Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

Location: The subway, NY City

Sounds: chatter, phone calls, talking

Location: Wall St. & Broadway, NY City

Sounds: Talking, footsteps, cars

3/9/2024, 2:02 PM ET, Broadfield

The sound furthest away from me is very quiet rumbling and banging of the dryer downstairs.

A sound a bit closer to me is high-pitched humming sound of the fridge on the right behind the wall.

The sound closest to me is Sophie watching TikToks on the couch to the left of me.

The sound level is very quiet, to the point where you could probably hear a pin drop.

The word I would use to describe the sound environment is hushed.

Three sounds essential to the sound environment are the sound of a phone buzzing, Sophie’s soft tapping on her phone, and the humming.

Location: Colonial Square
Sounds: Footsteps, generator, grass, car beeps

Location: Dunkin’ on the Quad
Sounds: Music, chattering, thuds and chairs moving, orders being called.

2/23/2024, 10:17 PM ET, Hempstead Turnpike/California Avenue

The sound furthest away from me is the rumble of cars much further down the road, just loud enough to be noticeable, getting louder as they come towards the red light.

A sound a bit closer to me is the incessant chirping of the birds that sit in the trees and on the powerlines en masse above California Avenue. It’s a fast, high-pitched trilling that verges on being scary.

The sound closest to me is that of a car passing by about 2 feet to my right. It’s a quiet car, not one with a loud engine, so most of the sound comes from the soft rumble of its tires on the ground and the woosh of the wind as it passes me.

The sound level isn’t extremely loud, there not being many cars at this very moment while the cars going straight on the highway have the red light.

The word I would use to describe the sound environment is puttering.

Three sounds essential to the sound environment are the sound of a car braking, the high-pitched screech of a bird, and wind wooshing.

2/9/2024, 7:03 PM ET, My dorm room

The farthest sound from me is the dull sound of cars speeding by on the road close to my dorm. It’s a dull roaring sound that starts just loud enough to be noticeable and fades quickly as they get further away.

A bit closer to me is the loud rumble of my air conditioning system that turned on a few seconds before I started typing. It’s the loudest thing in my room, incessant and powerful.

The closest sound to me is the Sims idling music, a happy little tune playing from my computer while it waits for me to return my attention to it.

The sound level, in general, is a relative quiet, only broken by the air conditioner when she decides my room is not yet cold enough. As I type currently, the sound of my dorm is peaceful and relaxed.

The word I would use to describe it would be calm.

Important sounds: the hum of my computer as she works oh so hard, the dull, heavy rattling of a truck passing by, and the click the air conditioner makes to signal she’s turning on.