SOUND FOR THEATER

Since joining the theater, I have worked on productions as an engineer, sound designer, music director, and producer.  On this page you will find production information and audio examples of my work.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival

Over the past four years I have worked at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival as a sound designer and music director.  Live music, original sound effects, and live foley work have been key elements of my designs.  I have also composed music for multiple productions.  My credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's Amazing Cymbeline, I Heart Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Elizabeth Rex, Anthony and Cleopatra, Shake Your Shakespeare (Theater for Young Audiences), Richard II, Love's Labour's Lost, Loves Labour's Won, Peter and the Starcatcher, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night.  I have also performed as the DJ in the production of QGents, a piece commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that was created and developed by the Q Brothers.

During the fall we have a Shakespeare-themed haunted trail.  On the grounds of Ewing Manor in Normal, IL we stage five scenes from different shows and pair them with lighting and sound.  It's a great project that is a fun, "dark" look at Shakespeare for audiences.

*Photography Credit: Pete Guither

Illinois State University

I worked on nine productions while at Illinois State as a sound designer, music director, and producer.  Below I have listed information on each of my productions.

Assassins, FreeStage (Music Director, Producer) - In association with the FreeStage organization I produced Stephen Sondheim's famous musical, Assassins.  With a small production team and large cast, I directed the music, helped design and build the set, played the trumpet, and took on various other roles to help bring this production to life.

Pride and Prejudice, Directed by Lori Adams (Sound Designer, Composer) - My goal for this show was to include music that was preferred by Jane Austen.  I found in my research, The Jane Austen Songbook, a list of her favorite piano songs and composers.  Using the influence of her favorite composer, Ignaz Pleyel, and appropriate instrumentation (string quartet and solo piano), I created a soundtrack that I hope Austen would have enjoyed.

Next Thing You Know, FreeStage (Music Director, Producer) - This was the first independent musical project I worked on.  Assuming the same roles and responsibilities as Assassins, we build an elaborate set that represented a small NYC bar.  We changed the concept of the show to a sitcom and the audience became a studio television audience.  We mounted television screens, recorded green-screen transitions, and built in laugh and clap tracks to add to the theme.  This change was very well received.

Water By The Spoonful, Directed by Leah Cassella (Sound Designer, Composer) - Influenced by the music of John Coltrane, I wrote and recorded an original score that included pieces performed by a jazz quintet as well as solo improvisational recordings for saxophone and trumpet.  The role of a war-themed ghost was outlined by a specific range of sound effects that I created to accentuate the movements of the actor.

Stop Kiss, Directed by Leah Cassella (Sound Designer, Composer) - Set in New York City, I wanted to create the atmosphere of a big city in a small theater.  Whether inside or out, the sounds of traffic, construction, crowds, etc., were created through various soundscapes that played consistently in this show.  By having a constant sound collage, I was able to control the moments of silence that I felt the script called for.

Spring Awakening, Directed by Matthew Scott Campbell (Sound Designer/Engineer, asst. Music Director, co-board operator) - The use of a nine-piece band and full cast of singers in this light-rock musical allowed me to gain experience in live sound reinforcement.

JB, Directed by Matthew Scott Campbell (asst. Sound Designer, Composer, Music Director) - This creative circus-themed adaptation of the Book of Job allowed for a great variety in the sound design.  From the use of live instruments for music and sound effects in an intimate space to the representation of God and the Devil through a powerful sound collage, this play was one of my favorite projects to work on.

Anon(ymous), Directed by Richard Corley (asst. Sound Designer, Composer, Music Director) - This modern retelling of The Odyssey required live percussion.  We built drums out of everyday objects from tires to paint cans.  Along with directing the actors musically, I helped build a thunderous sound design that ranged from original music of India and Africa to war, train, and car-crash soundscapes.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Directed by Paul Dennhardt (Sound Design Supervisor) -  An adaptation of a Shakespeare classic; opera by Benjamin Britten.  I oversaw the sound design and collaborated with the ISU symphony orchestra.

Hostage, Directed by Tom Palmer at New Route Theater (Sound Designer, Composer) - Taking place in an undetermined location in the middle east, this show about an American journalist taken hostage required an authentic sound design that established location as well as feeling.  The use of middle eastern instruments for musical purposes and sound effects brought this world to life.