Beauty & The Beast

La Belle et la Bete is a devised adaptation of the classic fairy tale by Gabrielle Suzanne Villeneuve, drawing parallel to the author's real life struggles as a young female playwright in 1700s France. This design was created in collaboration with composer Michael Hooker, fusing rich fantastical instrumentations with magical sound effects. I wanted to move the audience between the mystical world of Belle and the cold, contemporary world of Gabrielle. This production was a fantastic process in learning how to be adaptable as a designer to the always-evolving style of direction that comes from devised work. La Belle et la Bete would go on to receive the Orange Curtain Award for Excellence, 2025.

Design

Director Annie Loui is known for her movement based devised work. After reading her first draft of the script, the aesthetic was clear, embrace the magic and fantasy of the classic fairytale. Annie would paint vivid pictures both visually and sonically, so the goal was to support that vision. Alongside composer Michael Hooker, I worked to enrich the fantasy of Belle's world as well as contrast the frantic and harsh world of Gabrielle. This blended a mix of diegetic sound to show the ambience of each setting as well as fantastical magic sounds that would accompany gestures and movement that is prevalent throughout Loui's work.

Journey to CastleAndrew Yoder & Michael Hooker

00:00 / 01:19

Photo Credit: Jeanine Hill

Throughout the course of the show, we are transported between both the realistic, grounded, and harsh world of Gabrielle and the fantastical, lush, and magical world of Belle. I developed a motif where actress Zoe Davidson (Belle) would do a twirl motion to signify her transporting between the two stories and I supported that gesture sonically with a mix of bell trees, wind sound effects and music.

Belle Motif 1Andrew Yoder

00:00 / 00:10

Belle Motif 2Andrew Yoder & Michael Hooker

00:00 / 00:48

Photo Credit: Jeanine Hill

Another motif used in this production was the entrance of "The Beast." This was used to build tension for each entrance Beast would make. The first time it is used, there is an emphasis on terror and fear but as the story progresses and he becomes more human. The entrances begin to shorten while the heavy and scary footsteps begin to sound more human and approachable. All playing into the arc of the two worlds melding together.

Beast First EntranceAndrew Yoder & Michael Hooker

00:00 / 03:17

BLB Final Beast EntranceAndrew Yoder

00:00 / 00:10

Photo Credit: Jeanine Hill

Paperwork & System Design

With this production being a devised piece, I decided to design a system that would be as dynamic and flexible as possible. I wanted to be able to adjust the sound system to the needs of the show, while also allowing the director and cast the freedom to change and respond to the changes. The system was jokingly referred to as a "sonic playground" that could be adapted to whatever the scenes needs would be. This was my first time in the Experimental Media and Performance Lab (XMPL), utilizing the freedom that the tension grid provided. The system was comprised of four main UPJ's and one 500 HP for low frequency support. The audience was surrounded by six MM4's for some spatialization and reverb tails from the composition work. The focus was on the setting the tone for the world using diegetic soundscapes, complimented by Hooker's score. Also included in the design were five overhead speakers to source sounds like fireworks or omniscient voiceovers, adding to the sense of scale and magic.