Theater Sound

Sound Designer Matt Otto and A1 Curt Miller Talk NYMF

A welcome home for adventurous and off-the-wall productions, the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) challenges even the heartiest sound designers and live engineers. The month-long off-Broadway extravaganza celebrated its 14^th year this past July with a solid assortment of musicals, workshops and classes within two main venues: Theatre Row and Playwright Horizons, both located on West 42^nd Street.

Tom Gibbons’ Disruptive Sound Design for Broadway’s 1984

Some plays apply sound design to enhance the performances onstage, to add sonic color to the world being depicted, and perhaps to take us into an alternate state of mind. Tom Gibbon’s jackhammer sound design for 1984 on Broadway does all of those things while also making audiences feel discombobulated and keep them attuned to the grim near future world being depicted. Co-directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, this mind-bending stage adaptation of the famous George Orwell novel has resonated with people in these tumultuous times, perhaps so much so that often times people walk out of the show during its climactic torture and reprogramming scenes.

In order to bring the music of iconic hits to audiences around the country for the U.S. touring production of the musical, The Bodyguard, sound designer Richard Brooker created a dynamic and powerful audio system that was provided by Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company.

Andrew Keister’s Sound Design for the Current Production on Broadway

Currently running on Broadway, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a visual feast and fast-paced musical featuring a cast of nearly 40 performers, an orchestra pit with 18 musicians and a plethora of set pieces. Beyond the scenic magic that the production pulls off, the sound design of Andrew Keister (whose Broadway credits include On Your Feet, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Jersey Boys) is an integral part of the show.

Onstage, no one inhabits Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard role of tragic movie icon Norma Desmond quite like Glenn Close, and the acclaimed actor has returned to the character that earned her a Tony Award back in 1995. While the current Broadway revival (which runs at the Palace Theatre until June 25) has a set worthy of Desmond’s deluded sense of grandeur about her lost career, it can be both epic and intimate. This concept was echoed by Mick Potter’s sound design, which is an integral part of the storytelling. In fact, the staging of the show dictated much of how the miking works.

In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway, where it ran for 5,123 performances and forever changed the landscape of American theater. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, Rent follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out.

Audio Production for The Little Mermaid and other shows staged at The Beck Center in Lakewood, OH

In this biz, the mere mention of the phrase “community theater” more often than not brings up mental images of bedsheet curtains, cardboard sets, box batten lighting (occasionally upgraded with a few PAR cans) and… sound? Well, if you’re lucky, you might find a couple of musty Shure VocalMaster columns nailed on either side of the proscenium.

Australia-Based Production Gets an Audio Makeover

On the occasion of its 60th anniversary, GFO and Opera Australia recruited the original Eliza Doolittle, Dame Julie Andrews, to direct a production of My Fair Lady beneath the sails of the Sydney Opera House. This landmark production, which opened Sept. 6 and ran through Nov. 5, 2016, featured sets, costumes and lighting based on the original 1956 design, with a few more up-to-date touches, like seamless revolving stages and automated lighting. It also sold more tickets than any other production staged at the iconic venue. In 2017, a touring version of the production will be staged in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia along with Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.

There is no doubt that John Leonard was pleased to receive the Harold Burris-Meyer Distinguished Career In Sound award — one of the industry’s top honors for sound designers and professionals in theater sound — at the 2016 USITT Expo in Salt Lake City, Yet at the same time, he laughs and points out that “I’m still doing what I’m doing — I’m not dead yet! It’s kind of a lifetime achievement award, but I’m in the middle of working on a show (Hand to God).”

Disney’s The Lion King musical has been enchanting audiences on Broadway for nearly 18 years, and its massive success has spun off tours and productions around the globe. Despite it being a well-oiled entertainment machine, transferring the show into other venues and other countries reveals challenges — like dealing with the capabilities of each new location. Some theatres can easily handle the requirements of the production while others are in markets with less of an emphasis on live theatre.