Giant
Composing a new opera which opened Aldeburgh Festival 2023. Giant tells the story of surgeon John Hunter’s obsession with Charles Byrne – a man he would ultimately betray in one of the most disturbing acts in the era of the grave robbers.
Selected Works: theatre and opera
The Hairy Ape
Composition and sound design for The Hairy Ape (1922) – Eugene O’Neill’s expressionist masterpiece which uses the overwhelming sounds of the engine room on an ocean liner to explore dehumanisation and the shock of modernity. At The Old Vic, London, and Park Avenue Armory, New York. Directed by Richard Jones.
SFX for Alcina
A sound effect as Alcina the sorcerer’s ‘magical urn’ is smashed at the climax of the show. For the Royal Opera House, directed by Richard Jones.
The Twilight Zone
Composition and sound design for the for the first official stage production of The Twilight Zone in 2017. Adapted by Anne Washburn from the classic 1960s CBS television series and is directed by Richard Jones. At The Almeida Theatre and Ambassadors (West End), London.
The Hairy Ape: on noise and modernity
Some reflections on noise and 1920s modernity, as expressed in Eugene O’Neill’s ‘The Hairy Ape’. This includes some archival discoveries about early performances. These notes were made after I’d composed a score for a new production of the play and contributed to the Science Museum research forum ‘Noise, Music and Silence’.
Once in a Lifetime
Sound design for this revival of Once in a Lifetime at The Young Vic, London, directed by Richard Jones. Predating the screwball comedies of the 1930s, this play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman was first performed only two years after The Jazz Singer became the first commercial talking picture and a worldwide hit.
The Effect
Composition for the first performance of The Effect – a love story set on a clinical drugs trial. Written by Lucy Prebble, this play explores sanity, neuroscience and the limits of medicine. A co-production between the National Theatre and Headlong, directed by Rupert Goold.
The Midwich Cuckoos
Composing and extemporising an original underscore for a live adaptation of John Wyndham’s sci fi novel The Midwich Cuckoos. For Cinecity Festival, Brighton, 2014, in partnership with Film Archive South East, for the BFI season Sci Fi – Days of Fear and Wonder.
It Felt Like a Kiss
Experimenting with a novel, deep bass tactile sound effect for Punchdrunk, the encounter theatre company. The Manchester International Festival.
Horlicks and Armageddon
Researched and devised by Sarah Angliss, this show delves into rarely seen archives and personal testimony to tell the story of Britain’s secretive nuclear survivalists. Awarded most groundbreaking show of Brighton Festival and Fringe 2013.