Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019 - 23

where we collaborate, where we produce, where we create, where we build,
where we transform elements, where
we share our collective memory. This is
what the team hoped to convey with this
piece.
The final exhibit
design (above right)
and installation
(above left). Photos
by Paige Willson.

also become visible.
The sound design continued this
reflection of the words, focusing on the
spoken aspect of theatre. The sound
emanating from the center sculpture is
entirely generated from the human voice
speaking the same six words that are dividers in the center sculpture. There is
no other source material: no oscillators,
tone generators, samples, instruments,
or music. The words were recorded
from as diverse a variety of individuals as time and resources allowed. The
recordings were then manipulated primarily through the method of granular
synthesis where portions of the recordings used as grains are repeated in various patterns and modulated to produce
a variety of sounds as diverse as the
individuals and languages used as the
source material. The intent of this approach was to emphasize the diversity
of the human experience and the myriad
possibilities that arise when the simplest
of human elements, voice, is explored
through many iterations and variations.
Much like human collaboration in
the design world, the process of granular synthesis is a mix of controllable,
dependable inputs and wildly complex
and unpredictable interactions that add
a depth and richness that does not hap-

pen in a vacuum or when initial impulses
are taken as literal and at face value. The
team worked to embrace and embody
this wonderful controlled chaos inherent in the design process and the diverse
tapestry of people who participated in it
by allowing the design to be inspired by
what came out of various granular algorithms rather than composing preconceived ideas. To round out the piece, the
sound design used some direct triggering of the recorded vocal samples with
added common audio processing such
as reverb, delay, phasing, etc.
As theatre artists, we are often
asked to define what it is that we do. This
can be difficult to explain-it can defy
definition in any concrete sense. There
are elements of magic and the sacred in
design. There are creation and dissolution, invention and elimination, originality and imitation. Things can be broken,
fissured, and distorted like the definitions on the plexiglass. And yet, these all
inform the whole.
Standing in a proscenium theatre,
looking up into the space as he caressed
the boards, the late Panamanian theatre
director, Jose Quintero, once said, "This
is my church, this is where I worship."
Theatres are our sacred spaces. Spaces
where we imagine, where we design,

Paige A. Willson is associate professor
of costume design and technology at the
University of Houston. Ellen Doyle Mizener
is a freelance scenic and costume designer. Erich
Keil is director of production and resident
designer for the Tulsa Opera. Authors' note:
Many thanks to everyone who trusted us
with this project and vision, including
USITT, the curatorial committee, the
faculty, staff, and students of the University
at Buffalo theatre department, those who
lent their voices to our soundscape, everyone
involved with the conception and execution,
and our friends and families who supported
us throughout this entire project. -PAW,
EDM, CA & EK

Bibliography of Central Tower
Quotes
Appia, Adolphe, and Barnard Hewitt. 1960. The
Work of Living Art: and Man Is the Measure of All
Things a Theory of the Theatre. Miami: University of
Miami Press.
Brockett, Oscar Gross., et al. 2012. Making the
Scene: a History of Stage Design and Technology in
Europe and the United States. San Antonio: Tobin
Theatre Arts Fund.
Burdick, Elisabeth B., et al. 1974. Contemporary
Stage Design: USA. New York: International
Theatre Institute of the United States.
Burian, Jarka. 1973. The Scenography of Josef
Svoboda. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.
Craig, Edward Gordon. 1923. Scene. London:

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Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019

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