The Department of Theatre will present the romantic historical drama “Ada and the Engine” by Lauren Gunderson at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 8-9, in the Fain Fine Arts Center Theatre.

In the early 1800s, as the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soulmate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge – a world she might not live to see. Although Babbage’s version of the machine was not built, the program Ada wrote for it remains.

Morgan Mallory, Assistant Professor of Music Theatre and Acting, said that the production was student-driven. “All this was put together by our amazing students. The production staff, the director, and all actors are students,” Mallory said.

Director Denush Vidanipathirana said that the play was chosen because it is about the human side of a major scientific moment in history. “It also speaks about the often under-represented contribution that women have made to science, even at a time when they were not allowed equal standing in society," Vidanipathirana said.

General admission tickets are $10. The price is $8 for senior citizens and military. MSU students, faculty, and staff will be admitted free. Get tickets online or call the box office at 940-397-4393.