I work as both a composer and sound designer for live productions, including staged plays, dance recitals, and musicals. Each production has a unique story to tell and a unique soundscape to capture; therefore, I am quite accustomed to working with many different styles of music as well as different approaches to sound design. Below are some highlights from a selection of productions.
All music listed below belongs to the composer and may not be used by other parties without expressed permission. If you are interested in using any of my previous musical content in your own production, I do offer a license to use the audio tracks for each show listed below. For more information on availability and pricing, please feel free to reach out.
She Kills Monsters
Qui Nguyen
Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of composing for this show in three different productions. For each one, I produced a new set of tracks in order to properly accommodate the unique vision of each production. As the show requires a lot of movement and combat, my one consistent goal was to make my music and sound match the energy of everything performed on stage.
Men on Boats
Jaclyn Backhaus
This unique and imaginative play by Backhaus tells story of the true accounts of John Wesley Powell and his crew. In the year of 1869, the party sets on a geographical expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers and, of course, things get a little rocky. Although all of the figures portrayed in the story were men, the play specifies to fill all roles with non-male actors. The play dives into themes of adventure, adversity, perseverance, friendship and brotherhood. I worked to capture all of this and more with my musical work for this production.
The Lehman Trilogy
Stefano Massini (Adapted by Ben Power)
Massini’s three-act play depicts the story of the three immigrant brothers that come to America to begin Lehman Brothers. Roughing in at about three hours long, the play follows the investment firm’s rise in America through the 19th and 20th century and all the way up to their declaration of bankruptcy in 2008. The production calls for three actors who rarely leave the stage, and the majority of the script contains numerous monologues that demand superb delivery and effective sound scoring. My score centers around the piano, with other sounds supporting it in certain moments of the production. As the brothers were Jewish, a theme that the play returns to often, I flavor much of the music with a pseudo-klezmer sound.
Little Women
Kate Hamill
While the story is familiar to many, Hamill’s adaptation is a thoughtful contemporary retelling of Alcott’s timeless novel. The script calls for a fairly large amount of musical moments, including Beth and Laurie’s piano excerpts and quite a few arrangements of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. I enjoyed working this well-known tune in with my own original music as well as giving life to the story via the characters’ musical influences. Like many of my scores, my compositions heavily relied on themes for this show, and the emotional depth and range of the play gave me a great opportunity to set many different moods with the music cues.
Twelfth Night
William Shakespeare
Setting this play in the late 1920s, our goal for the music and songs of this production was to capture the spirit of the music of that time. Drawing inspiration from early jazz, stride piano, and the Great American Songbook, I dove into Shakespeare’s lyrics and set them to music. The goal in mind was to honor the intention of his text while capturing the musical essence of the time.
Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
During the summer of 2022, I had the privilege of working alongside Greg Mackender and Thomas Newby as co-composer/co-sound designer for Heart of America Shakespeare’s production of one of the most iconic works in English literature. My main focus for this production was dedicated to the dance scene in Act II. Collaborating with director Sidonie Garrett and dance choreographer Tracy Terstriep Herber, we used our ideas to inspire each other’s work and bring it all together for a stunning live performance. The scene begins with anticipation, excitement, and passion, though it will soon grow more gentle and tender once the two lovers meet.
Mary L. Robinson-Composer/Sound Designer 