NYTimes.com: IN a game of Six Degrees of Ernest Hemingway it might take a while to get to David Lee Roth, the founding frontman for the rock band Van Halen. But Papa Hemingway and Diamond Dave are united in virility at the New York Theater Workshop, where Mr. Roth’s arena-size yelps are among the atmospheric audio effects in “The Select (The Sun Also Rises),” a show based on Hemingway’s 1926 novel.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
‘The Select (The Sun Also Rises)' and Its Sound Effects
NYTimes.com: IN a game of Six Degrees of Ernest Hemingway it might take a while to get to David Lee Roth, the founding frontman for the rock band Van Halen. But Papa Hemingway and Diamond Dave are united in virility at the New York Theater Workshop, where Mr. Roth’s arena-size yelps are among the atmospheric audio effects in “The Select (The Sun Also Rises),” a show based on Hemingway’s 1926 novel.
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8 comments:
I'm so glad to see this article posted. The NYTimes are usually pretty good at including profiles of designers, producers, and non-actors now and then when they are doing something exciting, but I don't think we see these profiles often enough. I especially like this one because it shows just how much tinkering and playing with minds goes into making an aural atmosphere for a show, and how things hardly ever are as simple as the audience thinks.
I do appreciate more broad insight into how much work goes into making a complex design work on stage and how difficult it can be to integrate that into a production. If more publications like the NY Times did spots like this, more people might learn to appreciate that long long list of people at the end of films or the one page in the back of a program.
It's a shame, then, that this particular design seems like more like a big inside joke than a completed design with many subtle levels of intention. It feels like the only aspect the author found interesting was the hidden uses of Van Halen in spots; like secret elbows from actor to actor that many people will miss.
Yes, it's nice to see an article posted about sound design, the design discipline most-often taken for granted. It's powerful that the actors interface with sound on stage, making it serve as another character in the play.
In response to Becca and Jacob's thoughts on the intent of the design, I like reading the author's audience perspective rather than the technical perspective often used in article about theatrical sound design. While the Van Halen seems a little arbitrary, things that are specific and conceptually prompted, like the Alcorn university content, often don't read to the audience.
The important thing is what the audience takes from the design; the process may be brilliant, but it doesn't matter if the end product doesn't convey intent. The process may be arbitrary, but if it helps the audience's relationship with the story, then it is an effective design, no?
Each of the audio clips attached to this article gives me a particular mood and sense of setting. If what I feel is consistent with design goals, then the designers have done their job.
It is helpful that the article has these audio clips.
i just like that they are talking about sound effects in theater in a similar manner that they would talk about sound effects and there impact on film
The idea of having the actors control the sounds in a show is interesting right off the bat, and since they have found a perfect place to put the MIDI controller in placing right under the bar, and I think this is a good artistic choice with a nice technical benefit as well in letting the actors have some control of the sounds and allowing them to better work with them since they have that control. The sound effects themselves are also well done, conveying, as Daniel has said, a mood that was in line with their design and what they were trying to achieve. Always great to see an article focusing on the sound aspects of a production, and hopefully this will continue to be the case moving forward as people find new and interesting ways to incorporate sound into theater
Becca hits the nail on the head with the last portion of her comment. Not enough people appreciate all of the subtle choices that go into sound design. It is one of the most important aspects of the design for a show. Think about it; if you are in a room with no light switches, you might not notice they are missing, but there would be something off putting about the setting. the same goes for sound design. That sort of discomfort you feel when an aspect of your environment is missing is why sound design is so important in what we do. It's great that these designers are getting more media attention.
Running audio from the stage is apparently becoming a very popular idea. Why? I argue that sound more than any other design element needs to link perfectly with the action on the stage. If a light cue is a little late the audience will hardly notice (unless it’s a practical and that actor looks foolish trying to turn on the lamp that won’t work). But Sound can’t be late... When sound is late there is this awkward pause and everyone in the house knows something is off. Are we putting sound operators on stage to combat this problem? With the sound operator on stage it is possible that they would be so involved in the action that there moments of pushing “GO!” are scripted and can’t really be early or late. Hopefully these on stage operators have both technical and acting chops.
I would be very interested in seeing this production. I think it's great that the New York Times has such an in depth article about the sound design of "The Select." I love that sound designers are getting more creative with the implementation of sound effects, and it seems that this is a truly collaborative way to create a sound design.
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