The sound for Lydia, directed by Gina Sandi-Diaz, served to help differentiate two worlds of the play.  On the surface this play is situated in realism, and some elements of the sound design exist in this world.  This is where the sounds of a siren, a cup breaking after being thrown, cartoons on the TV, and garbage cans being kicked around outside live.

 

It is also where we hear the music that the characters listen to coming from headphones and a scratchy old radio in a memory.

 

But there is also a world in this play that lives in the realm of magical realism.  Ceci, who exists in a catatonic state, unable to move or speak in the realistic world of the play, often breaks from that reality to deliver long monologues to the audience, sharing her inner world as she gets up and walks through the space.   In these moments, the sound is able to help the audience navigate which world they are witnessing.  Ambient, ethereal music underscores these moments.

 

There are also several music selections that serve to underscore certain moments or actions and to transition the play between scenes.  These music selections augment the action and do not have the same airy, ethereal quality as the music that underscores Ceci’s moments.  They help fulfill the director’s vision and provide an aural texture to the show that continues into the reality of the character’s lives.