Daphnie Sicre is used to wearing multiple hats. When she entered college, she managed a tight schedule of fitting in her track practices, rehearsals for theatrical shows, and journalistic work all while double majoring in theater arts and journalism. Now, in her professional career working in theater around Los Angeles and as an assistant professor of Theater Arts at LMU, Sicre has found herself in every area of the theater community.
“If you want to survive in theater, you have to be a multi-hyphenate artist, because you don’t get paid enough to survive,” said Sicre. For Sicre, it means working different jobs in the theater and entertainment world. “I see myself as a director, dramaturg, actor, scholar, and educator; I wear these multiple hats as a theater artist creator,” said Sicre. These multiple jobs all can connect to each other; a dramaturg acts as an expert on the material of a certain play to better help the director, who then gives the information to the actors to create a better show.
In Los Angeles, finding even one job in the theater community can be challenging. After Sicre moved from New York to Los Angeles, she lost most of the theatrical connections she had. “I had to really hustle to network, to meet people,” said Sicre. Through the hustle, Sicre began to make relationships with those in the Los Angeles theater scene, and leveraged her skills into jobs. “It helped expand who I was. I’d take a job directing a staged reading so that people could know who I am, so that I could build a portfolio and get my name out there,” said Sicre.
Through the connections Sicre has made in Los Angeles, she has found her niche within the theater community. Sicre focused on the things she was passionate about; as a Latina, she chose to focus on Latinx plays that resonated with her interests. “A lot of people can be hired to do Shakespeare, you have hundreds of options. But if someone brings a Latine play and they need a director, the niche becomes smaller,” said Sicre.
Sicre has just finished directing a production of “La Egoista” by Erlina Ortiz at Skylight Theatre, a two-woman show about sisters Josefina and Betsaida as they struggle with Betsaida’s sudden illness. A poignant look at sisterhood, selflessness, and the healthcare system, “La Egoista” was excellently performed and directed.
During the 2022 Latinx Theater Commons Comedy Carnaval, Sicre was a member of the selection committee that read the potential scripts for the Carnaval, and chose the ones to be performed as a live staged reading. Sicre found “La Egoista” through the selection committee, and after selecting the show for performance at the Carnaval, she brought the play to an acquaintance at Skylight Theatre, who offered that Sicre direct the play for the theater company.
As a professor at LMU, Sicre draws on her own life to educate her students. “I can be in class and speak on my own experiences with the work I am teaching about. It is amazing to be able to teach a unit about Latine solo performance, take my class to see a solo performance I am directing, and then have the solo performers talk to my class,” said Sicre. Like many professionals, Sicre combines aspects from across her multiple jobs to create a holistic education for her students that reflects what she knows best.
As “La Egoista” ends, Sicre has no shortage of opportunities to continue working. Recently, Sicre has served as a cultural consultant for Seth Rogen’s upcoming animated movie “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”, an opportunity she was given after her previous work at Nickelodeon on “Santiago of the Seas”. “It’s amazing what a theater major can get you,” said Sicre as she reflected on her career. “You have to put yourself out there, focus on yourself, and follow your dream… let people know who you are,” said Sicre.
