Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

March 4, 7pm, Adams Playhouse dressing room

1) Farthest sounds: People (Sampson?) yelling orders upstairs from the stage. Sam Kamelhar handling the long chain on the ladder leading to the trapdoor.

2) Medium range: Laughter in the neighboring dressing room. Jean being interviewed for the Chronicle outside the door. The sink running, or a toilet flushing.

3) Dressing room banter. Tom spraying his hair white, and Jordan unzipping/unbuttoning his street clothes to get into costumes. The clanging of the gold jewelry I wear for Richard. Clothes hangers being pushed aside on the rack.

Sound level remains pretty consistent and buzzing. It has the energy of excited people trying to not give over to nerves.

One-word description: Buzzing.

Three sounds: Orders from upstairs, hairspray, handling of clothing

1- Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 8:30pm, Adams Playhouse

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Furthest away from me, you can hear the sound of the tap dancers as they perform their routine onstage in the Playhouse. I’m sitting backstage so the sound is muffled, but their movements can still be heard.

3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you.

Medium range from me, you can hear the sounds of their accompaniment playing through the speakers.

4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).

Closest to me, through the headphones, I can hear the sounds of the sound cues being called by the stage manager and other various people chattering on the sound pack.

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

The sound level of this environment is very scattered. There are many people everywhere and sometimes it can be hard to focus on one sound in particular.

6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”.

Confusing

7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact.

Three sounds that are essential to this sound environment are the sound of the tappers’ shoes onstage as they perform their routine, the sound of their accompanying music coming through the speakers, and all the chatter coming through the headphone into my ear.

1- 1/30/13-6:35-Adams Playhouse House Left, Midway back
2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you. – Furthest away from me I can hear the fans blowing faintly through the space and the sound of brooms across the masonite floor
3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you. – Closer to me I can hear the clang of instruments and rattle of musicians running into the hallow maestro stand. Sporadically, I can hear performers and musicians in excitement passing through the pit doors.
4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant). – Closest to me I can hear the smacking of the director’s food as she eats a burrito from the student center and the sound of tictacs being poured into the lighting designer’s hand after she returns from a smoke break. I can hear the distinct action of her clicking the container open carelessly tipping it over into her hand and then grasping two mints. I can then hear her tipping the container back upright and all of the excess tictacs falling back into the container as she places it back on the table. Even closer than this I can faintly hear the white noise coming through my right ear on my headset. It is filled with irregular small clicks and a faint static noise. 
5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity. – Considering all of the sound there is in the space, nothing is too loud or overly dominant. There are many actions going on around in the theater all in preparation of the start of the dress rehearsal but everyone is calm. All sounds are coming at me from all directions but softly and calmly; in an equal balance. 
6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”. – Operational 
7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact. – Clanging of instruments, Tictac container, brooms swishing