Sound Design & Music
Earth Is Lost (Sonic Mutiny)
Earth Is Lost is an immersive science fiction sound installation exploring existential risk, Artificial Intelligence and themes of human connection. A work-in-progress piece was shared as part of the Up Next Festival at Unity Theatre (Liverpool) in May 2024 and is now being developed further.
The sound for this show was split over 8 different zones, each with either completely different audio or the same audio but with different effects/elements/audio treatment. As such, the samples on this page are only intended to provide an idea of the sound but do not convey the sense of changing audio experienced when moving around the different zones in the space.
Virtually Reality (Popular Demand)
Virtually Reality was an experimental theatre piece I devised with my old company, Popular Demand. As well as performing, I was responsible for the sound design and video editing. The show portrayed a sweeping overview of human history and the ever-present preoccupation with perfecting and enhancing the human body, finally moving on to show a possible future resulting from the ultimate aim of achieving immortality.
It was during the creation of this piece that I discovered a new and exciting way of thinking about narrative, sound and imagery. The sourcing, editing, mixing and overall sound journey of this show were the beginnings of Sonic Mutiny.
The Secret Life of Mia (La Banshee)
This was a 12-minute piece of music composed for the movement sequence in the site-specific, Arts Council England funded theatre piece The Secret Life of Mia, produced by La Banshee. The show was about a young woman’s struggle with bulimia. I began by writing a list of words that described the different extremes of her experience: stress/relief, frantic/controlled, confused/clear-headed etc. and then interpreted them musically. The result was a piece of music that had natural peaks and troughs twisting around a central rhythm. I like incorporating something of the performer into the sound or music for a show and, in this piece, it made sense to use the performer’s breathing to add to the feelings of tension and release.
When I recorded the demo for this, the use of acoustic instruments led to some mysterious artefacts in the layers of sound, almost as though the creation of the music was resonating with the Universe and pulling sounds from the ether. I’m always excited by these uninvited guests and I adopted, and expanded on, some of them for the final recording.
A-Void (Mooncup Theatre)
This was a site-specific show, funded by Arts Council England, about disinformation, propaganda and cults. It began on a coach and ended in a warehouse. I was the sound designer for this project. This show had quite a bit of music and video playback, which the company had curated. The sound I made for this show was mostly rather subtle, insidious, unnerving, buzzes and hums that complimented the growing sense of unease and menace in the story. The completely unsubtle audio sample here accompanied the breakdown of artifice and the revelation of sinister intent behind the story’s cult.
Pat the Painting Pig (Sonic Mutiny/Gambolling Arena)
Pat the Painting Pig is a new outdoor children’s show featuring original music. It is about a pig who is a very talented artist but wants to escape the adulation and fame his work brings. I wrote this show and so it made sense that I would also act as both musical director and sound designer on this project. The director and I thought it would be fun (for the parents) if the songs were written in the styles of different well-known bands. There are several songs in the show, bits of which can be heard in the first sample.
There is a movement sequence in this show that takes place during a ferocious storm. I have included a sample of the music for this sequence without the wind and rain sound that is normally layered over the top - either intentionally or just because it’s outdoors and we’re in the UK.