A link to an in-depth view at the creative process in a slightly different format.
About the show
My first meeting with the director brought upon a couple of interesting points. The director noted that she was unsure exactly what direction the show was going to go in but that she wanted the technical elements to support the choices the actors were making.
This show proved to have quite a few challenges, the biggest of which had to do with the fact that the show is written so that the person who plays the lead character, "Everybody" is chosen by lottery at the beginning of the show. Although some productions chose not to do this, our director wanted to challenge the cast and did want to do the lottery.
Each actor portrayed their version of each character slightly differently but the overall tone of the characters remained. They also as a cast made the decision to let the choices that we as designers made for the show influence some parts of the characters they created.
Lighting and sound worked together to create an atmosphere that catered to the moods created by the actors that was seen in their run throughs prior to entering tech.
I created a sound design that emphasized the comical aspects of the show when present as well as creating underscoring for the more somber and emotional parts of the show that reflected that. Each sound was meant to emphasize the mood portrayed by the actor, allowing the audience to have a greater emotional attachment to the scene happening in front of them.
My design was influenced not only by lighting and by the actors, but by the scenic design as well. Because of the symmetry of the set and the way that the audience was sat, I decided to make location based audio a large part of this design. The intention behind the location was to guide and assist the audience in keeping their attention and focus where it needed to be while also aiding in creating a deeper and more developed emotional atmosphere. For example, when there were sound effects that announced entrances, they were placed in the system based on where the actors were entering to help guide the audiences' attention to that space.
An Introduction Video to Everybody
Paperwork
Mic path for a mic that was flown from the ceiling by a stage hand during God's opening monologue
Console File
Test cue. The board op was given instruction on how to go through each channel, solo it, and listen through headphones to test each mic and ensure each one was working as part of their pre-show checklist.
First mic effects cue
The cue used during Everybody's monologues to the audience when pondering the meaning of life and what is really important to them. The effect was a simple, warm hall reverb
A detailed list of the cues used with their titles that described their purpose
Recall Safe list
Recall safe continued
Effects rack
Input patch
Output patching
A list view of the I/O
More Sound Effects Samples