What makes Olivier Award-winning sound?
We take a deep dive into what it is that makes sound design unique, and what sets our 2022 winner, Cabaret, apart!
Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. (2021-11-12) by Marc BrennerSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
What is sound design?
Sound design encompasses every single thing you hear in a theatre production
From tech to art
From the practical details of hearing our actors with clarity and mixing the orchestra with vocals to the subtle building of tension and immersion through soundscapes, it takes a huge amount of skill to create the worlds we experience live every night.
Big details and small
From the tumultuous thunderclap that you notice to the the atmospheric hums and background sounds that you don't, these practitioners add incredible depth to the shows we see on stage.
Declan Bennett as Jesus, David Thaxton as Pilate and Company in Jesus Christ Superstar The Concert (2020) by Mark SeniorSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
Who designed Cabaret's soundscape?
Learn more about Nick Lidster
Who is Nick Lidster?
A senior member of Autograph Sound, Nick has designed sound for the West End and beyond for more than 20 years. His work covers an impressive range; from outdoor productions at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to the huge hall of the London Coliseum - who don't use mics!
Nick has been nominated for Olivier Awards twice before his win for Cabaret - in 2004 for Pacific Overtures at the Donmar Warehouse, and in 2017 for Jesus Christ Superstar at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
Lillie-Pearl Wildman as Texas in Cabaret. (2021-11-13) by Marc BrennerSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
Why Cabaret?
What set the sound design of the revival of this 1960s classic apart?
Sound is just one of the elements that makes Cabaret so immersive. Over the course of a few months, the Playhouse Theatre was totally renovated; not only to make the stage in-the-round but to transform the theatre into the Kit Kat Club.
The production starts the minute you step through the doors. Tom Scutt (also nominated for his set design) designed not only the staging, but the whole front of house, bars and even toilets to truly transform the Playhouse into the Kit Kat Club.
CABARET. Eddie Redmayne 'Emcee' and Company. Photo by Marc BrennerSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
Sound design encompasses not only the atmospheric soundscape of a show, but the practicality of designing a sound system to ensure that everyone in the audience has the best sound quality, regardless of where they're sitting.
The original West End Company of Cabaret. (2021-11-12) by Marc BrennerSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
This challenge becomes even more complex in the unique staging of Cabaret, which includes a host of roaming performers, a stage in the round and two orchestra pits, all of which have to be seamlessly incorporated into the sights and sounds of the show.
Olivier Awards auditorium (2018-04-06) by David LeveneSociety of London Theatre & UK Theatre
All things Oliviers
You can find out more about the Oliviers - including 45 years of Oliviers winners - on the official Olivier Awards website.
https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/
Kitty Underwood for the Society of London Theatre
