This chapter features a conversation between two set designers, Jack Magaw and Regina García, who have designed for Wilson productions at several regional theatres in the Chicago metropolitan area. In doing so, it sheds light on a vitally important area within Wilsonian production history, thereby adding to the ever-expanding field of Wilson studies. Both artists reflect on how they see their roles as set designers, what serves as inspiration when designing for a Wilson production, and how Black cultural spaces of Chicago shapes their work.

Set and costume designs are a large part of worldbuilding for the plays that actors inhabit. These elements enhance and contextualize the historical, geographic, and temporal environments for the performance. August Wilson was incredibly detailed in what he asked for in his plays, not just from the actors but also from the designers. Constanza Romero and David Gallo are but two of the designers who have brought the world of Wilson’s American Century Cycle to full realization. This chapter features a conversation between Romero, Gallo, and Willa J. Taylor about their design processes and practices when working on Wilson’s plays.

Chapter 2 addresses Komediehuset in Bergen, Norway in its 1850–1909 iteration. Built by an amateur dramatic society in 1800 and destroyed by a 1944 British bombing raid, it has a twofold historical importance: it housed the first professional Norwegian theatre company and it is where the young Henrik Ibsen learned his craft. We consider the theatre’s high point as a social space for audiences and artists to create a national identity for the emerging state of Norway. This chapter focuses on set design, specifically in Olaf Liljekrans, an early play by Ibsen. Via performance labs in conjunction with artists, actors, and a designer, we analyse how Ibsen used space and movement to elucidate the discourses within his plays. In the famous social dramas written after he left Norway, Ibsen perfected this technique of writing meanings into bodies and imaginary stage spaces. The chapter illustrates Komediehuset’s role in the birth of Norwegian nationalism on stage and the beginnings of modern drama.