Sweeney Todd
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by Nic Radcliffe
Michigan Tech Theatre, Houghton, MI April 2025
All production Pictures Courtesy of Christopher Plummer
Production Sound Engineer
Sweeney Todd tells the story of a barber seeking revenge on a judge for tearing his family apart. He partners with Mrs. Lovett to create a dastardly duo that becomes a terror to the people of London. As the Production Sound Engineer, I led and scheduled a crew of fifteen through shop build, Load-in, tech/dress rehearsals, and strike, I attended production meetings to discuss the needs of the sound department, and I worked closely with the sound designer and technical director to ensure the sound system was implemented safely and correctly.
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Pre-Production
Before the first shop build, I held a general meeting with the crew to explain their roles on the show, expectations, and basic skills such as knot tying and cable coiling. Additionally, I introduced them to the spaces to familiarize them with where to find gear/equipment during the production process.
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I utilized an industry-leading sound system database, "Minotaur," created by sound designer Daniel Lundberg. When I received paperwork from the sound designer, I created cable labels, a cable checklist, transmitter labels, and an equipment list so that the crew could understand how to connect the system during load-in. When I received the sound system paperwork, I calculated the cable lengths for each speaker to determine which cables were needed.
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Shop Build, Load-in, and Strike
I delegated tasks to the crew based on their role on the show. I created to-do lists to efficiently move through the shop build, load-in, and strike process. Throughout these processes, I would answer any questions the crew had to provide clarification and prevent confusion.
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During the production process, crew absences affected shop builds, load-in, rehearsals, and strike. It required me to redelegate tasks to the remaining crew to maintain an efficient work environment to prevent us from falling behind schedule. I utilized an attendance sheet created by the show's sound designer, Madison Brown, to track crew attendance and absences.
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