Eggtooth Productions Presents: DEUS EX MACHINA

Deus Ex Machina is a love letter to the Shea Theater and to theater-making itself.  Made for an intimate audience of 18 participants at a time, the hour-long piece guides them - scene to scene - through a series of encounters with characters inspired by the Shea’s history and legacy.  

The audience plays many roles across the show, from witness to direct participant.  The encounters they have with the show’s characters change scene to scene, moving them around the building’s spaces and across several eras, including the Shea’s history as a vaudeville house, a hippie commune, and a regional theater venue that has seen multiple iterations.

The show concludes with each participant gathering in the theater house for a final encounter with a single character from the show and a gift-giving ritual inspired from the theater’s early days.

Deus Ex Machina is a love letter to the Shea Theater and to theater-making itself.  Made for an intimate audience of 18 participants at a time, the hour-long piece guides them - scene to scene - through a series of encounters with characters inspired by the Shea’s history and legacy.  

The audience plays many roles across the show, from witness to direct participant.  The encounters they have with the show’s characters change scene to scene, moving them around the building’s spaces and across several eras, including the Shea’s history as a vaudeville house, a hippie commune, and a regional theater venue that has seen multiple iterations.

The show concludes with each participant gathering in the theater house for a final encounter with a single character from the show and a gift-giving ritual inspired from the theater’s early days.

First produced in 2017, Deus Ex Machina is a warm, mesmerizing production for an intimate audience of 18 members per show. With a cast the same size as our audience and the entire Shea Theater as our set, we welcome participants to rediscover the Shea’s storied eras since its 1927 opening through a series of surprising and sublime encounters. In addition to a number of familiar Eggtooth performers, including Eggtooth board member and Emmy nominated film and Broadway makeup designer Joe Dulude II and WRSI host Monte Belmonte, Deus will feature special guests Matthew Glassman, former co-artistic director at Double Edge Theater (Ashfield, MA) and Tara Boland, former Associate Enrichment Director of immersive theater giants Punchdrunk (London, UK).

Director/Designer: John Bechtold.

If $30 for a ticket presents a hardship, please contact lmciner@gmail.com for a discount.

The Shea Theater Arts Center is committed to providing a safe environment for artists, patrons, guests and staff. Due to the close proximity and intimate nature of immersive theater, Deus Ex Machina is open to fully vaccinated individuals and proof of vaccination will be required at the door at all performances of Eggtooth Productions Presents Deus Ex Machina. If you are unable to provide proof of vaccination, you will be refunded your ticket without question. Additionally, the Shea requires that patrons wear masks indoors at all times unless they are eating or drinking concessions. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.