Sound Design Awards

[Lindsay is a goddess]

Since the Tony Committee is bringing back the awards for Sound Design, I thought I’d post this for people to discuss possible contenders, especially considering this is a harder category to predict.

For me, the contenders so far look to be:

Sound Design in a Musical
- Walter Trarbach & Mike Dobson (Spongebob Squarepants)
- Gareth Owen (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical)
- Kai Harada (The Band's Visit)
- Peter Hylenski (Frozen)
- Marc Salzberg (My Fair Lady)
- Brian Ronan (Mean Girls)

Sound Design in a Play
- Ian Dickinson for Autograph (Angels in America)
- Gareth Fry (Harry Potter & the Cursed Child)
- Max Pappenheim (The Children)
- Fitz Patton (Three Tall Women)

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

If I had to predict them now, I'd say the nominees will be...

Best Sound Design of a Musical:
Kai Harada-The Band's Visit
Peter Hylenski-Once on This Island
Marc Salzberg-My Fair Lady
Walter Trarbach & Mike Dobson-SpongeBob SquarePants

Best Sound Design of a Play:
Ian Dickinson for Autograph-Angels in America
Gareth Fry-Harry Potter & the Cursed Child
Max Pappenheim-The Children
Fitz Patton-Three Tall Women

[dramamama611]

I'm going to say I'm glad they are bringing it back, respect for tech is a necessity.  However, what I know about determining that is pretty nil.

[morosco]

There is an interesting series of articles on the Live Design website.  Free site but you do have to create an account.

A Tony Voter's Guide To Sound

[Markie27]

Once on this Island definitely deserves this award. Much like The Great Comet, the trick here is how to create a coherent, clear and crisp sound from the performers while they are literally all around the theater space (and not the usual stage). How they ingeniously hid speakers around the set, behind trash cans and, well, trash...Moreso, the score has a very beautiful vocal arrangement and having watched the show twice sitting along the 200s and the 400s, all of the performers are in perfect harmony and can be heard as one so very  clearly on both areas.  Hylenski deserves this Tony.

[HeyMrMusic]

I think Jeffrey’s list looks pretty likely to me. And Markie is right: this is OOTI’s to lose since what Hylenski had to do to make a coherent aural story was the biggest/hardest job of any other show this season. Not just the tough task of designing sound for that theatre, but also the new vocal arrangements/orchestrations created an entirely new challenge for this show. It’s also a more noticeable sound design rather than something more hidden like The Band’s Visit or My Fair Lady.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Though it should be interesting to see what the winners will look like because starting this year, both sound categories along with Best Orchestrations will be voted on by peer groups.

[HeyMrMusic]

Ooo I forgot about that! Good call. That should make this exciting.

[JudyDenmark]

I'm rooting for Once On This Island in pretty much everything...but I wouldn't count out SpongeBob in sound design given the constant (successful) use of sound effects in that show. 

[Lindsay is a goddess]

HeyMrMusic said: "It’s also a more noticeable sound design rather than something more hidden like The Band’s Visit or My Fair Lady. "

I’ve heard some mixed reviews about Marc Salzberg’s sound design, specifically that he does a poor job of making Ambrose and Hadden-Paton heard by the audience members. Do you think that’s just a problem with the Vivian Beaumont?

I’m keeping my eye on Summer. It would be tragic for a musical about the Queen of Disco to not have killer sound, but I also remember a reviewer singling our Gareth Owen’s sound design during out of towns, which never happens with sound designers (at least not in a positive way).