Mackenzie Adamick on Composing Theatrical Soundscapes

Featured Interview with Terry Bryne, The Boston Globe
June 27, 2024

Composing, says award-winning theatrical sound designer Mackenzie Adamick, “is the art of storytelling.” An eerie musical motif can generate goosebumps as much as any dialogue, while a melodic fanfare can inspire joy. The challenge for a theatrical sound designer is understanding the director’s vision and creating a soundscape that supports that vision without drowning it out. “When I meet with a director, the first question I ask is ‘Why this play now?’” says Adamick. “I read the script so that I understand the emotional arc of the play, but each director chooses a play for a specific reason, and my music needs to serve that.”

“Each production has its own challenges,” she says, “but after getting a sense of what a director is trying to accomplish, I develop a couple of short musical pieces with chord progressions, textures, and timbres that I present to them. And then there’s a constant back and forth as we revise and refine.”

“I can sit down at my piano at home and start composing,” she says. “I work on one theme at a time, and the process is pretty free form. I like to start developing motifs based on sonic colors. Introducing live sound is another element and allows even more creativity.”

As for her own composing style and preference, Adamick says, “I like strings and some dark synthesizers. I love some grit.”

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