The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Directed by Dr. Jennifer Kokai

 

Weber State University

Spring 2016

 

Sound Designer, Composer and Music Director

 

"The isle is full of noises. Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices, That, if I then had waked after long sleep, will make me sleep again" - Caliban Act 3 Scene 2

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Concept Statement:

This production of The Tempest was based heavily on the idea of play. Prospero speaks on how much magic costs as well as it's great worth, and the same connection can be made between theatre - what it costs and how great the result could be. Sometimes it takes getting out of one's comfort zone to create something wonderful, and playing with a script can help with that. This show was blind-gender cast, and all members of the team worked together to try different things, play as a child would play, and together we built the show from the ground up.

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To help encourage a mindset of play and make-believe, all aspects of design were created with the question: "How would children put this play on using items found around the house?" For the sound design, all of the original compositions and sound effects were performed live by the actors using various children's instruments and sound foley objects. As the designer and musical director, I sat in on rehearsals to teach the melody, and let the performers add their own twist to it, to play with what would make it sound the most original. 

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14 original pieces were written for this production with foley effects of jungle and storms sounds throughout.