TEXAS BEAUTY PAGEANT MURDER: THE FALL OF DON SWAN
Part of what made this production so unique and memorable was how we built it from almost nothing. Other than the inclusion of Don Juan somehow, we were given permission to completely rewrite and reimagine the script. This ground-up mentality made its way to every other aspect of the production, including sound. I wanted to take this chance to explore ways of making my own music.
Once the scenes were in place and we started rehearsing, the director would ask for a piece of music to go with it. In some cases the scene and music were linked, other times they just complimented each other. I took inspiration from those pieces and constructed my own themes that still fit the tone. My primary tool was the loop library in Garageband. Loops are small bits of music that are composed in such a way that they can repeat indefinitely. The advantage lay in flexibility; the loops could repeat for as long as we needed and could end smoothly without disrupting the sound. I would spend hours scouring through loops, mix and matching, layering instruments to get the right sound. I developed quite the ear for picking out instrument parts.
It was also a matter of tone and fulfilling the aesthetic of the scene. In tandem with the performance on stage, sound can evoke different attitudes that can affect how people enjoy the scene. Below are primary examples of this and how I used design elements to achieve it.
Directed by
C. B. Goodman
SOUND DESIGN
Photos courtesy of Carlos Barron
Runway Themes
The main conceit of this production came from a desire to subvert beauty pageant culture. In order to achieve this, we needed to establish familiar conventions of the culture, such as the sashes and the obligatory swimsuit models. I took the manufactured look of pageants and converted that to a synthesized sound with an upbeat tempo. The idea was to convey an image of strutting down the runway.
Sitcom Theme
The inspiration for this theme came from The Cosby Show. The scene itself was actually adapted from a Cosby Show skit, and we wanted to recreate that sitcom feeling, complete with canned laughter. I tried to emulate the original theme using similar aspects; a staccato beat, horns and drums, with a dash of Latin flair. We included this scene as a means of commentary on the Bill Cosby sexual harassment controversy.
Talk Show Theme
Inspired by the Today Show theme.
This scene is more narratively relevant as it introduces Don Swan's recent behavior and a possible suspect. The Today Show has a very mellow feel to it, similar to how a rising sun would feel. I used more melodic sounds to evoke that same image, which would then be offset by Don Swan's inappropriate advances.
WWE Theme
Inspired by "The Time is Now", famous as John Cena's entrance theme.
This scene blended the two extremes of pageant competition and WWE wrestling. The characters are pageant contestants, but play it up with all the bravado and smack talk of wrestling. With a sick guitar riff and pounding beats, the theme is meant to get people pumped for the spectacle they're about to witness. I also thought about what strobe lights and lasers would sound like and found instruments to reflect that.
Ms. Midland Theme
This was inspired by "Twisted Nerve" from the movie Kill Bill. The idea was to capitalize on the strangeness of using a shovel in a twirling act. "Twisted Nerve" has this air of suspense as the single whistling tune cuts through the ambiance. I put together a sequence that resembled that suspense and creep factor. It's made all the more striking when the actress continues with a comical monologue about her love for her shovel.