“Machinal,” the latest City College film production, sends the spectator on an intense and thought-provoking journey to the ‘20s thanks in significant part to the adept actors and actresses incorporated.

“Theater is an addiction,” actress Annie Diehl said, beaming after completing her lively performances as Telephone Girl and Court Reporter.

The central theme of “Machinal” is a detached and forcefully interconnected relationship spider-web that drives home the robotically plain nature of the time period. This monotony eventually drives one woman with elusively sincere emotions to insanity.

Leading lady actress Megan Connors utilized an impressive ability to alter her own far less neurotic personality to fit the part of Helen Jones.

Suffering from acute self-questioning and panic attacks as a result of the insensitive and oblivious people surrounding her, Jones life-and-death fate relies on a court decision after being accused of murdering her husband

“[Megan] had such a great handle on the try-out monologue,” Director Katie Laris said. “She displayed all the right qualities – vulnerability and sweetness.”

Connors was one of a daunting 40 to try out for the part, however she was at ease throughout the process.

“I can relate to my character a lot. I draw from different experiences in my life to get those emotions,” she said. “I felt really comfortable. I knew how I should act and I wasn’t too worried about it.”

Diehl felt differently.

“I was so nervous [for “Machinal” auditions.] Going into a new program, you never know what it’s going to be like but it’s amazing that there are such talented people here.”

Diehl arrived to City College this year and was the recipient of a nomination for an Irene Ryan Award for her role in a former production while attending Diablo Valley College in the Bay Area.

The French word “machinal” means “mechanical” in English, which was the building block for the settings of each of the nine episodes throughout the play.

Although the cast put on a realistic performance, the symbolically incessant ticks of the Remington typewriters, disconcerting construction din and peevish baby cries supplemented the insipid steel-and-gray filled scenes.

The cast was even instructed by Laris to speak as though they were robots when addressing the cracking character Helen Jones to make Jones’ bubble of internal ostracism yet the more exacerbated.

“The robotic voice was difficult to grasp because simultaneously you don’t want to seem monotone, but Katie is so insightful,” Diehl said of the challenging characteristic.

Lighting techniques were used to dramatize monologues along with somewhat eerie echoing effects and severely spastic, hard movements of the characters complete with bulging and rapid eye movement.

Jesse Garcia who plays multiple parts in “Machinal” made himself exceedingly memorable throughout the play. As Bailiff, his authoritative and sharp-edged movements were quite effective. He makes it difficult to believe that this was his debut performance at City College and as an actor.

As far as difficulties go, it would outwardly seem that the cast and crew of “Machinal” juggled none.

However, “finding the style – balancing the emotional demands and the stylization of roles” Laris said was the most challenging part of turning the production into the success that it clearly was.

“We’ve had a great run and the audiences are really enjoying it,” she said.