frank Thompson Hall in Raleigh). PROGRAM: https://theatre.arts.ncsu.edu/playbill-ada-and-the-engine/program/. CAST BIOS: https://theatre.arts.ncsu.edu/playbill-ada-and-the-engine/meet-the-cast/. PRESENTER: https://theatre.arts.ncsu.edu/, https://www.facebook.com/ncstateuniversitytheatre/, https://www.instagram.com/ncstateuniversitytheatre/, https://twitter.com/NCSUTheatre, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIfzSeRcRkzZHdPb4ltSzBw. VENUE: https://arts.ncsu.edu/about/plan-your-visit/facilities/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://theatre.arts.ncsu.edu/plan-your-visit/directions-and-parking/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://theatre.arts.ncsu.edu/home/access-services/. COVID REQUIREMENTS: https://www.ncsu.edu/coronavirus/. ADA AND THE ENGINE (2016 Central Works Method play): https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=5694, https://www.laurengunderson.com/all-plays/ada-and-the-engine, and https://newplayexchange.org/plays/47247/ada-and-engine. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. LAUREN GUNDERSON (Atlanta, GA-born playwright and screenwriter): https://www.laurengunderson.com/, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/27155, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4454013/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Gunderson. TICKETS: $27 general admission ($10 NCSU students and youth, and $23 seniors 60+ and NCSU faculty and staff), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-515-1100 or universitytheatre@ncsu.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: N.C. State University Theatre.

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