Last spring, students in the College of Fine Arts taking Theatre and Dance faculty member Phillip Owen’s Sound Design course sat behind computer screens, microphones and electronic instruments, ready to showcase their final project – a recreation of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds. Over the 30 minutes that followed, their audience would hear bright piano tunes, ominous music, operatic performances and haunting sound effects paired with dialogue from Welles’ 1938 radio play. We spoke with Phillip Owen and a handful of students from across the college about their experiences working on this project and what it taught them about the art of sound design. 

Continue Reading Sound Design Project: Recreating THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

Every Monday during the fall semester, film, theatre and audio producer David Treatman (Puffs) hopped on a plane from New York City to Austin and then boarded a return flight the next morning. His purpose behind making these trips? To co-teach a Department of Theatre and Dance course with Dr. Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, entitled “The Business of Self-Marketing.” Both Bonin-Rodriguez and Treatman are well versed in entertainment production and the tenacity needed to advocate for new works. After co-producing on a project together, Bonin-Rodriguez knew that Treatman would be an excellent educator for our UT students, and plans to co-teach a course in the fall of 2023 began taking shape. We spoke with Treatman and Bonin-Rodriguez about their professional work, what led them to co-teaching this fall and their experiences working with undergraduate students.

Continue Reading David Treatman and Dr. Paul Bonin-Rodriguez Demystify the World of Producing