Each semester, we have the honor of profiling some of the incredible professional artists involved in the TDM production. Our next artist spotlight this fall shines on Brendan F Doyle! Brendan is a sound designer, engineer, and artisan who is working as the Sound Designer on the fall TDM production. Check out more of Brendan’s work at www.doyleendeavors.com/.

What inspires you as an artist and creative?

I consider myself a collector and arranger of sounds of all sorts: there is a cacophonous symphony going on all around us all the time, and I love being able to listen in on little pieces of that larger whole, recording some part of the world and playing it back in a different context. Then asking "how is that music? How can I help make it feel more musical with what's already there?" It's a nice reminder that there is music both in the trickle of a mountain stream and an idling truck engine: but they need to be treated differently to have the music come out and be appreciated. Sharing that sort of thing is great. I love working as a part of a team, because I find the creative process with other similarly inspired people to be a positive feedback loop: one idea helps create or modify another and another, and that collaborative version of the process usually has better results than a more isolated approach where I get stuck in my own loops. 

What excites you about this original TDM production?

I really like immersive work, things that ask the audience to engage beyond the surface level of the narrative depicted, and so having the opportunity to collaborate with Mei Ann and Troy on this is wonderful. They both take a great deal of care in their approach to creating the work, and that will be reflected in what we end up producing, I think. I appreciate the discussions we've been having about layering: how does the same story or image change when perceived through a different lens or in a different context. Those explorations are very much in line with what I'm interested in. There's something magical about water too: the refraction and distortion it causes, but it's still a purifying and cleansing symbol. And it makes so many interesting sounds!

What has it been like collaborating with the students on this project?

I'm coming into the project a bit later, so a lot of my collaborative time is still to come. But the rehearsals and meetings I have attended have been full of curiosity: I think a questioning spirit will always help in the creative process. It's invigorating to work with people who haven't ossified into a single way of working, and are still open to figuring out a new way of doing things. 

What projects are you working on next?

UMass Boston is resuming production on Pride and Prejudice, which we had started before the Pandemic began, so I'm excited to see the show get on its feet after getting so close in 2020. It's such a quick witted, fun, farce and I'm excited to see how the students approach it.