The Beautiful Machine – A Sci-Fi, Pop/Rock Musical

Pop Theater is thrilled to present The Beautiful Machine – An original Sci-Fi Pop/Rock Musical- part of the 5th Annual San Diego International Fringe Festival with five performances at Centro Cultural de la Raza, Balboa Park, San Diego, June 24 – July 1, 2017. 

The Beautiful Machine is set in a dystopian, futuristic enclosed city. The government has turned to inhumane population control techniques, exterminating those who do not qualify as “complete” or “viable” specimens for procreation. Ben Phoenix, a newly promoted engineer has recently been exiled to the dark fringes of society. Alone and distraught, he has been left with nothing, and yet he is the most talked about person in the city. Why is his name on so many tongues? Why is everyone fighting to recruit him? Is he the one with the key to bringing down the regime? 

The Beautiful Machine is produced, co-written and composed by Mike Neumann (Pop Theater), co-written by Josh Switzer and Directed by Domonique Evans, a graduate student in the SDSU MFA Musical Theatre program, one of only two such programs in the United States. Neumann, a math teacher at San Ysidro High School, calls The Beautiful Machine  “Sci-Fi and Pop Music – a recipe for fun!” and his inspiration was “wanting to make musical theater

“non-believers” into fans of the genre, by connecting theater to a musical style that is easily accessible by everyone”.  Pop Theater is an up-and-coming theater group debuting its first production in the San Diego International Fringe Festival! Our vision is to expand the genre of the Sci-Fi musical and bring more fans to musical theater.

The inspiration for Director Domonique Evans “came from my previous directors in both high school and the collegiate level. Without them I wouldn’t be the man or performer I am today. I would love to impact, inspire, and guide our next generation as I was.”. Domonique’s view on The Beautiful Machine is “A story about evolution and a government that is afraid of any kind of change”. 

The Beautiful Machine Cast includes: Chris Chiles as Ben Phoenix, Brent Roberts as Roman Valice, Kimberly Moller as Clarity Providence, Lindsey Denham as Xandelle Jackson

Jillian Jackson as Anna Phoenix and Kitty Baton Rouge, Leo Chang as Jimmy Philadelphia

Emmy Farese as Charlotte (and Understudy Clarity), Terence J. Burke as President

Riece Johnson as Dibbs, Alexandra Lee as Sydney Bismarck (Understudy Xandelle)

Thomas Reasoner as Conway (Understudy Ben)

The Beautiful Machine wishes to ‘give back’! Fractured Atlas Crowdfunding Page, a portion of ticket sales will go to Limbs for Life Foundation.

TICKET INFORMATION: General Admission tickets are $10 (Plus $5 Fringe Tag): https://sdfringe.ticketleap.com/beautiful-machine/dates

SCHEDULE: Saturday, June 24 – 6:00 pm; Monday, June 26 – 6:00 pm;

Wednesday, June 28 – 7:30 pm; Friday, June 30 – 9:00 pm; & Saturday, July 1 – 4:00 pm 

LOCATION: Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., (Balboa Park) San Diego, CA 92101

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact poptheater@gmail.com or call 619-672-4644.

The Beautiful Machine Website; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeautifulmachine/

For press info, interviews, photos or press comps, please contact: Susan J. Farese,

SJF Communications: 408-398-5940;  sjfcommunications@gmail.com