UC San Diego

An Organic Foundation: Sound Composition in Titus Andronicus

by

Emily Jankowski Pezic

Master of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance (Design)

University of California, San Diego, 2013

Professor Shahrokh Yadegari, Chair

As an artist and sound designer, I have always tended to start my work from an external, digital base point. As I incessantly dig through libraries of sound and synthesized textures, there is a moment of connection when I hear the tones, the layers, or the rhythm that makes sense for any given project. This moment is the point at which I begin. As a collaborator within the realm of theatre, however, I have realized the moment of artistic departure can come from any given interaction- not just from an ongoing search for a point of departure within the bounds of the technology I can afford.

Titus Andronicus was a production where dramaturgical, emotional, and musical communication was free flowing from pre production to opening night. This steady conversational flow of ideas prepared me to generously extend design concepts to our musical cohorts. Collaborating with such verbose musicians for Titus Andronicus has introduced me to a language that has freed me from the bounds of a laptop and whatever software I have. I was enthralled with the extraordinary range of timbre generated by my musicians Judith Hamann and Samuel Dunscombe; suddenly my artistic process shifted. It became a personal exchange of ability, ideas, and inspiration. To me, this flux between designers, director, and musicians provided a thread upon which our form solidified. The movement of the play in the rehearsal room affected the form of my compositions, and in turn, my compositions influenced the movement of the play in the theatre.