Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2017 - Public - 18

Rear (upstage) view or the speaker rig in the right boot. Photo by Niluka Hotaling.

a wireless microphone processed with a touch of digital
reverb. As Val speaks, the soundscape gradually comes
to life with marsh sounds, lapwings, the rhythm of distant surf, and the hint of flowing water, triggered via
Q Lab and stereophonically mixed to different speaker
locations around the stage.
At the apex of this soundscape fade-in, Nell
emerges from the upstage right causeway supported by
a walking stick, moving with exaggerated steps as if her
feet are being sucked into pools of muddy bog-water
while she hunts eels. Triggered by the actor, with each
step, we hear the sound of a boot splashing water. She
pauses center-stage to deliver her own speech, defiantly
reclaiming the Fens from the landowner overlords. Her
peace spoken, Nell strides downstage left; each sloshing
step exclaims, "I am here."
PLUG AND PLAY
Did the wearable sound technology, combined with
the other technical elements and actors' performance
achieve the desired effect? Absolutely. Audiences
seemed mesmerized, visibly moved by the transformation that unfolded in the final scene. At several performances, audible "oohs" were heard as Nell strode across
the space and Frank lamented, "I killed the only person
I've ever loved." I believe we achieved what the director and I had imagined in our initial design meetings,
incorporating a newer technology to augment the storytelling without pulling the audience out of the mo18

theatre design

& technology

S p r i n g 2 0 1 7

Tanyamaria McFarland as "Nell," dressed in
her scene 21 costume backstage before the
second technical rehearsal. At first blush,
the sound-vest prototype appeared to add
a couple of pounds to Nell. But when she
strode into the space under the green mist
fog-drenched lights provided by designer
Byunghul Lee, the gadgetry behind the moving
sound effect disappeared into the magic of the
story. Photo by Niluka Hotaling.

ment. In fact, a number of audience members asked
how the "boots splashing in water" moved with Nell
in the final moment. Two director colleagues inquired
about the cost of this technology and how easy it was to
utilize. The Artistic Director of the Gallatin Arts Festival
at NYU wistfully said, "I'm going to want to use moving
sound all the time now."
Incorporating wearable technology would not have
been possible without Easley's advocacy and vision, as
well as the collaborative openness of all of the designers
and technicians who contributed to the making of Fen.
The entire team climbed a steep learning curve to design and build the wearable sound vest, taking significant
shop time for this beta prototype, which Stiefel and the
costume shop generously gave to the project. But at the
end of the day, the "actor and crew friendly" approach enabled flawless implementation during performance and
Nell's 60-second quick change. In hindsight, the traveling sound effect could have been achieved with two triggers sending different sounds to just one speaker, which
would have trimmed the cost of the project and enabled
the costume designer to reduce the profile of the tactical
sound vest. It would also have made for a less stressful
quick-change.
The Fen project demonstrates the transformative potential of using spatial, moving audio with a performer as
the generator and radiator of sound. Of course, any theatrical application of technology should balance technical requirements with artistic vision and the playwright's

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2017 - Public