Jim Lile
Associate Professor, Technical Production
Co-Director, MFA Technical Production Program
School of Theatre
Jim has a wide variety of experience in his 25 years of working live theatre. He earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in Technical Design and Production in 1999. Following graduation he went on to work at Purdue University Theatre as an Assistant Professor and Technical Director.
Over the years he has been the Technical Director, Stage Manager, Lighting Designer or staff member for a variety of theatrical and dance companies. A few of the companies he has worked with are: Norwegian Cruise Lines, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pensacola Opera, Nashville Opera and The Des Moines Civic Center. He was a member of IATSE Local 174 in Lafayette, Indiana. He was the Production Manager and Technical Director for Des Moines Metro Opera for over 10 years. He served as the Technical Director for Iowa State University Theatre. He spent nine years as stage manager for the Iowa State Center’s Nutcracker Ballet. He has worked on hundreds of rock concerts, Broadway tours, conferences and sporting events.
Prior to arriving at FSU, Jim was the Production Manager for Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, a position he held for over seven years. He continues to work as a freelance Production Manager, Technical Director and Consultant for several regional opera companies around the country.
Contact and Files
Education
B.A. Iowa State University, Theater and Speech Communication
1999 M.F.A. Yale School of Drama, Technical Design and Production
Areas of Responsibility
Technical Production and Management
Teaching Areas
Technical Design, Scenery Automation, Production Management
Research Areas
Technical Direction and Production Planning
Select Scholarly/Creative Works & Awards
- Lile, J. D. (presented 2015, March Interactive Exhibit for 3D Printing and CNC Routing. Presentation at USITT Conference and Stage Expo, United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Cincinnati, OH.
- Lile, J. D. (presented 2015, February). Planning and Managing the Entire Production Process. Presentation at Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival, KC/ACTF Region IV, Albany, GA.
- Lile, J. D. (presented 2014, March). Project Management as an Approach to Technical Direction. Presentation at USITT Conference and Stage Expo, United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Fort Worth,TX.
- Lile, J. D. (presented 2014, February). Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and their use with Entertainment Technology. Presentation at Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival, KC/ACTF Region IV, Roanoke, VA.
- Lile, J. D. (presented 2005). Chair, How Opera is Different from Theatre and How to Adapt. Presentation at National Conference, United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Minneapolis, MN.
- Lile, J. D. (2002). Technical Solutions for Low-Ceiling Theaters. In Bronislaw J. Sammler, & Don Harvey (Eds.), Technical Design Solutions for the Theatre Vol. 2 (pp. 111-112). Focal Press