Biography Michael Rasbury is an Assistant Professor in Sound Design at the University of Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master of Arts Theatre from Louisiana Tech University (with credits from Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee). During the summers of 2005-2007, he created original compositions and sound designs for productions at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. He has toured Europe and the United States with a production called An Alphabet, a newly completed John Cage work produced by the John Cage Trust. He wrote an orchestral score for Louisiana Tech University’s original production of The Leafmen and the Brave Good Bugs, presented in the spring of 2001. Michael has composed musical scores for some of the nation's largest outdoor dramas. Michael composed music and sound for the 1998 and 1996 Humana Festivals for New American Playwrights at Actors Theatre of Louisville and for The Public Theater in New York City. He has worked with some of America’s most innovative playwrights including Naomi Wallace, Jane Martin, John Patrick Shanley, Donald Marguilles and William Mastrosimone. As a performer, Michael has provided keyboards and vocals for local Louisiana bands and has performed at two New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals. In 2003, Michael was recognized as the Louisiana State Funded Theatre Artist by receiving the Artist Fellowship Grant in Theatre.		Design Philosophy My philosophy of design is very much rooted in the idea of “less is more.”  This is not to imply that I am a minimalist, although I may start from that viewpoint.  The best artistic statements are those that are truthful and they disguise their creator’s mastery of technique behind the mask of simplicity.  The ultimate goal of a theatrical sound designer is to work with other artists to support the director’s vision of the playwright’s text with unity as an objective. Before articulating my viewpoints, it is important to realize that a designer’s philosophy is always in a state of evolution.  Since the director is typically the lead collaborator, my aesthetic must remain malleable in order to serve the production as warranted by the greater collaboration. A particular objective as the sound designer is to capitalize on the imaginative powers of each individual in the audience.  Every element added by a designer to a theatrical production has a potential semiotic meaning.  The designer should have an understanding of this potential meaning and use it to entice each mind in the audience into intellectual and emotional involvement with the production. The end result should reflect a level of entertainment and joy unequalled in related mediums. This design approach assumes no “plastic” elements of any kind are really necessary to tell the playwright’s story.  The only required components are the actor(s), the audience, and the space.  I approach each production from this perspective.  Sound components should only be included if they are complementary to the text and the director’s concept for relaying it.  Sometimes the best choice a sound designer can make is silence. When working within the element of spectacle, I attempt to involve the imaginative powers of the audience.  The sound designer can potentially suggest an emotive setting for a play with a single sound. I think of the entire process as a composition.  Each sound cue, amplifier, speaker, microphone, and signal processor utilized for a design is part of the artistic statement.  The sound design for a production is like a “dependent” installation piece.  In fact, the actual content of the design should reflect an analogous story or feeling when witnessed without the text.  The sound design is a sort of deconstruction of the play’s larger action. As a composer/sound designer, I can help my audience “feel” using four main qualities of sound:  time, timbre, intensity, and direction.  In composition, time refers to both the length of a composition and the timing of certain elements within the composition.  It also denotes the start of an event within the timeline of the greater production.  Timbre describes the color and feeling created by the quality of a sound or sounds.  Amplitude and frequency (of oscillations of sound waves) shape intensity within the final composition.  Manipulation of time also has great impact on perceived intensity through consideration of envelope.  Finally, direction denotes techniques for providing particular sonic focal points within the production.  As sound designer, I have the ability to construct what is practically a three dimensional work of art. I strive to understand and command the wide spectrum of disciplines covered by the umbrella of sound design.  Art should be the focal point, but an understanding of physics, electrical engineering, computer science, and craft are required to be considered a “total” sound designer.  Although it is my belief that no technology can produce art without the artist, I remain connected to current developments in sound and sound technology.  Advancements in sound facilitate my ability to relay my work to modern audiences.  In order to create designs, I utilize any tool available to me including specialized microphones, digital field recorders, computer-based audio software, show control software, signal processors, and MIDI hardware and software.  Sound Design does not necessarily require technology, however.  Equally compelling statements can be made using acoustic instruments and techniques.
A Definition of Theatrical Sound Design There are several fields relating to sound that employ the title of “Sound Design” as a description.  In general, Sound Designers fit into one of three categories:  technical, artistic, or some blend of the technical skill and artistry. In the technical category, sound reinforcement through the use of microphones and complex sound systems is the focus.  In the artistic category, sound designers focus on composition using sound recordings and/or musical timbres.  Because there is much crossover between fields relating to sound, an overview of these related disciplines is necessary for better understanding the role of a theatrical sound designer.  An example of a technically based sound designer is the sound system designer. These designers are primarily electrical engineers with strengths in the physics of sound and are responsible for designing complex systems of electrical components for controlling sound.  Sound professionals in this field often label themselves as sound designers because of their ability to design and deliver a quality sound system. Acousticians are sometimes referred to as sound designers. These technicians study the physics of sound and are concerned with designing and controlling the acoustic qualities of architecture.  This field also requires a deep knowledge of current trends in sound systems, as well as an understanding of live performance. Sound design for television and film tend to reside more heavily in the artistic realm although this is not always the case.  These artists are responsible for capturing and/or creating the sounds of realistic or abstract environments and for editing prerecorded film music. The final product is a score of sounds and music for a predetermined timeline.  Therefore, this type of sound designer is an artist who works as a composer using the medium of sound and utilizes recording and sound mixing technologies.  Some modern electronic composers approach composition in a similar way to a film sound designer’s process for composing with sound.  New genres of music comprised of compositions with non-musical tones have developed.  “Ambient” and “New Age” music often takes this shape.  One commonality between the creative artists of film sound and electronic music is the utilization of recording arts and composition.  The resulting work of these respective sound designers may be anything from a collage of sounds representing an environment to an original musical composition. The role of sound designer for theatre is unique because a firm understanding of all the previously mentioned areas is required.  At the core, the theatre sound designer is responsible for the creation and/or manipulation of sonic environments and music to accompany a play.  Each sound element added to a particular production is in itself a mini-composition. However, sound design for the theatre also requires experience with sound equipment specifications and installation, knowledge of the physics of sound, and expertise in the recording arts. It is also important to note that the position of the theatrical sound designer is the most recent addition to the set of theatrical artists.  In fact, sound designers were not even regularly credited in theater programs until the 1970’s.  Prior to this time, sound was often minimal and frequently specified and operated by the production’s Stage Manager.  As technology became more useful and in turn complicated, the need for a special kind of theatre artist became apparent.  The skill set of the theatrical sound designer varies from person to person. This is directly related to the width of the spectrum of sound related fields.  Some theatrical sound designers specialize in sound reinforcement while others focus heavily on the artistry of sound and music composition.  The most successful theatrical sound designers posses skills in multiple categories and are music/sound composers, sound technology wizards, critical listeners, observers of the physical properties of sound, and recording artists.
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Last Updated on February 11, 2008