Go Like Saints
by Skye Robinson Hills
Pegasus Playlab Festival
University of Central Florida, Jun 2023
Sound Designer
Director: Chloë Rae Edmonson
Stage Manager: Matthew Patterson
University of Central Florida, Jun 2023
Sound Designer
Director: Chloë Rae Edmonson
Stage Manager: Matthew Patterson
The 1950s were a period of increasing global tension facilitated by communication through technologies such as the radio, phone, and television. Radio and TV clips of anti-communist propaganda, and hearings from The House Committee on Un-American Activities were used throughout the show to highlight the nation-wide mass panic and anti-Communist sentiment that emerged from propaganda and political persecution during the Red Scare.
For pivotal moments of the story, I wanted to evoke feelings of tension, mounting pressure, and the gut-wrenching anxiety experienced by the characters through sounds that would grow increasingly loud and overwhelming. A cacophony of telephones ringing off the hook, TV static, and court-goers yelling in outrage were used to this effect.
Regarding music, I wanted to make sure audiences could really hear the hissing static and pops of a vintage record player. The pre-show music included popular period pieces selected by director Chloë Rae Edmonson that reference topics relevant to themes of the story, such as American views on communism, Hollywood, witch-hunts, and feminism.
