August: Osage County

August: Osage County

Now showing – August: Osage County!

The first of two theatre productions I’ll be involved with this year is currently running at the Perth Latvian Centre, in association with Playlovers Theatre Company.

I have very much enjoyed the challenge of writing music and sound design for this show – it is in stark contrast to Macbeth which GRADS produced last year. Barry Park, the director, asked me to put together a few paragraphs for the programme, so here it is:

The Sound of Heat & Dysfunction: Creating the Music for August: Osage County

When my journey with August: Osage County began, my first step was to digest the comprehensive summary Barry put together for all cast and crew – this transported me to hot-summer Oklahoma and the tension of the Weston family.

Following this, I needed wrap my head around the Weston family tree. I actually sketched it out on a sheet of paper. This story is all about the complex relationships within the family – and a few outside it.

Barry and I then sat down to discuss themes and ideas for the music and sound design. Various adjectives and metaphors were thrown around – heat, suffocation, tension, family dysfunction, drug abuse, some comedy, manipulation and so on.

Once Barry had decided where in the play the music should be, I began to try and transform these adjectives into sound. Several months of tinkering, adjusting, changing, stretching, shortening and editing eventually lead to the sound track you hear tonight. We hope you enjoy the show as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Tickets can be purchased here. The show runs until July 6. If you live in or are visiting Perth, WA I highly recommend this production – not because of my involvement – but because of it’s uniqueness, style and depth not commonly seen in community theatre. Check it out! An early review is here.