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AES Toronto Announces December Meeting

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  • Peter McBoyle: New Technology in the world of Musical Theatre Sound Design

    Creativity, Collaboration and Compromise or “Why I Hate Hats!”

    When: Tuesday, December 13, 2024

    Time: 7:00pm
    Where: Humber College
    3199 Lakeshore Boulevard West, Toronto
    Recording Studio, Room AX-101 

    Festival Theatre, Stratford Festival

    Parking is available in Lot 1 on campus, or on the street after 6:00 pm.  The meeting is in Building AX, immediately off of Lot 1 (north side).

    TTC is a good option: Queen Street streetcar or Bus 44 south from Kipling

    About the Event

    Sound design for live musical theatre productions has significantly benefited from technological developments in digital audio and digital signal processing in recent years.

    Mr. McBoyle will speak about the world of sound design for musical theatre, the process of bringing a presentation from “page to stage”, audio system design for musicals and the implementation of new technologies, which have pushed the envelope of creativity in a very challenging and demanding area of audio production.

    EDITOR’S NOTE:

    If you attended any of the recent productions at the Stratford Festival this past summer, notably A Chorus Line or A Little Night Music, you will have noticed, or rather you won’t have noticed Peter’s excellent sound design for these shows.  The amplification of the singers was so completely natural as to not draw any attention to its sound, so much so that Globe and Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck commented on the sound (erroneously attributing its sumptuousness mainly to the larger orchestration):

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/theatre-reviews/for-sound-alone-stratford-festivals-a-little-night-music-is-a-must-see/article30560324/

    I attended this show and A Chorus Line (as well as Shakespeare plays that also benefited from good audio), and the feeling of actually hearing a live performance from the stage, rather than one funneled through an array of boxes was a welcome treat to the ears.

    Pre-meeting Dutch treat dinner:

    850 Degrees Pizzeria

     

    Humber College Parking:

    http://www.humber.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/humber-college-lakeshore-campus-parking-map.pdf

    Presenters

    Peter McBoyle

    Peter McBoyle

    Theatre Sound Designer and Consultant

    Peter is one of Canada’s most in demand theatre sound designers specializing in musical theatre and themed entertainment. From 2024 to 2024 he was the Resident Sound Designer for the Stratford Festival where he has designed over 60 productions. Elsewhere he has designed and consulted in most of the major venues in Canada including Mirvish Productions, The Shaw Festival, The National Arts Centre, The Citadel Theatre, Canadian Stage, Theatre Calgary, The Grand Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Charlottetown Festival. In the US his work has been heard on Broadway (Come Fly Away, Barrymore), Las Vegas (Sinatra Dance With Me), Atlanta (Come Fly With Me), Dallas (Stagger Lee) and on national tours (Sister Act, West Side Story, Come Fly Away, Legally Blonde, Grease, Catch Me If You Can). His consulting work with Princess Cruises since 2024 has taken him around the world commissioning audio systems and show rooms on new vessels as well as designing and programming many of their production shows. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Music (Media and Technology – Sound Recording), both from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Peter was a member of the faculty at Ryerson University in Toronto from 2024-2010 and is currently on the faculty of Humber College where he teaches theatre audio. He is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada and United Scenic Artists IATSE local 829.