Creative Team Interview #4: Sean Demers, Sound Designer for THE LOVER and DANNY

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Sean Demers

Role in this Production:

Sound Designer

How long have you been designing?

I have been designing for 7 years.

How long have you been in NYC?

5 years.

Where are you from originally?

New England.

What's been your favorite project, to date?

I have two. My first project was a production of David Mamet's Duck Variations and Edward Albee's Zoo Story. The One Acts ran at the same time with Variations interspersed throughout the Zoo Story. I had to play guitar onstage in Variations and write all the music. We then recorded voiceover and similar guitar music to overlap with what was happening onstage. My second favorite project was a show called Who is Dan Schiller. The show was written with great locations in mind: an Airplane, an Office, an Elevator. A lot of opportunity for placing the scene with music and sound. 

What do you like about being involved with The Seeing Place?

This is my first production, but so far the collaboration seems to be wide open. It's always nice to be able to bounce ideas around and feel like there is a certain amount of partnership in the process.

What's a fun story about an experience you've had in your field?

Most of the fun in sound designing revolves around sitting at a computer and editing, but some of the best work comes directly from the work of the actors as opposed to fully rendering a design in a vacuum. In particular, Who is Dan Schiller had a scene where two stereotype gay characters come into the scene. After taking one look at what the actors had done I knew right away: These guys need theme music! And there, as always, was Britney ... 

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I have absolutely zero past with these plays apart from reading The Lover long ago.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for these projects?

The most challenging aspect with Sound Design is always setting the tone. You always want to have ideas and options, but in the end you want to provide a soundscape that honors the work of the company. Because these plays are essentially different, finding a balance and difference in tone is particularly tricky.

What excites you about The Summer Series?

The playwrights you have chosen ... top notch!

What is your website? (or Facebook Page or Twitter account?)
N/A

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