Produced by UMKC,  The Storyteller Project was my first experience designing for a world premiere. Directed by Karen Lisondra and  composed by Amado Espinoza, this production was devised over several months by the director and the 2nd-year UMKC MFA acting class. The Storyteller Project was also my first chance to compose original music for a production. I co-designed this production with my fellow MFA sound design classmates: Matt Schorr, Sean Obrecht, and Zack Pierson. Through music, song, and dance, The Storyteller Project focused on personal stories interwoven with Andean legends to bring the audience into a world of magic and dreams. 

Below are some music files I created and some photos from the rehearsals

Original Compositions

Kusillo was one of the pieces for the masks, but the needs of the show changed enough that it was no longer required. However, it was still a great experience creating it. For this piece, I researched African instruments because I wanted to use percussion as a way to compose a song instead of something traditionally melodic. The only melodic part of the piece is the voice of a Tuvian man, so it was a fun experiment in composition for me.
Jacha was another original composition for the show, and like with Ana, Amado and I recorded additional instrumentation on top of my original recording. We added a guitar-like instrument (handmade by Amado) to enhance the ambient nature of the piece. In the show, Jacha sacrifices himself so that balance can be maintained in the universe.  He represents a duality of glory and shame, which the piece reflects in the melody.
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The Ana mask represents the duality of strength and weakness, and this piece was the first music I submitted to the show. I put together the synthesized sounds and sent them to Amado, the composer. To complete the piece, we recorded two of Amado's instruments on top of my original composition, including the flute and a rattle. This piece was used to represent the Ana mask as part of the pre-show music.

Review

For more information and a review of this production, click the link below:

​A Kansas Actor's World Travels Bring South American Influences To Kansas City Stages