Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
October 2024
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company & Merrimack RepertoryTheatre
Directed by Brian Issac-Phillips
Scenic Design by Sam Reno
Costume Design by Rainy Edwards
Lighting Design by Jeff Adelburg
Projection Design: Robert Carlton Stimmel
”…Zack Bennett’s intrusively delicious soundtrack. The latter can be pulsating as well as subtle: thunder claps go BAR-ROOM!, a baby whimpers quietly. Most appealing are the hilariously grotesque sound effects that accompany Frankenstein as he harvests organs from a fresh corpse." -the arts fuseLighting (Jeff Adelberg) and Sound (Zack Bennett) pull out the stops with lightness, darkness, mist, haunting echoes and thunderous claps. … (BTW, you will appreciate the sounds of the creaking ship, too). -League of Cincinnati Theatres
“In addition to the visual aesthetics, Sound Design by Zack Bennett is the cherry on the proverbial chilling sundae.” - League of Cincinnati Theatres
“As mentioned, the thrust stage invigorates the story and envelopes the audience, aided by Zack Bennett's thrilling sound design. The spatial audio design is immersive, and the musical underscoring provides tension and levity when needed.” - Noah Sees Theatre
Photography: Mikki Schaffner
National order of the arrow convention 2024
July 2024
Boy Scouts of America - University of Colorado Event Center
Directed by David Heimann, Andy Spicknall
Produced by OA Shows, Max Sasseen
This week-long conference brought Scouts and Scouters together on the University of Colorado, Boulder campus. Over the course of five days, four arena shows are created: an opening ceremony; awards ceremony with live entertainment; a retrospective on the organizations achievements, missteps, and mission moving forward; and concludes with an original play that supports the mission of the Order of the Arrow. The sound designer is responsible for coordinating all necessary PA, communications, and all other sound equipment to convert a basketball arena into a theatre for 6,500. Additionally, audio to support video packages, stingers, voice-over, and all other audio content to support the production is created by the Sound Designer.
The 25th Annual Putnam County SPelling Bee
April 2024
Gainesville Theatre Alliance
Directed by Kari Twyman
Scenic Design by Amy Jackson
Costume Design by Lucius Gardner
Lighting Design by Christian DeAngelis
Julius Caesar
March 2024
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Directed by Brian Issac-Phillips
Scenic Design by Charlie Calvert
Costume Design by Rainy Edwards
Lighting Design by Watson
Projection Design: Robert Carlton Stimmel
Properties Design: Kara Eble Trusty
“The initial rave-like atmosphere, created with the help of Lighting Designer Watson and Sound Designer Zack Bennett, lets the audience know immediately that this is no ordinary foray into Will’s classic text. ” -League of Cincinnati Theatres
“Julius Caesar designers seamlessly merge the opulence of ancient Rome with the gritty realism of the Mafia underworld.” -Behind the Curtain Cincinnati
“Such scenes are underscored by bombastic sound (designed by Zack Bennett) and flashing video to great, chaotic effect.” -Talkin Broadway
Broadway World Cincinnati Nominee for Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
November 2023
Gainesville Theatre Alliance
Directed by Ste Clough
Scenic Design by Dennis C. Maulden
Costume Design by Pamela Workman
Lighting Design by Terry Becker
Wrecking Ball
October 2023
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Scenic Design by Sarah Lambert
Costume Design by Daryl Harris
Lighting Design by Jessica Drayton
Projection Design: Robert Carlton Stimmel
Properties Design: Kara Eble Trusty
“Zack Bennett’s sound design accentuates the story…” - The Sappy Critic
“…Lighting, Projections, and Sound Designers, respectively, have woven the atmospheric details and soundscape to amplify the dynamic space.” - Behind the Curtain Cincinnati
Hedwig and the angry inch
July 2023
Actor’s Express
Directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez
Scenic Design by Stephanie Busing
Costume Design by April Carswel
Lighting Design by Maranda DeBusk
“Also a special shout out to sound designer Zach Bennett for [designing] a flawless show.” -Speakeysie
As You Like It
April 2023
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Directed by Brant Russell
Scenic Design by Samantha Reno
Costume Design by Rainy Edwards
Lighting Design by Jessica Drayton
Projection Design: Robert Carlton Stimmel
Properties Design: Kara Eble Trusty
A 90’s alt-rock musical may sound like an odd fit for Shakespeare, but this production with an original score lead to a beautiful marriage. 37 cast members, 28 songs, and a 5-piece rock band brought this tale of teen-angst to life. The sound design sought to support hard rock and traditional Shakespearean need for intelligibility while enveloping the audience in the beauty of forrest ambience.
The Living Dead
October 2022
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Directed by Brian Issac-Phillips
Scenic Design by Samantha Reno
Costume Design by Rainy Edwards
Lighting Design by Nina Agelvis
Projection Design: Robert Carlton Stimmel
Properties Design: Kara Eble Trusty
This world premiere took the classic film and adapted the themes to explore race, LGBTQ+, and the importance of truth post-pandemic. The sound design for the production matched the abundance of score and effects of a modern horror film. Ramin Djawadi’s “Fright Night” score was recut to allow audiences to experience the fear our characters experience as zombies attack inside and outside the home. News anchors and TV personalities appear throughout the show, audibly reinforced live and through an on-set TV.
“Kudos to the design crew for this piece . . . Sound Designer Zack Bennett (utter perfection), . . .” -League of Cincinatti Theatres
Everybody
November 2022
Goshen College - Goshen, IN
Directed by Amy Lynn Budd
Scenic Design by Andrew Moeggenberg
Costume Design by Isabella Ruiz
Lighting Design by Jacob Claassen
This modern exploration of Everyman provided an opportunity for the audible design to explore liminal space, the interconnectivity between the senses, emotions, and relational response to death.
The Little Prince
September 2022
River and Rail Theatre Company - Knoxville, TN
Directed by Joshua Peterson
Scenic Design by Amelia Peterson
Costume Design by Keeley Wade
Lighting Design by Jordan Vera
This tale of wonder and exploration set record sales for Knoxville’s newest theatre company. This production emphasized the child’s perspective of the events, beginning with children in a sandbox and growing into the real life and death stakes of the Little Prince’s story of love and loss.
Due to the musical elements of this concept and vocal production of child actors, all actors were mic’ed. This allowed for vocal manipulation rooted in each location, allowing the double cast characters to have their own sonic pallet, supported by beds and underscoring.
National order of the arrow convention 2022
July 2022
Boy Scouts of America - Thompson-Bowling Arena
Directed by David Heimann
Produced by OA Shows, Max Sasseen
This week-long conference brought Scouts and Scouters together on the UT campus. Over the course of five days, four arena shows are created: an opening ceremony; a Game Show/awards night; a retrospective on the organizations achievements, missteps, and mission moving forward; and concludes with an original play that supports the mission of the Order of the Arrow. The sound designer is responsible for coordinating all necessary PA, communications, and all other sound equipment to convert a basketball arena into a theatre for 7,000. Additionally, audio to support video packages, stingers, voice-over, and all other audio content to support the production is created by the Sound Designer.
Sweat
April 2022
River and Rail Theatre Company
Directed by Laura Dupper
Scenic Design by Claude Hardy
Costume Design by Korea Howard
Lighting Design by Jordan Vera
Lynn Nottage’s story of racism, classism, and capitalism in a factory town felt just as relevant as this design team sought to demonstrate how we still fight these issues today. The soundscape of this production utilized music from 2000 and 2008 to move from scene to scene. Music swelled to and from on-stage practicals around the set’s working bar. The atmosphere of the bar changed as the tension within the community increased as the economic stability wained.
The Comedy of Errors
April 2022
Cincinatti Shakespeare Company
Directed by Jeremy Dubin
Scenic Design by Samantha Reno
Costume Design by Rainy Edwards
Lighting Design by Justin N. Locke
Projection Design: Justen N. Locke & Robert Carlton Stimmel
Properties Design: Kara Eble Trusty
This interpretation retained Shakespeare’s dialogue, and supported the text with Rat Pack era Vegas standards sung by the twins, lovers, and everyone in between. To support this Ephesus turned Vegas, I designed soundscapes that transitioned these characters from poolside bungalows to casinos, to Sinatra-esc show-stopping numbers. Throughout the design and rehearsal process, I sourced and (re-)arranged backing tracks to support the live performances.
2022 Runner Up
Photos property of Cincinatti Shakespeare Company.
The Unusual Tale of mary and joseph’s baby
December 2021
River and Rail Theatre Company - Knoxville, TN
Directed by Danny Skinner
Scenic Design by Jax Wright
Costume Design by Erin Reed
Lighting Design by Jordan Vera
Associate Sound Designer & Mixer: David Melton
This Knoxville holiday tradition was reconceived, telling the traditional Christmas story through the eyes of Mary and Joseph in a contemporary setting. Soundscape supported the directorial vision of Mary and Joseph working to keep their lives afloat while living in poverty and without a traditional home. While living in poverty, the couple each encounter God’s messenger and are left to wrestle with how to respond. In addition to creating multiple sonic locations and supporting encounters with the divine, a five-member band with ten instruments was reinforced in the space. Actors were reinforced and manipulated live to support their presence as an angel. Recorded performances was used to layer additional vocals under the angel’s appearances and as on-stage phone calls and PA announcements.
Photos property of River and Rail Theatre.
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
February 2020
Purdue University Theatre - West Lafayette, IN
Directed by Richard Stockton-Rand
Scenic Design by Shu Liu
Costume Design by Allison Jones
Lighting Design by Garrett M. Bell
Co-System Designer: Jake Mantel
Assistant Sound Designer: Delaney Shay
The compositions of Phillip Glass’s Into the Maelstrom were used throughout to reflect the comet-like speed at which our characters are hurtled through the AIDs crisis of the 1980s. The genres and orchestration match the biblical scale and operatic nature of Angels while using instrumentation that is modern, compelling audience not to see these events as a historical piece, but a story of a time that often mirrors our own. The speeding and overlapping textures of varying tempos parallel not only the speed of progress in the 80s, which is all too similar to the news cycle we. experience today. The instrumentation and orchestration of Glass feel modern in both 1985 and 2020.
The angels and ghosts were mic’ed and their voices live processed to match the otherworldly nature of their presence. To match the director’s vision of the actors inhabiting the house, immersive surround sound was employed.
Photos property of Purdue University Theatre.
Draftings Originated by Jake Mantel.
On the Exhale
August 2019
Chautauqua Theater Company - Chautauqua Institution, NY
Directed by Patrick Walsh
Scenic Design by Sasha Schwartz
Costume Design by Dorottya Vincze
Lighting Design by Baxter Carlisle Chambers
Assistant Sound Designer: Alex Brock
The Director-Actor workshop explored one woman’s journey as she explored the connection between her grief after an act of gun violence and her newly discovered attraction to an assault rifle. The director and I created a sound scape that was rooted in realistic, diegetic sounds and morphed into the mind of our character. The through unsettling and subtle pads and tones the audience was invited into the woman’s grief, fear, and anger.
Agent 355
August 2019
Chautauqua Theater Company - Chautauqua Institution, NY
Music, Lyrics and Book by Preston Max Allen
Book and Dramaturgy by Jessica Kahkoska
Directed by Estefania Fadul
Scenic Design by Sasha Schwartz
Costume Design by Dorottya Vincze
Lighting Design by Baxter Carlisle Chambers
This workshop was the first production of Agent 355 with blocking and full design support. The short tech process combined with running the show in repertory created a whirlwind experience. My main concern was to deliver a sound that supported the garage/DIY venue style in which the play is set while creating a full sound that immersed the audience and ensured they could follow the story of these women who served Washington’s spy network in the American Revolution.
Photos by David Munch & property of Chautauqua Theater Company
Photos by David Munch & property of Chautauqua Theater Company
How the Light Gets In
July 2019
Chautauqua Theater Company - Chautauqua Institution, NY
By E.M. Lewis
Directed by Emilie Beck
Scenic Design by Sasha Schwartz
Costume Design by Dorottya Vincze
Lighting Design by Baxter Carlisle Chambers
The incredibly fast-paced New Play Workshops at Chautauqua serve as a springboard for plays who, typically, have not had full design support previously. This new work (premiering at Boston Court Pasadena two months after Chautauqua) received it’s first fully realized design. During the process, I worked with both the director and the playwright to discover more direct language to inspire future designers who work on this script. Due to the schedule at CTC, my design incorporated elements of both the previous and following main-stage production to streamline the changeover process
Photos by David Munch & property of Chautauqua Theater Company
next to normal
November 2018
Purdue University Theatre - West Lafayette, Indiana
Directed by Kristine Holtvedt
Associate Sound Designer: Jeff Sherwood
Scenic Design by Shu Liu
Costume Design by Erin Carignan
Lighting Design by Danny Taylor
This show crosses genres, combining rock, acoustic, and majestic Broadway styled numbers. These differing styles supported the plot as we follow Diana through her struggles with loss-induced Manic/Depressive Bipolar Disorder. In order to support and amplify the story, we created a system that could deliver the bass thumping of a rock song as well as localized orchestral swells. The entire input system operated over a Dante network, including front of house, band monitor mixer, and a wireless mic listening station. This process also included training a new Mixer and programming for a band on stage.
National Order of the Arrow Conference
Associate Sound Designer - July 2018
Assembly Hall, Indiana University - Bloomington, IN
Sound Designer: Barry Funderburg
Produced by OA Shows
Under the direction of The Boy Scouts of America National Organization
7,000 Arrowmen from across the Boy Scouts of America gathered at Indiana University for a week to celebrate their years of service, and plan the next. As the Sound Designer on site, my duties included: supervision of system installation and tuning, arranging playback, collaborating with the directors, recording and coaching voice-overs, and training RF and Sound Board Operators. I worked to ensure the Designer was well informed while working remotely. I also established relationships with the client’s numerous directors to ensure a production that exceeded expectations.
Clybourne Park
April 2018
Purdue University Theatre - West Lafayette, Indiana
Directed by Amy Lynn Budd
Assistant Sound Designer: Connor Sherrill
Scenic Design by Max He
Costumes by Erin Carignan
Lighting Design by Allison Newhard
This production's two acts, 50 years apart, created an opportunity for the soundscape to create the world outside the walls of a home on suburban Clybourne Street. I created a system that allowed my design to be highly localized on stage while still allowing the audience to be engulfed in the world. The concept for sound was to contrast the bigotry inside the home with the stereotyped sounds of a 1950's neighborhood. In the second act, the harsh sounds of a less than ideal neighborhood align with the racial tensions discussed in the dilapidated house.
Photos property of Purdue University Theatre.
2017 National Scout Jamboree
Associate Sound Designer - July 2017
Bechtel Summit National Scout Reserve - Mt. Hope, West Virginia
Sound Designer: Barry Funderburg
Produced by Freeman Productions
Under the direction of The Boy Scouts of America National Organization
In association with Freeman Productions, Alford Media, and MSI.
This event for an audience of over 50,000 people throughout the week centered around evening stadium shows. As a member of the creative team and the representative of the Sound Designer, I worked to adjust Barry’s creation to the ever-changing needs of the production. This included not only changes during the limited rehearsals, but also on the fly during events. The soundscape included underscoring for news reports, audience participation, theatrical staging of BSA traditions, and a wide variety of emcees and speakers. Working with such a large production company, and an ambitious client such as BSA corporate required clear, concise, and constant communication. As the only member of the BSA production staff specializing in sound, my main focus was stadium shows but I also mixed bands and consulted on setup of other stages across the reserve.
PHOTOS property of the white house, Reuters, or the boy scouts of america.
Around the World in 80 Days
Associate Sound Designer - May 2017
Clarence Brown Theatre - Knoxville, Tennessee
Directed by Kate Buckley.
Sound Design by Joe Payne.
Scenic Design by Nevena Prodanović .
Costumes by Victor Bercher.
Lighting Design by Maranda DeBusk.
I began this production as the assistant and was quickly promoted to associate when the designer was no longer able to attend the process in person. I served as his liaison in person to the entire team. During tech, I programmed and made judgment calls while the designer observed via webcam. Any notes he wished to convey had to be shared with the rest of the team through me. This led to a balancing act during tech of listening and adjust what was unfolding on stage, while also communicating the designer’s notes or filling him in on conversations occurring out of his mic shot.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE.
PHOTOS BY BRYNN YEAGER.
This is Our Youth
October 2016
Clarence Brown Lab Theatre - Knoxville, Tennessee
Directed by Conner Wilson.
Scenic Design by Rebecca Johnson.
Costumes by Erin Reed.
Lighting Design by Alice Trent.
This is Our Youth is a modern coming of age story set in 1982. My approach to this show was to create an immersive soundscape that surrounded the audience and drew them into this Manhattan apartment. The system included a period hi-fi and working television. The director and I worked closely to explore the characters’ through their album choices, which they "played" throughout.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE.
PHOTOS BY BRYNN YEAGER.
Les Miserables
November 2016
Bearden High School - Knoxville, Tennessee
Directed by Leanne Dickson
Projections Design by Joe Payne
After losing their designer to a health problem, Bearden was in need of a Sound Designer at the last minute. This production which included 32 wireless mics and a full orchestra in an auditorium of over 1000 seats. I created a soundscape, programmed the board and instructed mic techs and board operators.
