Men on Boats

The Pennsylvania State University

Sound Designer

Directed by J. Austin Eyer

Design Process

Men on Boats is a show that retells history with those who were traditionally excluded from it in the title roles. The script specifically calls for the show to be cast with “racially diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender-conforming.” Alongside the casting, we chose pre-show music by a diverse array of artists, who identify as various genders and sexualities. This included artists such as Lavender Country, Elías Krell, My Gay Banjo, and Ezra Furman alongside pieces by Ennio Morricone and Charlie McCoy to show the style of the play and range of issues it covers.

Sound effects created for the production include a large amount of water effects as the boats were running the rapids and atmospherics, as you can hear below.

This track is a short compilation of sound effects that were used at various points during the production. Many of the ambient soundscapes were also placed in surround speakers throughout the house to better immerse the audience in the show.

Below is an example of the sound cue list as a living document which was maintained during tech by my assistant. Colors were used to indicate changes made during the course of tech, with notes that needed to be implemented or updated.

Credits

Scenic Design by Sophia Tepermeister
Costume Design by Megan Woods
Lighting Design by John Kaufman
Technical Direction by James McDougal