A Place Called the Middle was a show written by I-Chia Chu for the UT New Theater (UTNT) Festival in the Spring of 2019. The Middle was created as a devised piece, collaboratively evolving through input and improvisation of all the team members.
The show heavily utilized audience participation, engaging them in a variety of ways throughout each performance. The auditory experience complimented the very abstract nature of the work; utilizing very ambient ever-shifting sounds to immerse the audience in the constantly changing space that is "the middle."
I acted as the assistant sound designer, representing the sound designer who was working on another project at the same time. Because of this, I was responsible for the curation, programming, and performance of the sound design.
Ableton Live & the Ableton Push Controller:
Due to the nature of the show, the sound design was practically "performed" each showing by myself, using the Ableton Push 2 controller. It was necessary to slowly transition ambiences at the timing set by the actors, to hit beats in a satisfying but subtle way. There were also key moments in which one-shots needed to be hit at precise times, such as glass breaking as some books fell, or glasses clinking as the audience and actors mimed the action. The push controller proved incredible useful for all of this, as I could live mix and trigger each individual noise every single performance.
