It seems, given recent events surrounding the Tony Awards, that there is some heavy doubt and speculation as to what a Sound Designer does, what a good Sound Design accomplishes, what role a Sound Designer plays in the creative process and whether or not sound is a valid artistic design discipline.

<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_48586" style="width: 630px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-48586">Click to sign the petition</figcaption></figure>

On June 11, a few days after the 2014 Tony Awards ceremony, the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League decided to eliminate the Sound Design categories from future Tony Awards without explanation. A couple of members of the Tony Awards Administration Committee stated (anonymously) that the decision was based on three factors.

From Patrick Healy, writing for the New York Times:

“Many Tony voters do not know what sound design is or how to assess it; a large number of Tony voters choose not to cast ballots in sound design categories because of this lack of expertise; and some administration committee members believe that sound design is more of a technical craft, rather than a theatrical art form that the Tonys are intended to honor.”

In addition, he reported that when pushed for an official comment, the executive director of the Committee, stated:

“It was determined that sound design would be more appropriately considered as a special award when there was an extraordinary achievement rather than continuing to have a separate category.”

<figure class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_48583" style="width: 210px;"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-48583">Matthew M. Nielson (Photo: C. Stanley Photography)</figcaption></figure>

There are so many reasons why this decision is a terrible one, and why the subsequent official and unofficial statements make the decision worse. Rather than educate Tony voters on how to listen for and assess sound design, the committee elected to eliminate the award; somehow sound design is more technical and less creative than any other design discipline; they’ll make it all better by handing out an award every now and then for the designs that really stand out (even though they still won’t know how to judge sound design).

The sound design community, the theatre community, the audio equipment and engineering community, even film and music communities at all levels across the globe have responded in – and with – high volume. Veteran Broadway sound designer John Gromada started a petition to reinstate the sound design categories the day after the announcement was made, and the petition instantly exploded with thousands of signatures.

As of this writing, that number is just under 32,000. The movement has garnered support from companies that make the equipment we use, companies that make the software that runs our shows, actors, directors and fellow designers with whom we work and audience members who understand the importance of sound design.

Here’s what you can do.

Please support everything you hear.

Add your signature to John Gromada’s petition  

If you use Twitter, show your support by tweeting and posting using the hashtag#tonycanyouhearme and the handles@TheWing (the American Theatre Wing) and@TheBWayLeague (the Broadway League).

The decision and reasoning by the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League to eliminate sound design categories shows that even they don’t understand sound design.

To end the confusion, I’ve written this article to help audiences better understand what they’re hearing, to start dialogues with my friends and family and any of you out there who aren’t sure what I do, and to teach judges and critics whose job it is to understand and critique what I do.

Misconceptions

Most of the time, when you ask somebody what makes a good sound design, the response is something like “It’s best when you don’t notice it” or “Nobody notices it unless it’s bad.” In theory, that holds true. Even when watching film or television, audiences don’t really notice the sound unless it’s overbearing, poorly mixed, or intended to be noticed. In practice, there are obvious faults with this statement:

·         It holds true for any design discipline. Lighting shouldn’t be obvious enough to draw attention away from the action on stage. In fact, a good lighting design draws focus and emotion to the action without the audience noticing. Good costume designs draw attention to period and character types without being so obvious that audiences stop paying attention to actors to look at what they’re wearing. Good scenic and props designs are the backdrop of the story, and should not stand out so much that they are the only things audiences see. Even projection design, whose purpose is to be seen, doesn’t draw attention away from the story when it is done well.

·         More and more, productions are demanding that sound be a bigger, more integral part of the story.  From the influence of film on theatre, scripts being written like screenplays and directors wanting “more, bigger, louder,” it has become increasingly difficult to not be noticed.

Sound Designs and Designers

A Sound Designer holds the same responsibility to any production as all the other parts of the creative team. If a sound design is bad, it can bring down the quality of the whole production, and make all the parts of the whole seem out of sync. The audience could end up being unable to focus, and won’t click in to the show.

If a sound design is good, it works with all the other parts to lift up the production to help create a comprehensive picture, focus attention and finesse audience emotions. The fact that sound is aural and not visual means that we have the flexibility to disappear sometimes and be in your face depending on the needs of any given moment and the production in general.  All of this takes an incredible amount of technical knowledge, creative sense, artistic sensibilities and solid collaborative methods.

So, what’s Sound Design?

Sound Design is a general term in theatre that has many, many facets. From building sound systems to providing sound effects and soundscapes to finding or writing music to providing live sound reinforcement. A mentor once told me: “If the audience hears it, it’s part of the sound design.”

Think of it in terms of a painter:

The Paints

Sometimes actors or stage crew can create these so