How does sound design fit into the overall design program there?
We’re a BFA program, and we try to make sure all our students receive solid grounding in all design/tech areas. All production students are required to study stagecraft, costumes, scenic design, lighting design, hand drafting, model building, rendering, and basic CAD. I do an overview module on sound design as part of the first year sequence, and then students who focus in sound will take basic sound engineering in the second year. As chair, I can craft their program individually. Because of the range of individual foci within sound, this is often a one-on-one directed study situation. On the practical side, they are on crew for productions as early as possible. Usually they’ll do a board-op or two in the second year, and at the end of the second year or the start of the third, I’ll have them assist me or another professional designer on a show as a precursor to taking on a main stage sound design themselves. Often, by then they are also doing sound designs for theatre students’ senior
