Scene Shift: The Podcast focuses on conversation between theatrical set designers to convey the process and collaborations that theatre makers rely on. Traditionally designers have played a support role, considered as 'backstage' but the scope of design elements is growing. Today the boundary between design and performance has shifted and designers actively share the stage with performers. In this series, set designers come together to share and uplift their expanding roles in theatre making.
Scene Shift: The Podcast
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9 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Scene Shift: The Podcast focuses on conversation between theatrical set designers to convey the process and collaborations that theatre makers rely on. Traditionally designers have played a support role, considered as 'backstage' but the scope of design elements is growing. Today the boundary between design and performance has shifted and designers actively share the stage with performers. In this series, set designers come together to share and uplift their expanding roles in theatre making.
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Publishing Since
7/8/2025
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Recent Episodes
June 15, 2026
Allowing Time for Lighting Designers to Respond with Set and Lighting Designer Jiyoun Chang
<p>Tony Award-nominated lighting designer Jiyoun Chang (Stereophonic, Slave Play, For Colored Girls) joins Scene Shift: The Podcast for a conversation about light, time, and the creative process.</p><p>Known for transforming stages into emotionally charged visual landscapes, Jiji discusses how she uses light as a temporal instrument, controlling pace, pulse, and the passage of time in productions. From the incandescent glow of a recording studio in Stereophonic to portrait lighting in The Importance of Being Earnest, this episode is a deep dive into the dramaturgical thinking behind one of theatre's most celebrated lighting designers.</p><p>We also talk about opera, working in Europe, collaborating across language barriers, the parallels between parenthood and tech week, and why Jiji rarely describes her lighting designs in advance, and why that works.</p><p>🎙️ CHAPTERS</p><p>0:00 – Golden nugget0:26 – Welcome & Jiyoun Chang introduction1:35 – Current project: The Importance of Being Earnest in Houston4:33 – Using lighting to play with time periods within a single production7:35 – Portrait lighting as concept: making the set feel like a museum piece13:00 – Stereophonic deep dive: lighting time jumps in a recording studio17:22 – Working without a lighting tech: trusting process over planning22:30 – Lighting as scenic thinking: Jiji's dual sensibility24:39 – The labor/theatre metaphor & pure joy of the work28:15 – Parenthood, tech, and finding balance31:10 – Raising theatre kids & watching your child find their own stage34:20 – Traveling for work: New Haven to New York to Austria37:58 – Opera vs. theatre: process, pace, and paper set models43:50 – Lucia di Lammermoor in Austria: design presentation & collaboration47:08 – Working with German crews: cultural communication in tech51:11 – Why Jiji rarely describes her lighting before tech55:37 – Teaching intuition: advice to a Yale directing student57:57 – Wrap-up: responding as a superpower in the room</p><p>Scene Shift: The Podcast is hosted by performance designer Maureen Weiss and set designer Sibyl Wickersheimer, co-authors of Scene Shift, a book of conversations between mostly women and nonbinary theatrical designers.</p><p>🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with working designers in theatre, opera, and performance.</p><p>#TheatreDesign #LightingDesign #JiyounChang #SceneShift #Stereophonic #BroadwayPodcast #TheatrePodcast #TonyAwards #SetDesign #PerformanceDesign</p>
February 2, 2026
Theatre Is(n’t) Dying: Brave Moves and Sustainability with Set Designer Afsoon Pajoufar
<p>In this episode of Scene Shift: The Podcast, New York based set designer Afsoon Pajoufar reflects on working across the US and Europe, comparing cultural approaches to risk, resources, and sustainability in theatre making. The conversation moves through what it means to be brave and bold as a designer, standing behind strong conceptual choices, embracing limitation, and allowing emotion to leave a visible trace in the work. Afsoon also speaks candidly about material responsibility, reuse, and whether theatre is “dying” or could simply shift into new, more intentional forms of making.</p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/33X6NXAFqKXffxbdxCJ80A?si=2163333f328d4722" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Music by Claire McKeown "Sarabande in D minor"</a></p><p>More info about Scene Shift. Like, subscribe, and join our newsletter for our latest episodes and news!</p>
January 1, 2026
Good Doesn’t Always Mean Better with Lighting Designer Pablo Santiago
<p>In this episode, Scene Shift's set designers Maureen Weiss and Sibyl Wickersheimer learn so much from lighting designer Pablo Santiago. He explains the process of lighting design in theater, his career path from film, and the art of collaboration with other designers and directors. They discuss the importance of embracing imperfections and the role of lighting in storytelling, drawing insights from experiences with renowned directors like David Lynch and José Luis Valenzuela. The conversation dips into the creative process, the balance between the technical and artist expression, and the aspirations for making impactful moments in theatre.</p><p>Music by Claire McKeown "Sarabande in D minor"https://open.spotify.com/track/33X6NXAFqKXffxbdxCJ80A?si=2163333f328d4722</p><p>More info about Scene Shift https://www.scene-shift.com/Like, subscribe, and join our newsletter for our latest episodes and news!</p>
9 total episodes available
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- What is Scene Shift: The Podcast?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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