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JARETT PISANI
Sound Designer
Whether composed or captured, live or recorded, the aural texture of a play
– the sound or stillness behind the words and actions - is in the hands of
the Sound Designer. Occasionally, a sound design so enriches the play that
it deserves its own applause. Such was the case with Jarett Pisani’s
soundscape for The Heiress
produced by Olney Theatre Center. Jarett’s creations for the stately 19th
century manor where horse drawn carriages could be heard clattering down the
cobblestone street or stopping to deliver a passenger were a memorable part
of the evening’s auditory feast. We talked about how he does it. |
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Q: When you are called in to design sound for a show, what do you do?
A: I sit down with the director and see what way he wants to go with
the show. This is usually about two months before the show starts. We’ll go
almost page by page to see where he wants ambient sound.
Then I’m responsible for finding the best samples which I edit to make the
actual cues. Once I have all of those ready to go, I put them into the
computer and figure out the speaker configuration that will work best for
the house. I always listen for the sound of the room itself – to see how
live the room is, and from that point, I can sit down, play each cue and
figure out the best way to place it in the room.
I am usually in the theatre a day or two before tech week starts running.
I’ll go in late at night so I can have quiet time to start setting volumes.
Once the actors are in there, I make more adjustments. Then when the
audiences come in, I refine it more because all those warm bodies in seats
soak up sound that bounces around when the theater is empty.
Q. Where do you find sound cues?
A: There are many sites online for free downloads or you can buy
libraries but since those cues are used by a lot of other designers, I like
to create my own. For example, I might get samples from movies that were
made around the time.
Q: That explains those marvelous horse and carriage effects in The
Heiress. What about the offstage singing around the spinet? It sounded
live. Was it?
A: That was the hardest cue in the show. The director wanted me to
find actual music from the period. Lucky for me, I had a record, but he
thought the recording sounded too much like a harpsichord. So we brought in
a pianist and recorded in the lab on campus, with Jeffries [Thais who played
the caddish Morris Townsend] singing.
Q: And then you mixed in laughter ….
A: Oh no. That was live. I had the actors do it live so they could
vary it according to how everyone was feeling for each show.
Q: What is your greatest challenge?
A: Making sure that the cue doesn’t sound too amplified and doesn’t
seem to come from the same room that you are in. For example, those horse
and carriage cues needed to sound as if they were out on the street and not
coming from the speakers over your head.
Q: And we heard those late night carriages come from down the street
and recede into the distance.
A: Yes. I had four different speakers, starting at the proscenium and
every five to ten feet upstage. I liked it too. One thing I enjoy is when
the actors hear my cues for the first time. When the effects are really
good, they honestly feel the cue has created a reality for them.
Q: I see that you have designed for straight plays and musicals.
Which do you enjoy more?
A: Sound-wise, I usually like straight plays because there are more
sound cues. With musicals, I get to work with the wireless mikes and have
full control of the sound levels and can make it good for everybody.
Q: When you attend a production, what do you listen for? How do you
judge a good sound design, or maybe, what makes you cringe?
A: A lot of times it’s the quality of the sample. If it has a lot of
distortion, it bothers my ears. Levels are a big factor. They can change a
show drastically. If a sound cue is too loud, it will drown out the actors
which will discourage a lot of people. When volumes are too low, people
might not even recognize that a cue is playing. Like crickets. A lot of
people have trouble hearing crickets. The whole affect of a scene can be
lost.
Q: What training do you have?
A: I went to Sherwood High School not far from the Olney Theatre, and
was always trying to get a pass out of other classes to get to the studio. A
lot of hours were spent with my teacher Bill Evans learning how to work the
gear. Then I worked like a dog to get my own setup. I don’t have any proper
schooling. I just taught myself. Experience – I think that’s the best way to
go.
Q: What are you working on next?
A: The Elephant Man for Olney (May 24 – June 18, 2006). I
haven’t looked at the play but I’m sure there will be something in there
that will take me more than a few hours in my studio.
Jarett Pisani grew up not far from the Olney Theatre Center in Sandy Spring,
MD. He is the OTC’s audio engineer and has designed shows such as Anna
Karenina, Somewhere in the Pacific and The American Dream for
Olney. He was assistant sound designer for Plane Crazy, one
of the breakout hits from the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival.
Potomac Stages reviews of
the work of Jarett Pisani at Olney through March, 2006:
The Heiress
Somewhere
in the Pacific
Lovesong
of the Electric Bear
Press
Conference, The American Dream
and
One For The Road
Anna Karenina
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