Interesting that you note Once on This Island, which I thought had horrendous sound design. I didn't hear any live sound in the room, only what came booming out of the ceiling. If someone's singing ten feet in front of me, facing me, they should sound like their voice is coming from their mouth.
I guess negating the space and the in-the-round problem by creating a design where everyone in the audience is hearing the same thing is a solution, but it's not one I'm in favor of. At OOTI it was so grating from the start that I never settled into actually seeing the show. I'd much rather hear at least some spatial relationship in the sound, as I would without amplification...if someone's over there, let them sound like they're over there. Sound design as support, not so it sounds like the whole sound. Circle in the Square presents unique problems, but it's also not so big a room that actors should need a lot of amplification to make themselves heard. |
