Sounds of Fear

Christopher Loar, Sound Designer for (un)afraid and Ensemble Member of NYNF

So today I have been sitting in my cozy little chair with my headphones on, testing an re-editing sounds, drinking coffee, eating, and enjoying the fact that I have no cell phone reception down here.

For once, I am offstage, in the land of the sitting down and the watching and the taking notes. And it's enjoyable! I don't have to wear no costume! I don't have to learn no lines!

But I do have to make and tweak and tinker with sound. Which means my ears have been in headphones more than they usually are, which is a lot.

The Living Theater is a beautiful space. One feels so removed when descending into the space. I could live down here. People do, in fact.

Other than Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, I've never designed sound for theater before. I love sound and I love making it. And Ableton Live is a dream of a program to work with.

The sounds I make for my plays in TML are indeed often strange, but never I have been called upon to compose such strange things, such as:

"I need a cat going into a grinder . . . a machine . . . a machine grinder . . . going into nuns"

or

"Sex into death. Porno sex into total murder."

or


"white noise. And Blue noise. Lots of white and blue noise."

What can I say about this show? This was the first "run thru" of the show I've seen, and true to the Neo aesthetic of Chance, Change and Chaos, the order of pieces is random (like tml) only it's determined by a ouija board, or more accurately, a ouija board possessed by a different spirit every night.

I must admit I was skeptical. But I think it works! It leaves me wanting more.

And for a show looking at fear, there is much comedy. Much funny. Much fun.

Gets me thinking about the nature of fear and the thin line between all our feelings.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.


Well, it's time for pizza.