In February of 2020, just before the world turned upside down, Daleko Arts produced the regional premiere (and to date only production) of Lauren Gunderson's play
Ada and the Engine about Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Now nimbus theatre (a company that almost exclusively does original work) is bringing us a new original play about Ada written by #TCTheater's own Nissa Nordland, because we can never have too many plays about historical women of science. Especially Ada, a particular favorite of mine as a woman with a BA in math, an MS in statistics, and a day job as a statistical programmer. Ada lived a short but full life with many accomplishments that weren't always recognized in her lifetime, but provided the foundation for our world today. Nissa has written a lovely, funny, moving, inspiring play that gives us a full picture of Ada and her world, beautifully brought to life by a talented five-person cast and clever design.
Only four more performances remain at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.
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Gabi Jones as Ada Lovelace
(photo courtesy of nimbus) |
Playwright Nissa Nordland has done a great job condensing
Ada Lovelace's life into about two hours, taking us from Ada's infanthood, born in 1815 to the famous playboy poet
Lord Byron and his wife Anabella, an educated woman of science, to the end of her life. As the years tick by via a clever scroll with block numbers in negative space, we watch Ada grow from a curious and playful child into a scholar of math and science. When she meets
Charles Babbage, they become partners in something called the "analytical engine," a never-built prototype for the modern computer. Despite her marriage to (in this version of the story) a loving and supportive husband, the Earl of Lovelace, which produced three children, Ada's first and greatest love was science. But she was also the daughter of a poet (who she charmingly talks to after his death), and her creative thinking comes from combining poetry and science, what she called "poetical science." As I've long known, math and science are not dry and boring, they can be beautiful and magical. This play, and Ada's work, draws connections between science and poetry, between mathematics and music, between our world and the stars.
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the Countess and Earl of Lovelace (Gabi Jones and
Derek Lee Miller, photo courtesy of nimbus) |
nimbus' co-Artistic Director Josh Cragun directs the play and infuses it with some lovely movement and physical theater elements, particularly in the motion of the engine, and the play moves gracefully through time. This is a really strong five-person cast, with most of them playing multiple characters. Except for Gabi Jones, who only plays Ada, but does it to perfection. From the child Ada to the woman at the end of her life, she fully embodies this smart, passionate, vibrant woman and scholar. So much so that it wasn't until intermission that I realized she was @gabis_vintage, who wrote and performed
one of my favorite Minnesota Fringe shows last year, and wrote the book
How to Dress Vintage. The native Minnesotan no longer lives here, but I'm so glad nimbus convinced her to come back for this. Tara Lucchino is also great as Ada's mother, another smart and accomplished woman. Derek Lee Miller plays both Ada's charming father (as he literally steps down from a portrait) and her loving husband, with some impressive guitar playing. David Tufford portrays Charles Babbage as a brilliant eccentric, and Victoria Pyan brings humor to every role she plays, including Ada's mentor
Mary Somerville, an accomplished scientist in her own right.
The set is also a lovely mix of science and poetry. In addition to the clever way of marking the passage of time, the set also features a huge punch card, used to program early computers and a plot point. Butterflies and huge purple roses adorn the set, representing Ada's poetic side. Characters are dressed in period clothing, a series of beautiful dresses for Ada, 19th Century suits for the men, including a recreation of a famous portrait of Lord Byron. And I may be biased, but I love the intro of the show, which overlays sound clips of real women in STEM (including yours truly), because we are Ada's legacy. (Scenic design by Ursula K Bowden, costume design by Krista J. Weiss, sound design by Forest Godfrey.)
Ada Lovelace is an important historical figure who deserves to have many plays written about her, and Nissa Nordland has beautifully captured her life and her essence in this play, well realized by the cast and creative team at nimbus. Themes of technology and how we interact with it, and women fighting to be respected and credited for their work, are very relevant today.
Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science continues through April 19.
