“The designer’s skill lies in being able to understand what is required from a production and then using both technical knowledge and artistic interpretation to create a sound world that fits the show” (Leonard, 2001, 177)
I have thoroughly enjoyed my secondary role as Sound Designer in Refract for the past five months; however this experience became more intense as we got nearer to our performance date. Despite working with Laura previously, the devising process of When You See It made me realise that sound was a significant factor in the creation of devised material, directed and envisioned by Laura. For every scene created for When You See It, a piece of music would be attached to it and from there it became evident that Laura used music as a tool to structure the creative process.
As our fragmented process started becoming one solid piece, the intensity for me as Sound Designer rocketed. Many sound choices had to be changed or altered, however a very clear musical style was my savior!
The characters of Billy and Dolly were not created in a specific time or place to adhere to our ‘universal’ concept, if we did not have a musical style, finding music would have been extremely challenging. I was able to monitor this slow, acoustic, slightly jazzy style through the creation of a playlist, where any suggestions, definite tracks or similar style music features.
This made it easier for me to find last minute music changes if needed and create the house music playlist, all which complement our chosen style for When You See It.
Works Cited
Leonard, J (2001) Theatre Sound. London: Psychology Press