Written by Paula Vogel
Directed by Stephen Nieman
Music Direction by Avital Raz
Intimacy Direction by Alex Stroming
Movement Direction by Manley Gavich
Set & Costume Design & Making by Ismini Papaioannou
Lighting Design by Phil Hamilton
Sound & Projection Design by Gabriel Haslam
Performed by Shahaf Ifhar, Sarah Sinizer-Hopkins, Yaniv Yafe, Inbal Port, Alasdair Coulter, Avital Raz, Paul Michael Nieman, Amy McMahon, Grace Bown, Michael Lindoewood
Produced by Libby Viccars
full credits
Production Photography: Bells Kennedy-Compston
Indecent is a 2015 play by Paula Vogel, that recounts the controversy surrounding the play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity. The play asks crucial questions about Jewish life from 1910 to 1950.
The main theme explored in the design is censorship in theatre concerning social and political beliefs. The play challenges gender roles and critisizes the freedom of sexual expression in conservative Jewish culture.
The set becomes a symbol for concealement and censorship, with the extended use of wrapped cardboard boxes constructing the different spaces within the play. The boxes also stand as a metaphor for mobility and immigration, as the characters pack their lives and travel the world to tell their story. The cardboard wall symbolizes boundaries and separation, and becomes a functional element for storing props throughout the show. A cohort of 10 actors play multiple characters, so they wear a white base costume, dyed in shades of ash-grey, on top of which the different pieces are layered.