sound design + composition
here’s a selection of highlights, including sounds and music from past productions - turn them up loud!
For a more detailed credits list, my full cv can be found here .
Feral MOnster
Co-Sound Design + Production Sound Engineer
National Theatre Wales
Jax’s Brain parts (Nathaniel Leacock, Carys Eleri + Geraint Rhys Edwards) rally around them during the song ‘OMG’.
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A banging new musical about an unremarkable teenager. Expelled from school and not even able to get a job at the chippy, Jax (she/they/whatever) is a cocky, loveable teen living with her Nan in a tiny, boring village. When Jax meets Ffion, with her smart talk and loud looks, sparks fly. Queer teenage lust brings together this unlikely match in all its messy, clumsy and awesome glory.
Feral Monster follows Jax and her noisy, opinionated brain as they navigate love, identity, class and family. Mashing up grime, R&B, soul, pop and rap, the soundtrack takes us from the high highs to low lows of the hormonal rollercoaster of adolescence.
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Mixing Nicola T. Chang’s compositions and working alongside musical director / co-sound designer Alex Comana, this show’s show sound design was built around electronic sounds, zany brain sfx and live mixing of the cast alongside Alex’s electronics, drums and guitar playing.
Cuz (played by Leila Navabi) riding through the set on their BMX.
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Writer Bethan Marlowe
Director Izzy Rabey
Composer Nicola T. Chang
Musical Director + Co-sound Designer Alex Comana
Movement Director Osian Meilir
Designer Cara Evans
Lighting Designer Marty Langthorne
Ffion + Jax taking part in the Queer Circle, played by Lily Beau + Rebecca Hayes.
Hansel And / A Gretel
Sound Design
Sherman Theatre
Gretel in her power stance, played by Elin Phillips.
Trevor Tree greeting the forest, played by Mari Fflur.
It’s Christmas Eve but something’s not right in the woods. Pine trees are changing into Sweet trees. The river is flowing with treacle. All of this is the work of Sioned Siocled who is turning everything into sweets!
Only Hansel and Gretel stand in her way. They set off on an incredible adventure to save the woods. On their travels they’ll meet magical new friends including Spencer Squirrel and Trefor Tree. They’ll also learn that asking for help is the bravest thing anyone can do.
Filled with songs and laughter, this new version of Hansel and Gretel is the story everyone loves with an added delicious and delightful twist.
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Weaving in Lynwen Haf Roberts’ compositions, this show’s show sound design consisted of magical soundscapes, whimsical motifs and downright silliness. All lighting cues were synced with sound as well, making for a very tight and fun-packed show. The show was staged in the round, making for an immersive feel with the speaker arrangement.
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Writer Katie Elin-Salt
Welsh Translations Branwen Davies
Director Joe Murphy
Musical Director Lynwen Haf Roberts
Designer Hayley Grindle
Lighting Designer Ceri James
assistant Director Alice Eklund
Hansel + Gretel singing, played by James Ifan + Elin Phillips.
The Not So Fun House
Sound design + Composition
Mess Up The Mess
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part installation, part live performance, part gig, multi-sensory immersive experience. A promenade style production taking place in The Vaults in Cardiff Bay, guiding our audience through non-traditional story telling via music, poetry, video and more.
This project was part of Lost Voices, which creatively explored the lost voices of young people who have not traditionally been heard. Young people with experience of the care system. Young people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Young people experiencing mental health. Young people struggling to find their path.
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Here’s A selection of music from Mess Up The Mess's production. Much of the composition was created collaboratively with the young people involved in the project, helping teach them in turn learn about sound design and composition for a theatrical production.
Co-lead Facilitator & Director Sarah Jones
Co-lead Facilitator & Writer Ndidi John
Assistatnt Director Cerian Wilshere
Lead Designer Ami Marsden
Designer Kirsty Harris
Designer Chloe Stoakes
Additional Music Jefferson Lobo
Movement Director Cj Ashen
Video Designer Jorge Lizdale
Lighting Designer Darwin Hennessy
Assistant Stage Manager Abbi Davies
Production Manager Shane Nickels
Producer Jay Smith
QueerWay
Sound Design + Engineering
Leeway Productions
Dress rehearsal photo of the cast of Queerway.
QueerWay is a vibrant original contemporary musical theatre song cycle celebrating LGBTQ+ people’s determination to be “I Am What I Am”.
Soulful and feel-good life stories from Rhondda Cynon Taf are at the heart of QueerWay. It’s a sequin-soaked celebration of Queer people.
Inspired by life stories of LGBTQ+ people, QueerWay explores life’s ups and downs: finding lesbian love in your 50s and the love of a mother for her Trans child…
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Sound Design for the musical consisted of live mixing the cast, backing tracks + live keys on a thrust stage, echoing a setup you would find in Ball Culture. I also created An opening soundscape made up of snippets of the interviews from the LGBTQ+ community in RCT, whilst fleshing out the underscore accompanying this.
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Writer + Directer Luke Hereford
Writer + Composer Geraint Owen
Musical Director Connor Fogel
Additional Material + Orchestration branwen Munn
Designer Bethan Thomas
Lighting Designer Cara Hood
Choreographer Alex Marshall Parsons
Stage Manager Phillipa Mannion
BSL Sami Dunn
Producer Angharad Lee
Grandmother’s Closet
Sound design + Music arrangements
Wales Millennium Centre + Luke Hereford
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An autobiographical musical adventure that promises mischief and mashups, dresses and divas, and a whole lot of heart.
“I’m not just your Nan. I’m your friend too.”
On his first tentative steps down the yellow brick road Luke Hereford takes on Broadway, experiences his very first pride event and finds his perfect shade of lipstick – all to the tune of Madonna, Kylie, Kate Bush and all of his favourite pop divas.
Join Luke as he stumbles along his journey of queer self-discovery through the glamorous spirit of his Nan, capturing their brightest memories – before they start to fade forever.
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Arranged by David George Harrington and myself, here is a short excerpt of the backing track put together for a mashup of Madonna's 'Dress You Up' and 'Material Girl'. David played all piano, key + bass, while I provided guitar + drum sequencing. I Recorded, mixed and mastered this and the rest of the show’s backing tracks.
Writer + Performer Luke Hereford
Director François Pandolfo
Music Director + Arranger David George Harrington
Designer Carl Davies
Lighting Designer Jane Lalijee
Stage Manager Philippa Manion
Movement Director Jo Fong
Assistant Director Nerida Rose Bradley
Producer Peter Darney
Dance To The Bone
Sound Design + Engineering
Sherman Theatre, Ceriann Williams + Neon Candle
Promotional Image for ‘Dance To The Bone, featuring Yasemin Özdemir dancing in front of a tree.
Strasbourg, 1518. A mysterious and occasionally deadly fever which forces those infected to dance, grips the streets of the city. 500 years later in South Wales, the fever has returned. Joanne Bevan, a lonely and frustrated call centre worker, finds herself disconnected from her family, her community and her own body.
One day she is visited by St Vitus, the Patron Saint of dancing, who invites her to dance away her problems. But what happens if she’s forgotten how to dance? What happens if she can’t stop? What happens if the fever spreads?
Dance to the Bone tells Joanne’s story through a beautiful and beguiling mix of new writing, live music and dance, creating a transcendent night at the theatre. Join us for this euphoric trek from the city into the woods.
We want to take you dancing. It’s been a while.
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The sound design for this show mainly compromised of a live mix of six actor-musos and the voices of all of the performers, blending electronic and acoustic instruments in a non-traditional setup in the round in the Sherman’s studio space.
Elanor Yates + Oliver Hoare performing onstage in the Sherman Theatre’s studio space.
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Writers Elanor Yates + Oliver Hoare
Directors Joe Murphy + Matthew Holmquist
Musical Director Oliver Hoare
Designer Simin Ma
Lighting Designer Andy Pike
Choreographer Krystal S. Lowe
Stage Managers Amy Clarke + Emily Howard
Trainee Director Tafsila Khan
Producer Ceriann Williams
Vincent River | ‘Vincent’s Theme’
Sound Design + Composition
No boundaries theatre
Davey has seen something he can never forget. Anita is hiding from the truth. Tonight, they come face to face, and devastating realisations will be unearthed.
A contemporary tale of heartache, sexual identity and grief as a destructive and palpable weapon. This modern masterpiece by acclaimed playwright Philip Ridley is, in turns darkly comic, and deeply moving, and promises to stay with you, long after you leave.
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this track is a ‘medley’ of sorts, comprising variations and components of ‘Vincent’s theme’ before leading into the full version. the theme and main bulk of the play’s sound design acted as a subtle embodiment of the spirit of Vincent, becoming more vivid as the characters unveiled more of their personal histories with him.
Writer Phillip Ridley
Director Luke Hereford
Producer Isabelle Paige
Lighting Designer Garrin Clarke
“Composer Josh Bowles’s input worked well within a space that exudes a great atmosphere for such an intense play as ‘Vincent River’.”
Cardiff boy | ‘the beach’
Sound Design + Composition
Red Oak Theatre + The Other Room
It's 1996 in the capital. Cardiff Boy is a dynamic one-man show that explore’s the 90’s in Cardiff. It follows a group of young lads, desperate to make an impression in an ever-changing city. Set to a mix of 90’s music, Cardiff Boy explores the effect music can have on our lives in both times of joy and sadness.
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Alongside the 90's fuelled soundtrack underpinning the play (The Prodigy, Super Furry Animals, Pulp et al.) were several moments of reflection for our 'Cardiff Boy' (played wonderfully by Jack Hammett). this ambient track underscored the script’s 'The Beach' section, where our character stepped into a memory of being with close friends by the seaside, looking to their futures together beyond school and the implications of these changes to the teenagers.
Writer Kevin Jones
Director Matthew Holmquist
Designer April Dalton
Producer Ceriann Williams
Lighting Designer Ryan Stafford
Stage Manager Josh Bowles
Assistant Director Nerida Rose Bradley
Assistant Designer Lauren Dix
“Josh Bowles continues to impress with his sound design, this time contributing to the play with a blend of original compositions and iconic songs from the era. ”
Forgetting Heledd | ‘Heledd’s Theme’
Sound Design + Composition
Rhys j. edwards
A raw and candid one-woman play following a fearless young carer coming-of-age in the South Wales Valleys.
Forgetting Heledd is a brutally honest and darkly comic account of a Welsh teenager whose dreams of becoming a doctor are hindered by her commitments to her mother, who has early-onset dementia.
Inspired by real-life accounts, the play highlights the struggles of young carers but finds joy in the face of tragedy, celebrating the endurance of an incredible young woman caught up in circumstances beyond her control.
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‘Heledd’s theme' underpinned the whole production in various forms, gradually ebbing in and out at pivotal points for our protagonist. I wanted it to sound sensitive yet 'quietly proud' in a way as it underscored moments of maturity for our main protagonist.
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Writer rhys j. edwards
Director samara gannon
Llais / Voice | ‘Grow’
Composition + Musician
cwmni pluen + Sherman Theatre
'Mae gen ti lais.' / 'You have a voice.'
inspired by amanda todd’s youtube video and elgan rhys’ personal experiences, the company combined physical theatre, music and live projection to traverse bullying and depression in this totally unspoken yet truly cathartic production.
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Devised during rehearsals, I wanted to evoke a certain innocence and playfulness with this piece, building to something almost 'celestial' sounding to go with the child-like action on stage. This arrangement was produced for the show's documentary which premiered in Chapter, Cardiff.
performer / deviser / producer elgan rhys
Director gethin evans
Stage manager emily butler
“ A perfect example where music and performance complement each other completely. Josh Bowles accompanied Elgan with music that made the performance all the more beautifully striking. His talent for composing and his high level of musical ability made this show elevate its professionalism.”
llais/voice | ‘trailer (Companion)’
Composition
cwmni pluen + Sherman Theatre
trailer directed by aaron j. cooper.
'Mae gen ti lais.' / 'You have a voice.'
inspired by amanda todd’s youtube video and elgan rhys’ personal experiences, the company combined physical theatre, music and live projection to traverse bullying and depression in this totally unspoken yet truly cathartic production.
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the sonic world for this show was composed and performed live on acoustic guitar, running through various effects pedals you would normally associate with an electric guitar. the trailer showcases a more ‘layered’ version of a track entitled ‘companion’. I really wanted the child-like lullaby in the music to clash against more claustrophobic and intense textures to follow elgan’s performance in the clip.