as You Like It (2016)

April 7-10, 2016; BERG THEATRE, OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY

DIRECTED BY Stephen Wrentmore

SOUND DESIGN BY NATHAN SCHILZ

When Stephen Wrentmore and I were discussing the sounds we wanted to use in his joyfully creative production of As You Like It, we kept circling back to this idea of there being a seen world - where the characters inhabit a physical space and pursue their earthly desires- and an unseen, spiritual world.  The musical journey we took the audience on in the seen world was very much tethered to a scenes physical space and time period -  for the urban "kingdom" of Act I we used 70's hiphop artists like Grandmaster Flash & The Sugarhill Gang as major points of inspiration.  This was in stark contrast to the earthy, Appalachian-style folk music that defined the sound of the Forest of Arden.

The sounds of the unseen world could be heard as the romance between Rosalind & Orlando bloomed, and whenever the god Hymen appeared to help the players along their journeys.  We utilized the sounds of ringing bells, delicate pianos, and warm strings to create a more gentle and simple atmosphere for these moments, and traditional melodies to create a clear statement about the love and mysticism unfolding on stage.  The idea that underneath all of the noise of the everyday, there is always this undefinable undercurrent carrying us along on our way, wherever that path may lead was the ultimate motivation behind this dichotomy and was such a treat to explore and sort through.