THEA 286
Sound Design: Foundations & Experiments Spring 2025
Division I

What roles can sound play in a theatrical context? How porous is the border between music and sound? What happens when we begin to consider our surroundings through the lens of sonic potential? We will explore the fundamentals of sound design beginning with deep listening, sonic ideation from script analysis, musique concrète, creative audio manipulation techniques, and principles of theatrical system design. We will then delve into experiments approaching the cutting edge of sound including real-time systems, custom controllers, and spatial sound. Our focus will be on sound design for live performance but several topics will apply to recorded media as well. Some fluency in a digital audio workstation (DAW) preferred but not required.