Latest / philly has heART / All About Tech: Sound feat. Liz Atkinson

Transcript

All About Tech: Sound feat. Liz Atkinson · philly has heART

0:15
Hey, you. How are you? We had another amazing
0:20
weekend. I mean, it's kind of like our Super
0:23
Bowl, though, right? Friday night, we went to
0:26
the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society's Sphinx
0:29
Virtuosi featuring Jhene Bridges. It happened
0:33
to be Young Friends Night, and we celebrated
0:35
afterwards with drinks and apps at Leo Restaurant.
0:40
So great. It was absolutely amazing. It gets
0:44
bigger and bigger every year, and they do such
0:46
an amazing job of informing the young friends
0:52
as well as the patrons of PCMS with a lecture
0:58
series beforehand on Friday night, then the show,
1:03
then some amazing group gathering at the end.
1:10
Incredible. And the weekend didn't stop there.
1:14
Then we went to Opera Philadelphia on Sunday.
1:18
Tell them what we saw. You tell them what we
1:21
saw. We saw an opera interpretation of Tennessee
1:27
Williams' play, Suddenly Last Summer. And while
1:33
I had read the play, Robert. No. Don't read.
1:37
Going in blind. Going in blind. A friend that
1:40
came with us. Going in blind. Yes. You know,
1:45
the play deals with some troublesome themes.
1:50
Oh, yeah. You were playing it cool, though. On
1:52
the other side of me, I had a man absolutely
1:55
freaking the fuck out. Yes. Yes. You know, you
1:59
look around and then some of the audience members.
2:05
Ostensibly read the play because ostensibly it
2:08
came out while they were still alive. Anthony
2:10
Roth Costanzo has done it again. Absolutely incredible
2:16
set. The costuming. Costuming, the casting. The
2:22
art happening in the background. Yes, live art
2:26
being produced as the background. I actually
2:29
was walking. my oldest into school this morning
2:33
and we have to cross the car line so there's
2:38
always an administrator at the car line motioning
2:42
for cars or stopping cars to let the kids cross
2:47
and she asked me if i was at the opera on sunday
2:50
i was like yes i love the art difficult themes
2:53
yes i read the play Keep an eye out for continued
3:02
amazing work by PCMS as well as Opera Philadelphia.
3:07
On to the conversation. Let's get on to the conversation.
3:10
Greetings, this is Robert Marsh and you're listening
3:23
to Philly Has Heart Podcast. In this podcast,
3:26
we sit down with artists, gallerists, educators,
3:29
curators, and other creatives who comprise the
3:32
Philadelphia art world to discuss upcoming performances,
3:35
exhibits, and other events and initiatives that
3:38
are not to be missed. The art scene in Philadelphia
3:41
is so rich that it can seem daunting. Consider
3:44
this your weekend cultural recommendation. With
3:48
me always is my producer, Lucinda Dyerland. Hola!
3:51
And today, we have Liz Atkinson. Hello! Thank
3:56
you for coming in today. Thanks. Happy to be
3:58
here. Yes, yes. As we do with each of our guests,
4:03
we would love for you to take us through the
4:05
journey that brought you to your role in theater,
4:09
sound design, and composition. What moments,
4:12
both big and small, directed you to where you
4:15
are today? So, I got bit by the theater bug in
4:18
high school. Oh, yeah. Yeah, right? And, you
4:22
know, the culture, the community, the fact that
4:25
theater, like, even in high school, like, approached,
4:27
brought, drew in a bunch of, like, delightfully
4:32
weirdo brains and just interesting group of people.
4:36
And I was attracted to that. And so, yeah, got
4:38
bit by the theater bug and knew that's what I
4:39
wanted to do. I knew pretty quickly that I wasn't
4:41
a director or a performer. I had dabbled a little
4:45
bit in high school, but I was like, yeah, no,
4:46
no, I'm backstage. I went to conservatory. undergrad
4:50
in Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon. First couple
4:53
of years, you didn't have to declare actually
4:55
what particular field you were interested in.
4:58
And I, you know, tried some lighting, tried some
5:01
stage management, tried, you know, tried a bunch
5:03
of things and wasn't, didn't really succeed at
5:05
any of them. And finally I was given, and this
5:10
was in the early days of sound design. I mean,
5:12
I've been doing this for a while. Can you give
5:14
us a year? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I graduated high
5:17
school in 1989. Okay. So this was, you know,
5:20
early 90s was when I was... That sounds fab.
5:26
90s just feel really good to me. Oh, we'll get
5:31
to that. So then eventually I was given a sound
5:34
design assignment, and all sorts of things for
5:36
me just kind of clicked into place. Like, I didn't
5:40
fail at it. I mean, and I did. Like, I flew.
5:42
And it felt right, and things settled in my soul.
5:47
I was like, yes, this is the best way that I
5:50
can contribute to this form of storytelling.
5:53
And it just made sense. And looking back at it,
5:56
it makes sense, given some of my early influences.
5:59
There was a lot of, like, dance lessons as a
6:02
kid, like years and years and years of dance.
6:04
And so, like, having a bodily understanding of
6:07
music. And then also, like, some of my early
6:11
music influences. I blame my brothers. I do.
6:13
I told them I blame my brothers. My brothers
6:15
are 10 and 12 years older than I am. And my favorite
6:18
songs when I was four was I would go up to, you
6:22
know, one from each brother. I would go and beg
6:24
my one brother to play Pink Floyd, Money, which
6:29
he, like, he was a total Pink Floyd fan at the
6:31
time because I loved the intro with all the cash
6:34
registers and how the cash registers then became
6:36
the rhythm of the song. And then my other brother,
6:40
I would beg him to play Frank Zappa and Don't
6:44
Eat That Yellow Snow. And because I loved the
6:47
extended duration of a story song and how the
6:52
story was told not only through the lyric but
6:54
through the music. And so having those influences
6:58
of a lot of dance and these being some of my
7:00
favorite songs when I was a little kid, it totally
7:02
makes sense, that sound design. Put those together
7:04
with a love of communal storytelling, that sound
7:08
design. There you go. Oh, I love this. I love
7:11
classic rock. I love this. Robert's wearing a
7:16
Boston t -shirt right now. It's an OG one from
7:19
1987. Your dad went to the June date in Philadelphia.
7:26
You were freshly out of your mom's womb. That's
7:30
neither here nor there. Let's get back to you,
7:32
Liz. What's our post -conservatory life like?
7:38
Post -conservatory life. Living the dream? Yes.
7:42
Yes, you are. I mean, I work with a bunch of
7:47
freaking amazing people on amazing projects.
7:51
I'm able to pay my bills. I mean, I'm not making
7:55
a lot of money, but I'm making enough money to
7:56
pay the bills. As an artist, that's actually
7:59
kind of rare that that's where I make my money
8:02
is I get to make my money doing my art with some
8:05
really... Freaking awesome collaborators. Yes.
8:08
Yeah. What brings us back to Philly? So I was
8:13
in Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and then I stayed
8:15
in Pittsburgh for a while. Pittsburgh's a great
8:17
town. I love Pittsburgh. I miss Pittsburgh. But
8:20
it's much smaller. Our team is much smaller.
8:22
And I was beginning to feel like I needed to
8:24
break out. And so, actually, I decided to go
8:28
back to grad school at the age of... I turned
8:31
40 while I was in grad school. Just to... You
8:35
know, open up the toolbox, shake it out, test
8:36
it out, and put some new things in there. Technology
8:40
changes. Technology, oh my God. Don't even get
8:44
me started. When did you go to grad school? When?
8:46
Where? I went to that place in New Haven. Oh,
8:49
you went to Yale just like Tom Weaver. Tom and
8:51
I have the same, about the same years. Carnegie
8:55
for undergrad and Yale for grad. Okay. Yeah,
8:59
Tom and I have the same pedigree, yeah. He said,
9:01
I went to New Haven, too, and I was like, you
9:04
went to Yale. Just say you went to Yale. I don't
9:07
know, it's a weird thing in the theater industry.
9:10
It is a thing of like, you don't brag about the
9:12
fact that you went to Yale. You try and not drop
9:14
that. I mean, I had an amazing time at Yale.
9:21
I learned a ton. I had some amazing mentors.
9:24
It's the thing that you just don't drop it. Oh,
9:27
my God. I would be wearing my sweatshirt everywhere.
9:30
Is that the school where you have to wear your
9:32
sweatshirt inside out? What? I don't know. Never
9:35
mind. It might be Harvard. Oh, goodness. Anyway,
9:38
so after Yale, I was like, okay, where am I going
9:40
to go? I was like, I'm not a New York person.
9:43
We can talk about that. I'm not interested in
9:45
New York theater. What seems right? And then
9:47
both in terms of the history of theater in Philadelphia
9:51
and in terms of proximity to family, Philly made
9:54
a lot of sense. And I've been here for, what,
9:57
14 years now? Philly's great. I love Philly.
9:59
I love the theater scene in Philly. It's great.
10:01
Can I actually ask an interjection real quick?
10:04
Sure. So we've talked to a prop designer today.
10:07
And again, we've talked to a lighting designer
10:10
in the past. Yeah. And at any given time, they
10:13
have junk in their trunk. And by that, I mean
10:16
they have lights in their trunk or they have
10:18
props in their trunk. Do you have anything in
10:21
your trunk right now? I do, yes. Tell us what's
10:23
in your trunk. I have actually an empty box of
10:26
a digital audio interface. It's empty because
10:30
it's actually in use currently, and I was like,
10:32
I'm just going to leave the box in here until
10:34
the show ends. I have empty boxes of a couple
10:39
of little lights, which are little gooseneck
10:41
lights that we all use that are very fine, so
10:45
you can sit in the dark and just see a little
10:46
bit. What else is in my car? I don't leave a
10:49
lot. of gear in my car this time of year. This
10:51
is Philadelphia, after all. And because I don't
10:54
like electronics sitting around in a 90 -degree
10:56
car. Oh, interesting. So I tried not to. I actually
11:00
don't think I have anything else in my car at
11:02
the moment. But, like, if this was February,
11:05
there would be a microphone and a portable recorder,
11:09
and, yeah, there would be a bunch of things.
11:13
Kind of talk us through the daily routine of
11:18
someone in sound design. Oh, my God. Okay, I
11:22
read this question, and then I read it out, and
11:24
I, like, laughed internally. And then this morning
11:27
I was reviewing the questions, and I read it
11:28
out loud to my partner, and he, like, rolled
11:32
on the floor laughing. And he was like, daily
11:35
routine? There is no daily routine. What are
11:38
you asking? I don't understand the question.
11:39
Daily routine? No day is the same as the other.
11:44
Wow. Yeah. Every day is different. Of, like,
11:46
do I have a meeting? Do I have seven meetings?
11:51
Do I have a Zoom meeting versus an in -person
11:53
meeting? Do I have a rehearsal to go to? Is it
11:55
a studio day of where I'm actually mostly at
11:59
home making stuff? Am I going to rehearsals?
12:02
Am I going to a technical rehearsal? Am I going
12:06
to a preview? And the hours and the schedule
12:08
vary from day to day. There's some days where
12:11
I'm working 8 a .m. to 1 p .m. Some days where
12:15
I'm working 4 p .m. to 1 a .m. Different every
12:20
day. And actually, that's some reason why I like
12:21
it. Yeah. A nine -to -five would kill me. Yeah.
12:25
Yeah. No. You work a nine -to -five, Robert.
12:28
Shut up. Not a great for artists, though. Not
12:30
a great for artists. And that's my least productive
12:34
time is the nine -to -five part. Yes. Throw it
12:38
afterwards when the meetings are over and everything
12:40
and I get to think, you know? Okay. And some
12:43
of it is because one of your other questions
12:45
is, like, how many projects are you working on
12:47
at once? Right. It's always at least four, and
12:49
sometimes it's four to 20. Wow. So I have like
12:54
12 projects I'm in conversations about, and each
12:58
project is in a different phase. Right. So what's
13:02
the phase of sound through that? It's just the
13:04
same as every other designer. There's the pre
13:07
-production phase and early phase of where you're
13:09
reading the script and you're talking to... your
13:11
other collaborators, you're talking to the director,
13:13
talking to your other designers. There's those
13:15
early phases, which can include making content,
13:19
can include thinking about the space and thinking
13:21
about how the space gets used and beginning to
13:23
think about a system design. And then I think
13:26
of it as the middle phase, which is rehearsals
13:28
and where the majority of the content, for me
13:31
at any rate in my process, majority of the content
13:32
gets made. And then the tech process, which is...
13:35
which you've had conversations with other designers,
13:38
so you know what the tech process is, where we
13:39
finally all come together in one room and mix
13:41
it all together. And then the preview process,
13:43
which is the last element of where we learn things
13:47
from the audience, and the acoustics of the room
13:49
changes, so the sound of the room can change
13:52
quite a bit once I get, you know, 100 to 200
13:54
bags of water in the room. Oh, my God. I don't
13:58
even think about it. Yes. Yeah. Well, I experienced
14:02
that hugely last night. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. It
14:05
was wild how different it was last night. So
14:08
that's roughly the process for me. How long does
14:11
that typically take? Anywhere from two months
14:15
to five years. Wow. I do have a project on the
14:18
books right now that is like five years out of
14:20
like early, early, early, early conversations.
14:22
That's a bit extreme, five years. But a year
14:24
is not abnormal. Have you already been commissioned
14:27
for that five -year one? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I
14:30
already have a contract. What does the commissioning
14:32
process look like, too? Like, do they... The
14:37
word commission is weird. Hiring? Hiring, contracting.
14:42
Yes. Is that what you're asking? Contracting?
14:44
Of like, hey, Liz, do you want to do this show?
14:46
Oh, wait, let's talk about it a little bit. Okay,
14:48
sure, it should be a contract. Yeah. Okay, okay.
14:51
And then I read the contract and I go, hey, can
14:53
we... Can we redline this? Yeah, and then...
14:55
All right. It's pretty simple. Yeah. Because
14:58
I don't have an agent, and I'm not a member of
15:00
the union, so it's pretty simple. I'm sure those
15:02
partnerships are happening across designers all
15:05
the time as well. Like, if the lighting guy got
15:07
the job first and then says, hey, I have a sound
15:09
person. No, it usually doesn't happen like that.
15:11
It's usually the director says, this is the team
15:14
I want, and or in collaboration with the theater.
15:18
And the director might not, you know, I don't
15:20
have a sound designer that I really want to work
15:21
with for this project. Can you recommend me one
15:23
in the theater? Or the theater might say, hey,
15:25
we'd really love for you to use this designer
15:27
or that designer. Yeah. It's usually between
15:30
the director and the theater. And every once
15:32
in a while I get a call from a director saying,
15:35
hey, I got this project. Can you recommend a
15:37
costume designer to me? And it may not even be
15:39
a project that I'm working on. It's just the
15:41
director saying, hey, I'm looking for a recommendation
15:43
for a new. I always get actually calls for, hey,
15:47
can you recommend to me a sound designer? Costumes
15:50
and props can, like, come with things, but do
15:54
you also have your own closet of things when
15:58
it comes to sounds and bites? And how much of
16:02
that is, like, a library of door closures? Oh,
16:07
yeah, okay, yeah, no, I've got it. A huge library
16:10
of door closers. How much of those do you produce
16:14
yourself from like, that wasn't the right door
16:16
close. I want to create this sound versus I'm
16:20
going to use something that's in the closet that
16:22
I already have. That's a really interesting question,
16:25
and I think you'd get a different answer depending
16:27
on the age of the designer, the age of the sound
16:30
designer. So I've been doing this my entire adult
16:32
professional career, so I've got a huge library,
16:36
and some of it is from sound effects libraries,
16:38
and some of it is a brand sharing with me. I
16:42
just randomly made it. 20 versions of this here,
16:45
have it, versus, like, me doing my own recordings.
16:48
I haven't done, like, a recording of a door closing
16:51
for a long time because I've got, because I did
16:53
recordings of door closings 15 years ago, and
16:57
I've got a bunch of them, right? So it's a full
17:01
-on mix of the three. And then often I was like,
17:03
oh, this is close to the... right door closing.
17:06
If I mix a little bit of this other door closing
17:09
in, and then I throw some EQ and a little bit
17:11
of reverb, then I'll end up with a perfect door
17:13
closing. And actually, very rarely do you use
17:15
that door closing. You always tweak it a little
17:18
bit. Like akin to a process designer of it just
17:21
needs a little bit more brown paint and a little
17:22
bit of sparkle, and great, then it's the perfect
17:25
gimbal. Right. Right. That's what I do. I do
17:28
the same thing. A little bit of brown paint and
17:30
a little bit of sparkle on it, and it's, yeah.
17:33
Oh, I love that. Same thing. It's just that my
17:35
media is non -tangible. Yeah. Yeah. Do the exact
17:38
same things, it's just a different media, which
17:41
is hard for some people to grasp. Can you talk
17:44
us through what could have been a very challenging
17:48
creation of sound that you had to then overcome?
17:52
You had in your mind, potentially, of, I'm looking
17:56
for this, I'm trying to search for this, I need
17:58
to create this. How you found that, or maybe
18:01
overcame that? That's a good question. Like,
18:04
what's one of the most challenging things? I
18:06
mean, I suppose the most challenging things are
18:09
always, like, big, complicated events. An earthquake,
18:14
right, is an example. Fire? Yeah, fire. I mean,
18:19
yeah, and those fire, like, fire is hard. Really?
18:23
Fire is hard. There's this category of sounds,
18:26
and I talk to this, sometimes talk to my students
18:28
about this, there's a category of sounds that
18:30
are white noise sounds. Fire, rain, wind. If
18:35
you're not careful, they can all sound the same.
18:38
And if you're playing some wind in the theater
18:41
and people go, why is the room on fire? Or playing
18:44
some rain and it doesn't sound like rain, it
18:46
sounds like wind. Because they all sound very
18:49
similar because the frequency content is very
18:51
similar. And so you're bringing in signifiers
18:55
of like, great, a little bit of rain, but you've
18:57
got to hear specific drops and that helps identify.
19:00
It signifies that, oh, this white noise sound
19:02
is rain by hearing some specific drops. Fire
19:05
of hearing those little pops. Making sure that
19:09
you get a handful of those little pops in makes
19:11
the roar of a fire actually sound like a fire
19:14
instead of wind. To weave that all together,
19:17
I mean, even when we were talking with Tom, he
19:19
was like, you are pushing that plot line through
19:24
in the story as well. And such... And can bring
19:29
so much more emotion out of an audience with
19:32
the addition of the sound and the mix of the
19:34
sound and the way that you're making everyone
19:36
feel kind of in the moment. Yeah. It's a special
19:38
of disbelief. And then I always say, it's my
19:41
job. I manipulate your emotions. It's my job.
19:45
He said that too. Yes. That's so true. Yeah.
19:49
I mean, that's kind of like a crappy way of saying
19:52
it, but it's true. No, no, yes. What's been your
19:55
favorite production to work on in recent memory?
19:58
I looked at this question that you sent me and
19:59
I was like, and then I was like, okay, it's going
20:04
to sound cliche, but it's true. The favorite
20:08
production is always the current production.
20:10
Yeah. Yeah. You fall in love with it. I mean,
20:13
I don't know. I think it's kind of actually part
20:16
of the job description. Like in order to bring
20:18
your truest self, your deepest self, your most
20:20
engaged self, you have to fall in love with the
20:23
current production or the one that just opened.
20:26
or the one that you're about to go all in on,
20:29
right? Yeah. So whatever is currently stewing
20:32
is the favorite production. Yeah. So the show
20:36
that is about to open at the Lantern, Summer
20:39
1976. Love the work I did on that. It's beautiful.
20:42
It's really delicate. It's beautiful. The big
20:47
giant beards show for Fringe, the airport, we're
20:50
seeing hairlines. One of the biggest projects
20:53
I've ever done with an amazing co -designer,
20:56
Natalie Merrill, and it was brilliant. The whole
20:58
production, the whole thing was brilliant, and
21:02
working with Natalie was brilliant. And that
21:04
was the one last night of the room, the acoustics
21:07
of the rooms. He changed drastically once there
21:10
were 200 people in that room. Oh, my gosh. It
21:13
was huge. Because you're going from an empty
21:16
warehouse to a room that's got 200 that's full
21:19
of... Wow. You know, bags of water, as they say.
21:23
Yeah. And then the show that's about to start
21:26
going to rehearsals full -time, which is the
21:28
Applied Mechanics show, Run, Ben, Run. I'm, like,
21:31
in love with this, and I can't wait to get in
21:33
the room with them and play around with them
21:34
and be present in that space with them. For some
21:37
of these, are you staying with the production
21:39
through the live performances? Never. Never?
21:45
My contract ends on opening. Really? Yeah. So
21:49
there isn't any change to sound design after
21:54
you start. Yeah. Wow. And then all of that is
21:57
archived into, like, and set. This is it. Yeah.
22:02
Wow. And here I'm thinking of, like... You're
22:06
there behind... Right. Behind the mix board,
22:09
like, each night. Who takes that over? Right,
22:12
so it's all computers now, and it's all programmed.
22:16
I mean, you know... a little bit different than
22:19
when I was first starting out. But it's all on
22:22
a computer, and it just comes down to a button.
22:23
And lighting, it just comes down to a button.
22:25
And so a stage manager or a crew person is just
22:28
hitting a go button. And that's what the tech
22:31
process is, is figuring out exactly what each
22:34
cue does and when that cue happens. And telling
22:38
the stage manager, especially the stage manager,
22:41
when it happens. And sometimes we get really
22:43
nitty -gritty about exactly what a cue happens,
22:45
of like, does it happen? on the period does it
22:50
happen a beat or two after the period does it
22:53
does it like interrupt the last word right does
22:56
it does it actually like let's take a breath
22:58
after the period and then we'll have the cue
23:00
go and sometimes we get nitty -gritty about that
23:03
kind of thing but then it's all set yeah yeah
23:07
because it's all around it's all on computers
23:08
right and so everything is pre -programmed and
23:12
we spend a lot of time doing that programming
23:13
yeah When did that happen? When did the technology
23:18
arrive for you to be able to program that? Yeah,
23:22
for sound, so my first couple of professional
23:24
shows were on reel -to -reel, on tape, big tape.
23:29
Wow. Yeah, so I've been through a lot of technology
23:32
changes in my career. Yes, yes. Right, so reel
23:34
-to -reel and then cassette. and then mini -disc
23:38
player and CD, and now on computer. And computers
23:42
became prevalent for sound playback in theater,
23:45
I'd have to say, 2000s. Okay. Yeah, I mean, probably
23:52
the first computers in theater playback were
23:54
in the late 90s, mid -90s. But it took, you know,
24:01
for it to become prevalent, it was probably 2000s.
24:05
I can imagine myself being like, this is never
24:08
going to catch on. That's what I said about the
24:11
internet in 1995. You know, so it used to all
24:13
be run by hand, and same with lighting, of like,
24:15
you know, the dimmers, like you would actually
24:16
like, right, and both lighting designers and
24:19
sound designers, you know, we occasionally bemoan
24:22
the times of how it's all programmed now, as
24:24
opposed to like feeling a fade, right, and feeling
24:27
how, like, is the actor taking that moment a
24:30
little bit differently, and like, okay, so I'm
24:32
going to change the feeling of that fade a little
24:34
bit. And we occasionally bemoan the loss of that.
24:38
There's ways for us to bring it back, but it's
24:39
complicated. Yeah, so we bemoan that a little
24:43
bit, the art of running a show. We occasionally
24:48
bemoan that, but computers are easy. Early part
24:51
of my career, that was a majority of my paycheck,
24:53
actually, was running shows. Gotcha. And being
24:56
the person doing those fades in front of the
24:59
mixer. But now it's all just hit a button. Wow.
25:02
What would you say to high school Liz working
25:06
on a production backstage? You'll be fine. Keep
25:11
going. You'll be fine. Talk to us about Applied
25:14
Mechanics. I love Applied Mechanics so much.
25:20
I love it. The people are amazing. I adore all
25:24
of them. They're wonderful humans. The company
25:27
comes at theater from a place of... Trying to
25:30
make sure that everyone in the room feels equal
25:33
and that everyone in the room feels like they
25:35
have a voice and that every voice is valued.
25:38
Anti -capitalist and... Equitable. Equitable,
25:43
yeah. And that is, like, it just, in the room,
25:47
it just feels very healthy and very human. And,
25:51
you know, we have a question. Let's, like, make
25:55
something about it. Let's try and figure out.
25:58
figure out this question a little deeper. And
26:01
they're all wonderful people and they're super
26:04
smart and wonderful theater makers. So you kind
26:07
of put all that energy in a room together and
26:10
sometimes like real theater magic happens. And
26:14
so I'm just excited to get in the room with them.
26:19
It's just a very loving, healthy, human place
26:22
to be. People who are in tech roles, they're
26:27
not, on staff at any theater company right ever
26:32
there used to be and i don't think there really
26:36
is anymore there used to be a model of resident
26:39
designers okay and that was you know my first
26:44
gig first like full -time paint gig was as the
26:48
house and engineer and resident designer at City
26:53
Theatre in Pittsburgh, and City Theatre had a
26:55
couple of resident designers, and that used to
26:57
be a familiar model for regional theatre. And
27:02
I don't think that that exists really anymore.
27:04
I don't think there are resident designers anymore.
27:06
I can see how that model is hard to sustain,
27:10
especially when you want to bring in a lot of
27:13
new talent, or talent that wants to work together.
27:16
Right. Like, let's make interesting pools. Well,
27:20
you know, when I was resident designer, like,
27:21
I didn't do all of the shows of the season. I
27:24
did, like, half of the shows of the season. So
27:26
there was space for that. Yeah, but, yeah, I
27:30
think that people just wanting to mix and match
27:32
more has become more of the trend. And I'm sure
27:36
you would want to have experience in different
27:41
theaters and have that freedom. Right, in different
27:43
spaces and working with different people. That's
27:47
what I love about the film also. Right, when
27:49
every one of them is different. Especially when
27:52
you're going with the Bearded Leaders to a warehouse
27:56
versus an actual theater or a black box or just
28:00
room. And how the sound is different and changes
28:05
in each one of those. And it's so unique. to
28:08
each one of those experiences. It's a new puzzle
28:10
piece to put together at each time. And I'm sure
28:13
each one of those productions come with their
28:15
own personalities and people. Yes. But that's
28:18
some of the fun. Yeah. Is that not only are you
28:21
in a different world with every project in terms
28:23
of the play, but you're also in a different working
28:25
world and a different working structure. Yeah,
28:31
so you get the world of the play, but also the
28:33
world of the theater and the people. So every
28:35
project is very different. And is your work also
28:40
on the side of pulling this all together, right?
28:44
Like what microphone needs to be used or what
28:47
are we pulling all of that together? Yes. So
28:50
my job, and that's another thing that I love
28:53
about what I do, is that it is half like... completely
28:59
creative and what is the sound of the stars and
29:02
um then the super nerdy like engineering side
29:07
of it and like figuring out what kind of speaker
29:09
to use where and understanding the frequency
29:11
response and the angle of dispersion for the
29:14
speaker and how to get the best out of that speaker
29:16
and what kind of microphone do i need to put
29:18
on like really i mean we got an sm58 but i prefer
29:20
not to use an sm58 i really want to use a right
29:24
so it's it's like super technical But also super
29:27
creative at the same time, and I have to do both,
29:29
and I have to work all of my brain. Yes. Where
29:35
you also then have to know about the space and
29:37
what people need to do. Like, is there a mic
29:41
that we put on a table here versus a mic that
29:43
we have to put on a person? Yes. And do they
29:45
have to move around? Do they not move around?
29:47
And with what is the sound of the stars. Yes.
29:51
It's the layer on top. Liz, this has been absolutely
29:55
amazing to talk with you and hear about your
29:57
journey and what you're doing every single day
30:00
in the theater space. Where can our audience
30:04
find you online? Well, I have a website, but
30:08
I haven't updated my website in 15 years. So
30:13
there's some really old work out there. What
30:18
is it? I can't even remember. Elizabeth Atkinson
30:23
sound .com. Yeah, that's it. So it's got some
30:30
portfolio stuff on there, but again, I haven't
30:32
updated it. It's okay. Confirmed. Confirmed.
30:38
Confirmed. Oh, yes. Oh, look at that. Lovely.
30:43
It's analog. Yes. It's great. Reshaping the air
30:47
with sound and music. Well, thank you very much,
30:50
Liz, for your time today. And we'll be right
30:52
back with Rapid Fire Questions. And we're back
31:00
with Liz Atkinson for some Rapid Fire Questions.
31:04
I'm nervous. Don't be. We only have three. Don't
31:07
be. Only three? Okay, I can do three. Favorite
31:09
Philadelphia neighborhood? Old City. Dream production
31:13
to sound design for? Applied mechanics, run,
31:16
Ben, run. Okay. All right. Living in the moment.
31:20
Yes. Perfect. If you could have seen any theater
31:25
production in its original iteration, what would
31:29
it be? Oh, good question. I would have to say
31:32
I would love to have seen a Shakespeare. Even
31:35
though I'm not actually honestly a big Shakespeare
31:37
fan. I would love to have seen one of the Greeks.
31:42
Yeah. Their sound design was different. Well,
31:46
their sound design was amazing. It was architectural.
31:49
Yes, that's true. Which is amazing. Correct.
31:52
Yeah. How about Lion King? Nice. That's a lot
31:57
going on. I'm not a big musical fan, but sometimes
32:00
I just love a little spectacle. Yes. Yes. I mean,
32:03
according to Dara Sottle, it's one of the things.
32:05
Theater, spectacle. I love a little spectacle.
32:07
Yes. Perfect. So does this one. Yes, I do. Yes,
32:11
I do. Liz, thank you so much for your time today
32:17
and sharing your journey. And everyone, check
32:20
out Liz and her sound design in a theater production
32:23
near you. Thank you. It's a Pride Mechanics Run,
32:26
Ben, Run. Let everybody know that I love your
32:41
question about what's in your trunk. Oh, okay.
32:45
All right. You know, you can tell everyone about
32:47
that. Once again, the best question has been,
32:52
what's in your trunk? What is the junk in your
32:55
trunk? Exactly. All the props, people. Like,
33:00
it's killing me. Everyone has the junk. Sound
33:05
Lucinda, who knew it was finalized pre -Curtain?
33:09
Definitely those who studied theater in New Haven.
33:13
And while I really gave it to Liz and Thomas,
33:16
you know that drama school is world -renowned.
33:20
Pivoting, Philadelphia Chamber of Music Society
33:23
presents Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective on Wednesday.
33:27
That's tonight, October 28th at 7 .30 at the
33:31
Perlman Theater at the Kimmel Center in, well,
33:34
30 minutes. Haul ass to Broad Street. Arden Theater
33:39
presents Top Dog Underdog, kicking off tomorrow,
33:42
October 29th. I get the sense that this is not
33:45
for the kids. Interact Theater presents... This
33:49
Much I Know, starting October 30th at the Drake.
33:53
A synopsis? A psychology professor's search for
33:58
his missing wife takes the audience deeper into
34:01
the mind across countries, nationalities, and
34:04
ideologies. Also, not for the kids. The Addams
34:08
Family, the musical, is closing on November 1st
34:11
at the Walnut Street Theater. And another spooky
34:14
season comes to a close. Signing off, Philly
34:19
has heart. And art. And you Philly has heart.
34:57
Don't forget to follow, share, and spread the
34:59
love.