The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol
UMKC Spencer Theatre, February 2025
Director: Stephanie Roberts
Lighting Designer: Selena Gonzalez-Lopez
Composer: Jacob Souders
Costume Designer: T Mentjes
Set Designer: Jeremy Smith
Sound Collage
System Design
PDF Of I/O
A quality sound design in a space this large begins with your system design and paperwork. We knew we didn't want mics on actors, but we had a lot of stage to cover, so I strategically placed placed mics on the floor and hidden throughout the set to get us coverage wherever our actors were.
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I tuned all main speakers, delay speakers, and onstage effect speakers using Compass, the control software for the Galileo DSP unit in the theatre. Then I tuned each mic to maximize clarity of the actors without hitting feedback.
Recording Music Cues
I worked with the composer to identify possible moments for musical support and created temporary cues using virtual instruments. I brought these into rehearsals to let the cast/director work with them and figure out our timings, then right before tech, hired local musicians for a recording session. We recorded several varieties of each cue to have options to play with in tech.
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We recorded Violin, Upright Bass, Trumpet, and Mandolin, and supported it all with a virtual accordion.
The Beggar Appears
The townsfolk beg Khlestakov, the faux inspector, for help from their despotic mayor. Their cries crescendo as a figure in rags bursts through the door, and suddenly the facade fell - all of the rich draperies that adorned the set flew out, revealing a decrepit and decaying building. This moment was the climax of the play, when the farce turned to a harsh reminder of our present realities.
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I recorded members of the cast, and overlaid them with some of our music recordings as well as a variety of rumbles and destruction sounds to highlight this dramatic moment.
Khlestakov's Power Trip
After a wine-filled lunch, Khlestakov regales the party with tales of his time in St. Petersburg - as his fantasy grows, his pretend power trip takes him on to the couch, shouting about his importance and the fear he strikes across the city.
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To support this, I created a scene with reverb added to the mic nearest him that grew alongside a tense music cue to a crescendo, before he began to lose his balance and needed to be caught by his new fans.
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Production Photos by Ken Scar.