Topics in Sound Production (401-0-22)
Topic
Sound for Theatre & Performance
Instructors
Matthew Test
Meeting Info
Abbott Hall Wirtz Chicago 203: Fri 11:00AM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
How is sound used across performance disciplines, and how does its role change from one form to the next? This course approaches sound as a dramaturgical tool: a means of building worlds, shaping time, revealing character, and guiding how an audience feels and interprets what it experiences. Students will compare how sound functions across a range of interdisciplinary performance practices, examining the distinct relationships each creates between sound, text, body, and space.
The course is organized in three sections (Sound for Theater, Sound for Dance and Movement, and Sound for Interdisciplinary and Performance Art), each combining theory with practical considerations to understand the unique ways sound functions in that discipline. Through listening, discussion, and hands-on work, students will build a critical vocabulary for sound in performance alongside the practical skills to design for each form.
Registration Requirements
SAI Students and other grad students may register, undergrads require approval
Learning Objectives
- Analyze how sound functions as a dramaturgical tool to build worlds, shape time, reveal character, and guide audience interpretation.
- Compare the distinct roles sound plays in theater, dance and movement, and interdisciplinary and performance art, including its relationship to text, body, and space.
- Apply theoretical frameworks and practical considerations to design sound for each of these performance forms.
- Articulate and critique sound design choices using a shared critical vocabulary for sound in performance.
Class Materials (Required)
No required textbooks. Readings will be provided on Canvas based on student interests and relevant lectures.