Nathan Lively and EO Recognized By SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle
The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle have awarded the Excellence In Theatre 2011 Sound Design award to Nathan Lively for his work with Boxcar Theatre on Clue and to eO for his work with Sweet Can Productions on Yes Sweet Can. That is, assuming the Nathan Liveley they identified in their program is not an evil twin.
Clue was the first production I created sound design for when I moved to the bay area and is probably still the most fun shows I've had the pleasure of working on. Nick Olivero's set was brilliant. For those of you who didn't have the opportunity to see it, we basically attempted to imitate the movie Clue as faithfully as possible. I cut out as much of the original soundtrack as possible. Here the opening sound cue as the house fades to black. Make sure to listen all the way through.
As an aside, once a year I find myself risking my life for the sake of speaker positioning and in 2011 it came during Clue. Instead of a bunch of speakers pointed in the wrong direction, I really wanted a single source that would cover the entire audience. The result, me balancing on a lighting grid attempting to rig a heavy speaker to some ceiling pipe as my life flashed before my eyes. See photos here.
I would also like to congratulate Cliff Caruthers for his nomination for Pelleas & Melisande with Cutting Ball Theater. He wrote really intriguing music for that show and taught me some cool audio techniques. Also, check out eO's latest music, River Through An Open Door.
Passion Play and When I Was Portuguese Open In Berkeley
I'm proud to announce two new shows in Berkeley with sound design by New Sound Arts.
Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play run until May 21st
Actors Ensemble of Berkeley at Live Oak Theatre is very proud to announce the West Coast Premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play, a profound meditation on the meaning of devotion, identity and performance.
"That amount of profound theatre from Actors Ensemble of Berkeley is a bargain." - By Albert Goodwyn, SF Performing Arts Examiner
When I Was Portuguese - A Sound Installation By Nathan Lively runs until May 20th
Nathan Lively transports us to behind the curtain at the National Theatre of Portugal, where we witness the inner lives of five veteran actresses navigating the final days of a Broadway-style production. This audio installation at ZUGHAUS Gallery offers an intimate glimpse into the theatre’s backstage energy and five individual lives. The end result is an avant-garde narrative and sound experience.
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Clue And Harper Regan Open In San Francisco
I am proud to announce two new plays that opened in San Francisco last month with sound design by New Sound Arts.
Clue at Boxcar Theatre extended now until February 25th
A play based on a movie based on a board game. The 1985 cult classic is adapted for the stage with every side splitting joke intact and even a few new ones thrown in for good measure.
Harper Regan at SF Playhouse now until March 5th
“It's a trip, in more ways than one. In sharply etched, short scenes, what at first looks like a tart, dark social satire evolves into a quest for meaning in a godless world, as Harper's personal odyssey begins to resemble a descent through several circles of a domestic "Inferno." -sfgate.com
Read more about the creation of each design on Nathan's Blog.
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Dance Umbrella Recommends New Sound Arts
I just received some big-time recommendations from Dance Umbrella in Austin, TX and Teatro Nacional Dona Maria in Lisbon, Portugal. Thanks!
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Sound Designer
Dance Umbrella
“I have worked with Nathan on two productions for Dance Umbrella and I am very impressed with not only his sound engineering capabilities but also his organizational managment through all phases of a production. He is an excellent choice to have on any production team.” August 20, 2010
Top qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity
Phyllis Slattery
hired Nathan as a Production/Sound Designer in 2009, and hired Nathan more than once
Sound Engineer - Recording and FOH
National Theatre of Portugal Dona Maria II SA
“It has been a real pleasure working with Nathan at D. Maria II National Theatre. He quickly became part of the team as an extraordinary sound engineer and a dear friend. After having recorded with him and shared sound designing, stage and FOH operation, in many plays and concerts, I can surely say Nathan showed to be a great team mate, a flexible, sensitive, and skilled professional in studio and on stage. I sincerely hope someday we can work together again!” April 25, 2010
Sérgio Henriques, Sound Tech and Musician, D. Maria II National Theatre
worked directly with Nathan at National Theatre of Portugal Dona Maria II SA
European Commission Conference Room
Problem: Users complain of poor or non-functioning sound. From visual inspection and simple listening tests the problems are obviously caused by the architecture and acoustics of the room, poor system design, and lack of staff training.
Solutions: Broad band acoustic absorbers, new speakers and placement, plus staff training
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It’s a blog!
The New Sound Arts blog officially has it's first post, hurray! Slap my bottom, light a cigar, we're a family. As with all creation, the journey was long. I'm talking about days trying to figure out how to use tables in WordPress!!
It all started one night laying awake in bed trying to decide in what direction to take the business. Since I started New Sound Arts I have wanted to limit my services for easier marketing. It's a lot easier to tell people that I design and optimize sound systems than it is to list all of the jobs that I really do and enjoy on a daily basis. The truth is that I enjoy mixing FOH as much as I enjoy system design as much as I enjoy recording and playing. I am an independent audio professional and New Sound Arts is the front end for all of the services that I offer. It may eventually become more focused into one specialized activity as the market and my creativity dictate, but it would be dishonest to artificially invent something that isn't true.
I set out to create a table listing my services. When I realized that this functionality wasn't built into WordPress I turned to KompoZer. Turns out that my time learning the program wasn't wasted after all! After creating a table in KompoZer I copied the HTML and pasted it into WordPress. For some reason it came out all wrong. Isn't HTML the same everywhere? This is above my head. To make a long story short I tried several plugins and was never able to import the table I had already created. Instead I installed TinyMCE Advanced and recreated the table from within WordPress. It turned out pretty well and now it should be easy to update. Next up, flavicon!
I will try to keep this blog separate from my personal and musical posts, focusing on the work of New Sound Arts. Wish me luck, or better yet, hire me. 
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Recent Posts
- Nathan Lively and EO Recognized By SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle
- Passion Play and When I Was Portuguese Open In Berkeley
- Clue And Harper Regan Open In San Francisco
