What I Do: Scenic Design with Deb Sivigny

Summary

Deb Sivigny, a scenic and costume designer with two decades of experience in the DC area, discusses her work on the play 'She A Gem.' The story revolves around four young women navigating life in a transitional house, using Double Dutch as a way to connect and build community. Sivigny shares her design process, blending realism and fantasy to create believable, dynamic sets, including a South Philly neighborhood. She details the challenges of integrating realistic architectural elements with flexible, functional space for the performance. The collaboration with lighting and projection designers and the need for adjustments during production highlight the intricate, evolving nature of scenic design.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sivigny is a seasoned scenic and costume designer with over 20 years of experience in the DC area.
• 😀 Her design process involves world-building, blending real-world details with elements of fantasy and abstraction.
• 😀 Realism is crucial in set design; even small details like door proportions and material choice can significantly impact the believability of the set.
• 😀 Sivigny uses Google Maps and real estate sites for research to accurately depict the architecture and details of specific locations, like South Philadelphia.
• 😀 The set for *She A Gem* includes facades of houses, which are realistic enough to create the illusion of an interior without showing the full space.
• 😀 The design for *She A Gem* required careful consideration of space for Double Dutch, ensuring the ropes had enough room to swing without obstructions.
• 😀 Sightlines and limited wing space in the Family Theater presented challenges, leading to adjustments in the set’s placement after a site visit.
• 😀 The relationship between scenic design, lighting, and projections is crucial, and Sivigny collaborated closely with the lighting designer to balance the visual elements.
• 😀 A flexible, adaptable design is key; the set needed to accommodate practical changes in real-time as issues arose during production.
• 😀 Sivigny values creativity and exploration, seeing set design as an opportunity to create tangible, immersive worlds that help tell the story.
• 😀 The process of creating the set is a mix of planning and spontaneous problem-solving, with mistakes being viewed as learning opportunities.

Q & A

What is the primary theme of the play *She A Gem* that Deb Sivigny worked on?

The primary theme of *She A Gem* revolves around four young women living in a transitional house, navigating the next phase of their lives while developing their camaraderie and community through Double Dutch.

How does Deb Sivigny describe her approach to scenic design?

Deb Sivigny views scenic design as a form of world-building, where she creates spaces that range from realistic to fantastical, combining both abstraction and imagination to form a tangible environment for the actors and audience.

What was the challenge Deb faced with the ground plan for the set?

Deb wanted the set's city block to be believable and dynamic, so she rotated the block by 30 degrees to create a sense of depth and perspective. This helped push the set toward the audience while maintaining the necessary realism.

How did Deb Sivigny ensure the set felt realistic?

Deb paid close attention to the proportions of architectural details, such as door sizes in comparison to people. She also used pre-made materials that one would find in real life, like those at Home Depot, to keep the set grounded in reality.

What role did Deb's research play in designing the set?

Deb conducted extensive research by virtually walking through the streets of South Philly on Google Maps, taking screenshots of houses and their interiors, to ensure that the set accurately reflected the architecture and ambiance of the area.

Why was it important for Deb to create a realistic city block?

Creating a realistic city block was essential to make the world believable for the audience. It helped set the tone of the play and allowed the actors to perform in an environment that felt authentic and true to their characters' lives.

What was the challenge with incorporating Double Dutch into the set design?

The challenge was to create enough space for the Double Dutch ropes while ensuring the actors wouldn't trip over anything. Deb designed a flat set with a painted sidewalk to avoid any physical obstacles while still providing enough room for the ropes to swing.

How did Deb handle the limitations of sightlines in the Family Theater?

Deb initially planned to have a set without masking, allowing the scenery to extend beyond the proscenium. However, after realizing that part of the set on stage right wouldn't be visible to some audience members, she had to adjust the set by moving it five feet on stage and a few feet downstage.

What collaborative aspect was crucial to the success of the set design?

The collaboration between Deb and the lighting/projection designer, Rob Siler, was crucial. They worked closely to ensure that the scenic elements did not block light or projections, adjusting the set during rehearsals to find the right balance between design and functionality.

What is Deb's personal perspective on being a scenic designer?

Deb views scenic design as a way to explore her insatiable curiosity about the world. She enjoys falling down 'rabbit holes' of ideas, turning those imaginative concepts into something tangible on stage that can captivate the audience while still grounding the story in reality.