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Entropics

by Richard K. Thomas

Full Steam Ahead Production
Directed by Richard K. Thomas
Music by Richard K. Thomas & Ryan Hopper
Music Coordination by Tyler A. Berg
Scenic Design by Ryan Douglass
Props Design by Jake Wood
Costume Design by Ashley Bellet
Lightning Design by Baxter Chambers
Sound Design by Huhao Yang
Stage Manager: Darby Blum
Producer: Rich Dionne
Opening Night: May 10, 2024

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Entropics is a satirical and thought-provoking play set in the year 2049, rich with political metaphors and commentary on societal dynamics. The story follows a reporter granted a rare opportunity to explore the clandestine operations of Collective Comrades International, the organization credited with rescuing humanity from nuclear devastation and environmental collapse. Drawing inspiration from Karel Čapek’s seminal 1920 play R.U.R., Entropics reimagines a mid-20th-century science fiction narrative, projecting it into a future where artificial intelligence has fundamentally reshaped humanity. This music-drama weaves a vibrant tapestry of genres, blending rap, trip-hop, post-rock, reggae, and industrial sounds to create a compelling auditory experience. The play interrogates the ways we mediate information and identity, offering sharp critiques of contemporary science, politics, religion, and cultural stagnation. By combining a gripping narrative with a cutting-edge musical score, the play challenges its audience to reflect on the precarious balance between technological progress and humanity’s moral compass.

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Entr'acte DemoReference Demo Track for Opening Scene, Composition by Richard K Thomas and Ryan Hopper
00:00 / 06:18

Sound Effects Design

The sound design for this show mainly focuses on building soundscapes with an industrial style and retro sci-fi movie taste to support the live band's musical performance. And cooperate with projection and video clips to build clue sound effects that contain rich background infos. On this basis, I designed and produced a series of sound sequences according to the narration of the story and the director's opinions. Such as the sci-fi soundscape when the power was cut off at the CCI headquarters, the surreal army marching sound when the leader gave a speech, and the volcano eruption and earthquake sound in the ending with abstract video footage to show the theatrical world collapse, etc. All the sounds achieved great effect when combined with the music.

 

In the following listening demo section I will put some original SFX sequences I made there, and also show you the effect after the SFX combines the demo music track with narrator's voice over:

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Card Reader SequenceOld Puch Card Reader Machine Sound With Power Shutting Down SFX Sequence
00:00 / 00:34
Card Reader Sequence With Reference MusicSFX with Demo Music
00:00 / 00:41
Final EruptionVolcano Eruption Sound With Earthquake SFX
00:00 / 00:24
Final Eruption With Reference MusicSFX with Demo Music
00:00 / 00:54
Army MarchingGeneric Crowds Cheering and Army Marching SFX Sequence
00:00 / 01:30
Army Marching With Reference MusicSFX with Demo Music
00:00 / 02:16

More sound effects design like the machine gun fire when the rebels entered, and distant explosions happened in CCI's harbor:

 

 

Machine gun + Glass
00:00 / 00:08
Distant Explosion
00:00 / 00:14
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Entropics

Sound Cue Sheets

Entropics

Themes

For viewing more design related materials and document please download the pdf files.

Sound System Design

The biggest challenge in designing this sound system is setting up a comprehensive network and control platform so that all audio, video and the band's MIDI sequencer can be coordinated during the live performance. I worked with the music coordinator and came up with an AV system that centered with Qlab’s network control and his keyboard's MIDI triggers.

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Archive

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Opening Night
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Live Band
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Rehearsal
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Design Meeting

Sound Team

Sound Designer & Mixing Engineer:

Huhao Yang

Associate Sound Designer & Mixing Engineer:

Robert Cohen

Music Coordinator:

Tyler A. Berg

Composer & Music Director:

Ryan Hopper

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