HOWARD BARKER DOUBLE BILL
I worked as sound designer on REND Production’s double bill of Howard Barker plays presented at the Arcola Theatre, London in 2015.
The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo explores the relationship between a 17 year old bride and her 100 year old groom, both of whom are blind. Director Robyn Winfield-Smith took the bold decision to stage this piece almost entirely in complete darkness with only glimpses of Tenna, the female character, seen in a few select moments. The play was recorded binaurally in the natural acoustics of Compton Verney Chapel and played to the audience via wireless headphones. This gave people the experience of impaired vision while placing them in the space with the characters with full spatial ‘360º’ sound.
Judith: A Parting From The Body is based on the biblical story of a despotic Assyrian general Holofernes who is seduced then beheaded by Judith, a Jew, in order to save Israel. The sound design for this piece was more conventional with some contextual ambiences and incidental material.
The two plays were presented as a double bill at the Arcola Theatre 25 November – 15 December 2015. I was nominated for a 2015 ‘Offie’ (https://offies.london/) for the sound design for The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo.
HOWARD BARKER DOUBLE BILL
I worked as sound designer on REND Production’s double bill of Howard Barker plays presented at the Arcola Theatre, London in 2015.
The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo explores the relationship between a 17 year old bride and her 100 year old groom, both of whom are blind. Director Robyn Winfield-Smith took the bold decision to stage this piece almost entirely in complete darkness with only glimpses of Tenna, the female character, seen in a few select moments. The play was recorded binaurally in the natural acoustics of Compton Verney Chapel and played to the audience via wireless headphones. This gave people the experience of impaired vision while placing them in the space with the characters with full spatial ‘360º’ sound.
Judith: A Parting From The Body is based on the biblical story of a despotic Assyrian general Holofernes who is seduced then beheaded by Judith, a Jew, in order to save Israel. The sound design for this piece was more conventional with some contextual ambiences and incidental material.
The two plays were presented as a double bill at the Arcola Theatre 25 November – 15 December 2015. I was nominated for a 2015 ‘Offie’ (https://offies.london/) for the sound design for The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo.
Presented by: REND Productions
Writer: Howard Barker
Director & Designer: Robyn Winfield-Smith
Designer: Rosanna Vize
Sound Design: Iain Armstrong
Lighting Design: Christopher Nairne
Photography: Nick Rutter
“Here, she plunges us into darkness for Isonzo …It’s highly effective, opening up an ever-shifting landscape in our heads, as war, sex and deferred desire mingle…”
* * * *
“… almost entirely in the total darkness, their voices, shuffling footsteps and howling wind are played in 3D surround sound to us via headphones. …The darkness and intimacy of their ear-whispering is extraordinarily effective, rendering the hour utterly absorbing and unnerving. ”
* * *
” The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo allows the audience to identify with the characters with a suprising yet thrilling 3D audio experience, transmitted through headsets. Emily Loomes and Nicholas Le Prevost invite the spectators on a mysterious journey, helped by sound designer Iain Armstrong and composer Gregory Batsleer.”
* * * *
“The loss of sight has a really profound effect on the theatrical experience. The headphones worked amazingly well in this respect with the sounds moving the actors around the theatre – even at one point having the uncomfortable feeling of Isonzo being virtually on my shoulder.”
* * *
“The audio experience was at times fantastic, you could hear the characters move around behind you and almost whisper in your ear.”
* * * *
“The sound we hear through the headphones is described by Arcola as ‘3D’ and it certainly allows us to imagine Isonzo and Tenna moving around the stage – at one point Isonzo seemed to be whispering in my ear, a very disquieting feeling.”
* * * *
Presented by: REND Productions
Writer: Howard Barker
Director & Designer: Robyn Winfield-Smith
Designer: Rosanna Vize
Sound Design: Iain Armstrong
Lighting Design: Christopher Nairne
Photography: Nick Rutter
“Here, she plunges us into darkness for Isonzo …It’s highly effective, opening up an ever-shifting landscape in our heads, as war, sex and deferred desire mingle…”
* * * *
“… almost entirely in the total darkness, their voices, shuffling footsteps and howling wind are played in 3D surround sound to us via headphones. …The darkness and intimacy of their ear-whispering is extraordinarily effective, rendering the hour utterly absorbing and unnerving. ”
* * *
” The Twelfth Battle of Isonzo allows the audience to identify with the characters with a suprising yet thrilling 3D audio experience, transmitted through headsets. Emily Loomes and Nicholas Le Prevost invite the spectators on a mysterious journey, helped by sound designer Iain Armstrong and composer Gregory Batsleer.”
* * * *
“The loss of sight has a really profound effect on the theatrical experience. The headphones worked amazingly well in this respect with the sounds moving the actors around the theatre – even at one point having the uncomfortable feeling of Isonzo being virtually on my shoulder.”
* * *
“The audio experience was at times fantastic, you could hear the characters move around behind you and almost whisper in your ear.”
* * * *
“The sound we hear through the headphones is described by Arcola as ‘3D’ and it certainly allows us to imagine Isonzo and Tenna moving around the stage – at one point Isonzo seemed to be whispering in my ear, a very disquieting feeling.”
* * * *
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