Nancy Meckler is an American-born director, known for her approach to theatre, specifically her work in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

with Shared Experience, where she was a joint

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

alongside Polly Teale. Educated in the US and England,Crouch, Kristin Ann. "Shared Experience Theatre: Exploring the Boundaries of Performance." Order No. 3093639, The Ohio State University, 2003, pp. 143–183. she has directed for a number of prominent theatres, including the Globe Theatre, the Royal National Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also directed feature films such as ''Sister My Sister'', and ''Alive and Kicking/Indian Summer''.

Early life and education

Meckler is native to Long Island, New York. It was there that she began to take interest in the arts, though directing was not her original passion; at first she wanted to be an actor. She was initially attracted to theatre because of its ability to expose audiences to new and different worldviews. Meckler attended several academic institutions in the US, beginning with Antioch College for her undergraduate degree, then moving on to study acting at HB Studios. Finally, she obtained a master's degree in Performance Theory and Criticism from NYU. Meckler also spent a year in London training at the London Academy for the Dramatic Arts. After this, her focus slowly moved to directing; she realized she did not want to be in the spotlight, but still had a strong interest in theatre. Her future directorial pursuits were greatly steered by the New York avant-garde scene of the 1960s; her influences at the time included Jerzy Grotowski, a prominent experimental and avant-garde figure of the era. She moved to London in 1968, a time when many American artists were relocating to the UK, permanently changing the theatre scene in the places they landed.

Career

Once in the UK, Meckler founded the Freehold Theatre Company (1968–72), which, while it did not last long, had a successful and recognized production of the play ''Antigone''. In 1970, ''

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

'' was sent by the British Council to represent the UK at BITEF and the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. The Freehold Theatre Company won the John Whiting Award for New Writing in 1970. Freehold Theatre Company disbanded after Meckler started her family, but she returned to theatre shortly after, becoming the associate director at

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

. During this time, Meckler struggled with the constraints of directing traditional scripted plays and the structure of British theatre, as her work in the past had been more creative and experimental. In 1984, having outgrown the Hampstead scene, Meckler and her husband,

David Aukin David Aukin (born 12 February 1942) is an English theatrical and executive producer as well as a qualified solicitor. He has been nominated for multiple British Academy Television Awards and has won twice for producing films about Tony Blair: '' ...

, who she had been working with at Hampstead, relocated to Leicester Theatre in London. There, Meckler went on to direct the plays of authors such as

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and other traditional playwrights, but alongside that, she returned to her more experimental pursuits through freelance directing. Meckler was the first woman to direct at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, with

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

's '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' in 1981. She was the artistic director of Shared Experience Theatre, a fringe theatre company in London, from 1988 to 2011. The company is known for its non-traditional approaches to theatre, namely their tendency to stage well known plays in a way that has not been done before. Meckler has directed 5 plays at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

as well as ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. Like the original, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Southwark, Lon ...

Directing credits

As a Freelance Director 1972–2000

* Eight

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

plays (including world premieres of ''Killers Head'', ''

Action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

'', '' Curse of the Starving Class'', and ''A Particle of Dread: Oedipus Variations'') * ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897, and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstan ...

'' by

Anton Chekov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

–

, 1979. * ''Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi'' by

Pam Gems Pam Gems ( Iris Pamela Price; 1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an England, English playwright. The author of numerous original plays, as well as of adaptations of works by European playwrights of the past, Gems is best known for the 1978 Musi ...

– Hampstead Theatre and West End, 1976. * ''Sufficient Carbohydrate'' by Dennis Potter – Hampstead Theatre and West End, 1984. * ''Low Level Panic'' by Clare McIntyre –

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

Upstairs and

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a nonprofit theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London."About the Lyric" > "History" ''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved January 2024. Background The Lyric Theatre ...

, 1988. * ''St Joan'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

– Cambridge Theatre Company tour. * ''Rose'' by Martin Sherman – National Theatre and Broadway ( Lincoln Centre, 2000).

Artistic Director of Shared Experience Theatre 1988-2011

* ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumou ...

– '' Edinburgh Festival, UK tour, 1988. * ''Abingdon Square'' by

Maria Irene Fornes Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

– Soho Poly (1989), National Theatre (1990). * '' The Birthday Party'' by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

– UK tour, 1990. * ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, Анна Каренина, p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Tolstoy called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial in ...

'' adapted by

Helen Edmundson Helen Edmundson (born 1964) is a British playwright, screenwriter and producer. She has won awards and critical acclaim both for her original writing and for her adaptations of various literary classics for the stage and screen. Early life Edmu ...

– UK tour and World tour, 1992. * '' Mill on the Floss'' adapted by Helen Edmundson (co-director Polly Teale) – UK tour and World Tour, 2001. * ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

'' adapted by Helen Edmundson (co-director Polly Teale) – UK tour, National Theatre, 2008. * '' A Passage to India'' adapted by Martin Sherman - UK tour, BAM Next Wave Festival, New York, 2004. * ''Bronte'' by Polly Teale – Watermill, UK tour, Tricycle Theatre.

Freelance director 2011 – present

With the Royal Shakespeare Company

* ''House of Desires'' * ''Romeo and Juliet'' * ''The Comedy of Errors'' * ''All's Well that Ends Well'' * ''The Heresy of Love'' by Helen Edmundson * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''

= Other

= * ''King Lear'' – Shakespeare's Globe 2017.

Filmography

Meckler has directed two films, '' Sister My Sister'' (1994) and ''

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or mor ...

'' (aka ''Alive & Kicking'') (1996). Both films contain LGBTQ+ subject matter, Robin Griffiths has categorized ''Sister My Sister'' as a notable queer British film. Reviewers described Meckler's direction as theatrical; her experience as a stage director clearly present in her on screen work. Various reviewers interpreted this style of directing in different ways, with some saying it adds to the films, and others saying it detracts from them. ''Sister My Sister'', Meckler's most popular film, falls into a common trope of killer or murderous queer people, with the main characters, two sisters working as maids, plotting to kill their employer. However, Meckler's work stands out from others in this trope because it was directed by a woman; this is uncommon for the genre. The film portrays a controversial relationship, an incestuous lesbian romance between two sisters.

Ballet

Meckler was the director of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' for the Scottish Ballet.

Awards

* ''The Mill on the Floss'' ** Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Visiting Production, 2001 (Kennedy Centre) * ''Anna Karenina'' ** Best Touring Show TMA/Martini, 1993 ** Outstanding Theatrical Event, Time Out awards, 1992 ** Best Foreign Theatre Company, Diario Clarín, Buenos Aires, 1992 * ''Sister My Sister'' ** Best Feature, Turin Film Festival, 1995 ** Public Prize; Best New Director; Youth Prize : Valladolid Film Festival, 1994 * ''Alive and Kicking'' ** Opening Film, Locarno Film Festival, 1996 ** Most Popular Film, Hamptons Film Festival, 1996 ** Audience Award Best Film, London Film Festival, 1997 ** Grand Prix, Luchon Film Festival, 1999 * ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' ** Best Dance Production, Southbank Awards, 2012 ** Best Dance Production Nominee, Olivier Awards, 2012

References

External links

*
Nancy Meckler
at Unfinished Histories {{DEFAULTSORT:Meckler, Nancy Living people Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art American women film directors American women theatre directors American emigrants to the United Kingdom American expatriates in England Antioch College alumni Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People from Long Island Year of birth missing (living people)