HOW DO I FIND THE WORDS?

This was a community-based headphone verbatim project conceived and delivered by Kristine Landon-Smith in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse and Bolton Octagon. Participants from communities in each of the theatre’s locations interviewed then worked through the process as editors and performers to present a series of shows in each venue on the subject of words. As one of the participants recalled: “It was built from the voices of people in our communities through real-life interviews and celebrated the stories behind the words that shape who we are—the words that help, heal, hurt, and hold meaning.”

 The music I came up with had work with all three resulting shows, irrespective of their individual contents. What was clear was that the performers needed a big ‘ta da!’ to get them going so that determined my approach. I wrote the theme and four further developments of it to cover the five sections of the performance.

 I tried a new percussion recording technique here, using the drumming of my fingers on a table to give more intricate textures. It worked well—I will explore this further…