University of Oklahoma School of Drama

Weitzenhoffer Theatre

April 4 – April 13, 2014

Directed by:  Susan Shaughnessy

Scenic Designer:  Adam Honoré

Costume Designer:  Paul Kim

 

 

One of Anton Chekhov’s most celebrated plays, The Cherry Orchard is a story of change.  During the time of the liberation of the serfs, the play tells the story of a Russian family and their estate and cherry orchard.  The return of the mistress of the house and her daughter is celebrated, even as she grapples to handle the debts of the estate.  A former serf, Lopakhin details how he has risen to wealth.  An evening spent in the woods discussing life and future is interrupted by a mysterious sound, a breaking string somewhere off in the distance.  At an auction, their estate is sold, and Lopakhin is revealed as the buyer.  In the final act, all the members of the household prepare to depart, their lives now changed. 

 

For the sound, I rooted the music in Russian folk music, using instrumentation of the period.  Most of this was heard during the party scene.  Creating the outdoor world of Act 2 was my favorite, spreading an outdoor ambience across the theatre that featured different sound textures from different locations, enhancing the audience’s perception of the world.  The ‘breaking string’ sound is one of the most celebrated in all of sound design, as it is a moment that precipitates all the actions that follow it.  Not just sounding like a snapping cable, it needed to represent a powerful moment within the narrative.  I also composed some folk music to be heard on guitar during this scene.

 

I love designing worlds with multiple levels and textures, and doing both the lighting and sound for this production allowed me to do this on many levels.  Chekovian drama is always rich with ideas and moments, and I was able to enhance these in this production.