(September 2016) Brian Parker directs, acts and enjoys the technical aspects too of putting on a show. In October 2016 he will be the lighting and sound technician for The Pillowman.
1. Within a backstage capacity, what have you worked on before (or is this your first venture into backstage work) and, generally speaking, what do you enjoy about this area of work?
I enjoy theatre and especially musicals but as a software engineer in my day job and a musician in my spare time I’ve long been fascinated by the technical processes that support the production of digital sound. I’ve designed and executed the sound for a few shows here in Luxembourg ranging from “Betty’s Summer Vacation”, “Aladdin” and most recently “Oh What a Lovely War”.
2. How are you preparing for the task ahead in Pillowman and what do you see as the most enjoyable/challenging aspect this play has with regard to your work?
Obviously a script read and identification of cues, which is still under way, after which I will meet with Gav, the director to discuss which ones should be included or changed, this is easily an ongoing process with ideas moving backwards and forwards between us and the rest of the production team. In the meantime I am trawling the internet for everything I can find about The Pillowman and starting to try some composition ideas for ambient music in support.