From Music and the Art of Theatre by Adolphe Appia. This diagram is found only in the German version. T he new millennium finds a curious irony in the development of sound in the theatre. The use of sound in theatrical productions has achieved a prominence and sophistication unimaginable at the dawn of the twentieth century. The irony is that in the history of the theatre, sound may have never isolated itself so totally from the other elements of a production as it has today. In most theatres the members of the sound team are routinely treated as either idiots or mystic gurus. In either case, their work is widely regarded by the other members of the production team as beyond understanding. In film and the video gaming industry, the entire visual component of a production is typically created first, and then turned over to a sound team for development. Interaction between visual and auditory teams is the exception rather than the rule. This paper hopes to make a case for an aesthetic foundation upon which sound design rests. It derives its origins from foundations that should be very familiar to visual designers. Hopefully, an understanding by all members of the production team regarding the function of the soundscape will help the entire creative team bridge the gaps between the visual and the aural aspects of a production. An understanding of the function of the soundscape may also encourage the development of a more unified production approach. Some Synonyms S everal terms are used interchangeably in this paper. Whether the terms are indeed synonyms can certainly be debated. However, that debate is beyond the scope of this paper. It might be useful to note that these synonyms derive not so much from technical definitions of the words, as from my personal approach to creating soundscapes. The first pair of synonyms are the words "composition" and "design." In the context of this paper, either term refers to the organization of sonic or visual elements for the express purpose of communicating with an audience. The second pair of synonyms are the words "music" and "sound." These refer to audible events TD & T W I N T E R 2 0 0 1 19