War Sound EFX & House Shaking
In accordance with the script's directions, I layered high-impact war sound effects with low-frequency rumbling to simulate the house shaking. While the combined cues in QLab effectively captured the intensity of the scene, this experience motivated me to push my creative boundaries further. In future productions, I aim to move beyond sourcing pre-made effects and instead focus on recording and designing every individual sound element myself to create an even more intricate and bespoke soundscape.
The Diary of Anne Frank
Black Box Theater at Brigham Young University
TMA 436 Class Project
Director: Abigail Johnson
Set during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, this powerful drama follows Anne Frank and her family as they hide in a secret annex, capturing the tension of their daily survival and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Hitler's Speech for Opening
Although it wasn't specified in the script or by the director, I chose to incorporate a historical recording of Hitler’s speech at the beginning of the production. My goal was to immediately establish the oppressive atmosphere of WWII and confront the audience with the violent reality of the regime’s ideologies. By grounding the play in this historical darkness from the very first moment, I wanted to remind the audience of the sheer brutality and systemic violence that the characters were hiding from.
Intro
For the opening sequence, I crafted an immersive soundscape to depict the Frank family’s desperate escape into the secret annex. By layering the sound of a rainy night with the distant chiming of the Westerkerk bells and the frantic, hurried footsteps of the family, I established an immediate sense of danger. These auditory layers were carefully balanced to heighten the urgency of their situation and draw the audience into the atmospheric tension of their first night in hiding.