Faculty Q&A, celebrates the on going dialogue and collaboration with students, and growing my team of assistants and associates.
Faculty Q&A: Sibyl Wickersheimer
Click above link to read full article on the USC SDA website.
March 12, 2025
“The opportunity to build relationships with collaborators and teams over an extended period has been paramount in balancing my work. Set design provides a visual storytelling playground for actions in the play to take place and to enhance words and performances.
My goals are to balance the aural and visual storytelling while allowing the overall production to relate to contemporary events and historical context. This is a challenging tight rope to walk on. Highlighting connections helps to make the plays impactful, fostering insight from varying perspectives.
This balancing act gets even more challenging when we are experiencing personal and educational freedom being undermined by our government. Something I used to take for granted.
This is foremost on my mind right now and eclipses even the challenges of designing productions across the country while teaching and being a parent! What grounds me is the dialogue with my collaborators, students and my children.”
L to R: Sibyl, Samantha C. Jones, and Patty Squib at tech rehearsal for Every Brilliant Thing, Geffen Playhouse.
Mindplay was originally produced at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2024 it was remounted at Arena Stage in DC, then the Huntington Theatre in Boston, and now at Greenwich House Theater off-Broadway in NYC. Several of my students worked with me in my studio and in production for Mindplay; Cindy Lin, Grace Wang, and Jesus Hurtado!
The conceptual and functional design of the set was done at the Geffen and therefore the puzzle left to solve was how it fits within the next venue. There have been numerous small changes that have affected the props and the script along the way. Teams at each venue supported the evolution of the show. The audience in each city plays a huge part in how the show evolves as well. Writer and performer Vinny DePonto has continued to sculpt and heighten the production, not only in response to, but in a partnership with the audiences, deepening the impact of the show. Audiences love it, and that is very rewarding! It was just extended to May 11, 2025 after reaching nearly 200 performances since opening in Los Angeles!
Vinny DePonto on the Mindplay set. Photograph by Jeff Lorch.