Sarah Calvert, a seasoned theatrical sound designer, recently reflected on her experiences and the intricacies of her craft in a compelling blog post. In her article, she dives deep into the artistic, emotional, and technical challenges of sound design for theatre, offering a nuanced perspective on how sound shapes audience perception. Below, we explore some of the key takeaways from her thought-provoking insights.
1. Sound Design as a Powerful Storytelling Tool
Calvert makes it clear that sound design is far more than background noise or mere atmosphere—it’s a crucial element in the storytelling process. For her, sound must serve the narrative, acting as an extension of the story’s themes, characters, and emotional beats. Every sound cue is carefully chosen to not only fit the scene but to enrich it, creating an immersive auditory experience that enhances the audience’s emotional engagement.
She explains how certain soundscapes can evoke specific moods, intensify dramatic moments, and even foreshadow events, subtly guiding the audience through the narrative arc. Calvert’s design philosophy involves making sound an active participant in the storytelling process, contributing layers of meaning that go beyond the visual elements on stage.
2. Collaboration is at the Heart of Theatrical Sound Design
Theatre is a collaborative art form, and Calvert stresses the importance of sound designers working closely with directors, actors, and other production members. She describes the process of aligning her creative vision with the director’s and ensuring that her sound design seamlessly interacts with other elements like lighting, set design, and performance.
Collaboration extends beyond just syncing sound cues with on-stage actions; it’s about creating a cohesive whole where sound complements the actors’ performances and enhances the audience’s immersion. Calvert shares examples of how miscommunication can derail this synergy, emphasizing the need for open dialogue and trust between all members of the production team. Her experience reveals that when the collaboration works well, it results in a richer, more impactful theatrical experience.
3. Trial and Error is an Essential Part of the Process
One of the most fascinating aspects of Calvert’s introspection is her candid discussion of the role that trial and error plays in theatrical sound design. She acknowledges that while a sound cue might seem perfect in theory or during early rehearsals, it can fall flat when executed in a live setting. The nature of live theatre, with its dynamic and ever-changing variables, demands that sound designers remain adaptable and open to experimentation.
Calvert talks about the iterative process of tweaking sound cues, balancing levels, and sometimes scrapping ideas entirely to find the perfect audio solution for a scene. This willingness to embrace failure and make adjustments is critical to crafting a successful sound design, as it ensures that the final product is both technically and artistically sound.
4. Sound Design is an Emotional Craft
Beyond the technical aspects, Calvert delves into the emotional labor involved in sound design. She explains that a significant part of her job is to evoke specific feelings and reactions from the audience, whether it’s through a subtle underscore that creates tension or a sound effect that amplifies a key emotional moment.
For Calvert, sound is not just functional—it’s a medium for emotional expression. Her role as a sound designer requires her to be attuned to the emotional currents of a production and to use sound to underscore these emotional beats effectively. The ability to manipulate sound in a way that resonates with the audience on a deep, emotional level is what elevates sound design from a technical role to an art form in its own right.
5. The Unique Challenges of Theatrical Sound Design
In her article, Calvert also touches on the unique challenges that come with designing sound for live theatre as opposed to other mediums like film or television. The live environment presents limitations and variables that are beyond the designer’s control, such as the acoustics of a venue or the unpredictable nature of live performances.
She reflects on how these challenges force her to think on her feet and make adjustments in real-time, often having to adapt her design based on the acoustics of a particular theatre or the needs of the performers. This ability to respond to the ever-changing landscape of live theatre is a skill that sets theatrical sound design apart from other audio work, making it a particularly demanding yet rewarding field.