Sinéad, Peter and Isaac talk about the challenges of creating a sound experience for live-streaming as opposed to a theatre or venue, from the different technical requirements at both ends to emerging technologies that cater for new needs.
They also share their experiences in theatre, where they see sound design in general brought in very late in the creative process, and the difficulties this entails at many levels.
For Isaac, sound should be a main part in developing the theatre narrative and, consequently, sound designers should be a key part of the creative process.
Peter Power believes that sound design is becoming more important but conversations need to happen at national level with policy makers; he also thinks that this milieu is changing as new generations of theatre artists are embracing new approaches to the creative process.
For Sinéad, one of the key aspects is the obsolescence of the tech model, which has remained the same for a long time, even if the technologies have changed drastically.
They also reflect on the lack of sound design training or education specific to theatre, sound design being by nature very interdisciplinary, and the implications of such.
Finally, they reflect on issues related to terminology, like the sometimes not very clear difference between sound designer and composer, and the implications of conflating both roles.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Each Stage Left episode covers different aspects of scenography and its processes with designers from all disciplines at a variety of stages in their careers.
You will find information on the productions mentioned in this podcast further down this page.
This podcast was recorded on Zoom, which might affect sound quality.
Click on the image below to listen to the podcast. Enjoy!
Productions Mentioned
Happy Days by Samuel Beckett
Landmark Productions
Director: Caitríona McLaughlin
Set & Costume Designer: Jamie Vartan
Lighting Designer: Paul Keogan
Sound Designer: Sinéad Diskin
Originally streamed live in January 2021 from the stage of the 3Olympia Theatre, the production then toured to Cork Midsummer Festival, 3Olympia Theatre and Birmingham Rep in June/July 2023.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Photograph by Marcin Lewandowski
Bios
Sinéad Diskin is a sound designer and composer. She is a graduate of the SEEDS programme with Rough Magic Theatre Company, Dublin, a recipient of the Next Generation Artists Award 2019 from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the commission award from Anú Productions and the Arts Council of Ireland 2021.
Her work for theatre includes: Dixon and Daughters at the National; Walking With Ghosts for Landmark Productions, in the West End & on Broadway; Tales from the Holywell at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin; The Taxidermist’s Daughter at Chichester; Medicine and Blood in the Dirt for Landmark Productions; The Visit for Draíocht and Dublin Theatre Festival; Aftertaste and Ask Too Much of Me for National Youth Theatre; Boland: Journey of a Poet for Druid; Piaf, Pale Sister, The Snapper and The Glass Menagerie at the Gate, Dublin; The Wakefires, Faultline and Torch for Anú Productions; The Anvil for Manchester International Festival & Anú Productions; Incantata for the Galway International Arts Festival; The Phlebotomist at Hampstead. Her film work includes Suited for Battersea Arts Centre; Constance with Úna Kavanagh; Canaries, Torch and Hecatomb for Anú Productions.
Sinéad Disking Profile at The Agency
Isaac Gibson is an award-winning Northern Irish DJ, producer and sound designer. He has over ten years of experience in the music industry and is currently studying a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast, with a focus on Music Technology, Socially Engaged Sonic Arts, and Sound Design.
In recent years he has worked on the scores and sound design of many short films and theatrical productions that have been showcased at the Lyric Theatre, the MAC and at various other prestigious institutions in Ireland.
Peter Power is a multidisciplinary Visual Artist, Composer, Sound Designer and Director from Waterford.
He is the Artistic Director of the Award winning company Sparsile Collective creating immersive experiences led by music.
He is also Director of Eat My Noise, a multi-genre audio duo that work in Composition, Event, Film, Television and Post-Production.
Currently the Artist-In-Residence in the Cork Midsummer Festival, Peter is the outgoing Artist-In-Residence in the National Sculpture Factory. He is the winner of the Arts Council of Ireland Music Bursary award, Music and Theatre Project Awards, Theatre Bursary Award and most recently the AGF award and Visual Arts Commission Award.
His current interests are in the connections between Digital and Live art.
Peter’s most recent work includes The Boundaries Between Us Endure by Sparsile (Concept, Director, Designer, Composer), In Clouds by Sparsile (Creator, Director, Co-Composer), My Dad’s Blind by Anna Sheils-McNamee and PAN PAN (Sound Design/Winner of Best Production Dublin Fringe 2018), Elevate by Aerial Cirque (Composer, Sound Designer), Man at the Door Number 54 by Junk Ensemble (Composer/Sound Designer) The Same by Enda Walsh and Corcadorca (Composer/Sound Designer) fLux by Eat My Noise (Co-creator, Composer), Override by Stacey Gregg (Composer, Sound Designer), ProdiJIG: The Revolution by Cork Opera House (Music Supervisor, Composer, Sound Designer), Flights by John O’Donovan (Composer, Sound Designer) Neon Western (Co-creator, Composer, Sound Designer), Gentrification by Enda Walsh (Associate Director, Composer, Sound Designer) and Carinae by Eat My Noise (Creator, Composer, Director).
Peter is an outgoing founding member of the committee for the Irish Society of Performance Designers (ISPD).
Peter holds a BSC Hon in Biochemistry and an MA Comp.
Stage Left Podcast
Stage Left Podcast is funded by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland
Featured Music Venn Diagrams from How To Square A Circle by Lux Alma
Produced by Noelia Ruiz
