James tests out the avant-garde set of his production, Machinal, in the Wells-Metz Theatre during rehearsal. James Nelson began his directing career with an English-speaking theatre group in Germany and has been an IU director and instructor since 2016.
James rounds up his actors for a briefing before rehearsal in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Directing a play about female oppression, James approaches every Machinal rehearsal with humility and a collaborative spirit.
James plays with the string décor before rehearsal on the set of his production, Machinal. The strings symbolize the theme of imprisonment in a woman’s world.
James and actor Felix Merback examine the string dinner table prop before rolling it on the set of Machinal. James has collaborated with his design team to represent societal imprisonment through strings and black-and-white angles.
James arranges his actors on set in the Wells-Metz Theatre for rehearsal of Episode One, the Prison of Automation. Machinal is structured around nine episodes of Young Woman’s life, with each episode representing a socially-constructed “prison” of femininity.
Actress Kaleigh Howland screams with exasperation in her role in Episode One as an overworked employee of the male corporate world. Machinal depicts nine prisons of the female experience, with Episode One symbolizing the Prison of Automation in a male work-centric society.
Actress Abby Lee and actor Joshua M. Smith rehearse a speakeasy scene on set in the Wells-Metz Theatre as Young Woman and her love interest. Their romance represents one of nine prisons of the female experience: the Prison of False Hope.
Young Woman, played by Abby Lee, awaits her punishment during rehearsal of a court scene. Machinal is an expressionist play that portrays the world to audiences through Young Woman’s eyes: a colorless, angular world of imprisonment.
James converses with actress Abby Lee during rehearsal of the final scene in the Wells-Metz Theatre. James always listens to his actors’ insights in the rehearsal room and incorporates them onto the stage.
Stage lights are the finishing touch to the perfect play in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Machinal takes the stage on February 23rd with final performances on March 3rd.
Actors Connor Starks, Caleb Curtis, and Nathaniel Kohlmeier portray the oppressive law enforcers that stifle Young Woman’s voice in Episode Eight, the Prison of the Word. Machinal addresses female marginalization in all areas of society: work, home, socializing, and even the court of law.
James watches the final run-through of Machinal in the Wells-Metz Theatre at the end of rehearsal. Throughout his experience directing this production, James has learned the importance of listening to other voices.
Jagged white lines, prison bar-like strings from floor to ceiling, and a black, avant-garde set rarely come to mind when one imagines the world of theatre. Many envision theatre as an escape from the trials of reality: whimsical sets, frilly costumes, and stories of magic, romance, and triumph. However, one Indiana University director is tasked with telling a disturbing, less-idealistic tale of marginalization.
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