Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1995 - 20

We will explore the basics of space in sound score design,
with attention to various acoustic decisions, and will
demonstrate how various effects and moods can be created.
The first section of this article deals with aesthetic concerns of the spatial environment and learning to think in
three dimensions for dramatic productions. In the second
section, specific variables used to manipulate the auditory
space for the dramatic production will be considered.
Techniques for implementing the spatial manipulations will
be discussed in the final section.

THIt 'KIt G IN THREE

DI~lEl

'SIONS

Although the use of the auditory space in theatre productions is as old as theatre itself, modern technology has greatly
enhanced the possibilities for which the space may be used.
In many ways, the modern sound score designer is on the
threshold of new possibilities in space, the "final frontier" of
sound. Auditory space can be a very dangerous element to
manipulate in a production, however. Usually when the
auditory space has been misused, the audience is distracted
from the essential experience of the dramatic production.
For this reason, remember that the spatiality must always
serve the themes and dramatic structure of the production.
Of primary concern in the question of how the auditory
space of a theatre services the themes and dramatic structure
of a production is the relationship between the visual space
of the dramatic production and the auditory space of the
dramatic production. Generally speaking, the auditory space
and the visual space are configured to being as close to being
the same as possible. The most frequent problem encountered when the rwo spaces are shared is the need for the audience to localize the sound to the same apparent acoustic
perspective as the visual the sound is reinforcing. The rwo
most common examples of this are the sounds that stage
props make on stage, and music that underscores the action
on the stage. In these cases, when the sound comes from a
source other than the visual element it reinforces, the result
is a momentary distraction of the audience that may detract
from their involvement in the production.

BREAKL 'G THE FOURTH \X'ALL
-------In theatre parlance, the fourth wall is traditionally the invisible wall that separates the actors from the audience, especially in the proscenium theatre. Many experiments in
bringing the sound "out into the audience" have taken place
over the years with varying results. Unfortunately, in most
cases, sound that breaks the dramatic audirory space; i.e., the
actor's space behind the fourth wall usually calls attention to
itself and away from the dramatic experience. This is not to
say that the fourth wall is not to be broken. There are many
occasions in dramatic productions for the audience to be

WINTER

1995

TD&T

'immersed' in sound. One of the most common types of
immersion is the use of a very diffuse surround system to
create a spatiality around music that appears to emanate
from the visual picture of the stage. Tomlinson Holman discusses the purpose of this type of system in an earlier article
abour film surround sound:
The objective of surround speakers and their installation is to envelop the audience with non-directional
sound through the use of a large number of small,
broadly dispersive loudspeakers with overlapping patterns. This approach is directly opposite to that taken
for the screen (stage?) speakers, where the objective is
the highest ratio of direct-to-reflected sound possible,
consistent with uniform audience coverage. The surround field should be as diffuse as possible; we do not
want the audience to be particularly aware of where
the sound is coming from, which is precisely what we
do want from the screen [stage?] speakers.
This is because there is no meaning for sound
images which are not associated with the picture. 1
If the visual picture the audience encountered in theatre
was always confined to the area behind the rectangular
proscenium arch, there might never be a need in the modern theatre for any other type of surround system than this.
However, in the modern theatre, the visual images often
tend to spill ourside the confines of the proscenium picture
frame compared to the twO dimensional projection screen
in which the film is trapped.
Sets are designed that envelop the interior of the entire
theatre, including the audience. Scenes are played allover
the theatre, and are not confined to the traditional picture
frame of the proscenium. The desire to involve the audience in the experience has led to the creation of a great
number of thrust theatres. But the vital truth of Holman's
point remains. It is extremely hard to justify sound existing
outside the visual action whether it is confined to the picture window of a proscenium or spread our over a great
portion of a theatre.
Unless carefully handled, sound that is specifically
localizable outside the visual picture is more likely to distract the audience than pull them into the production. You
always run the risk of "showing the audience how technically sophisticated you are" at the expense of their involvement in the production. Unfortunately you might be
creating an awesome sonic event, only to distract the audience from the theatre they came to experience.
As discussed earlier, the auditory space must always
support the production, not detract from it. However, this
does not mean that the theatre does not afford excellent
opportunities to effectively envelope the audience with
sound. In the next section, the auditory space of the dramatic production will be considered. Techniques for
implementing the model will be discussed later.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1995