No. 6
Sound Design
Performance: Recorded 3/4/21
Released for Streaming: 3/11/21 - 4/4/21
Description of company:
Indiana Repertory Theatre is a professional theatre located in downtown Indianapolis and is the largest non-profit theatre in the state of Indiana. The theatre employs professional Equity (union) actors and professional designers from across the United States. This production was staged in the OneAmerica Mainstage Theatre, which is a 600+ seat proscenium house. This production was staged as a traditional play, but due to COVID-19 it was captured on digital video with a multi-camera setup for streaming to a home audience.
Playwright: T.J. Young
Director: Dwandra Lampkin
Lighting Design: Xavier Pierce
Costume Design: LeVonne Lindsay
Scenic Design: Rob Koharchik
Synopsis
"In 2001, the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of the police put the city of Cincinnati on edge, resulting in a five-day riot that set the citizens of the city against the police force. During the third day of the riots, the Anderson family, in a small apartment above their family-owned dry cleaners, prepare for dinner and the citywide curfew. Ella, the mother of the family, realizes her son, Felix, isn’t home. Felix’s twin sister, Felicia, who is obsessed with dinosaurs, reveals he has gone to find the family food for the night. Felix returns with provisions and a knocked-out white man, Kelly. As the riots grow and move closer to the small apartment and business, we discover why Felix and Felicia have not left home, the truth that Kelly has been keeping to himself, and Felicia’s theory of what will cause extinction number six. ” from Concord Theatricals
Design Statement
As a resident of Cincinnati (currently and also 2004 - 07), I feel a personal connection to this piece of theatre. The primary area of the protests, Over the Rhine, has experienced tremendous growth and revitalization in the years since. Whether Cincinnati policing has progressed since 2001 largely depends on who you ask. The protests in Cincinnati following the murder of George Floyd certainly evidence that there is much work yet to be done.
As Ella and her family experience threats both outside and inside their home, my objectives are to assist with the ebb and flow of tension and to reflect the character of both the family and the setting. Sound design is the one area that shares the air with the words of a play, and as such possesses both a huge responsibility and an exciting opportunity--particularly when paired with a play that does not and cannot provide easy answers.
“Under restrictions of 'pandemic' proportions, Matt Tibbs delivered a powerhouse sound design for Indiana Repertory Theatre's production of "No. 6" by T.J. Young. His design was as raw and heartfelt as the story it was created for. ”
Dwandra Lampkin - Director of No. 6
John Lyle Belden - Plays with John and Wendy
“This play is important because it continues the much-needed conversation – but also see it because it is gripping drama with solid human performances, punctuated by sound (credit Matthew Tibbs) and light (Xavier Pierce) that makes the danger feel real and immediate, even in an otherwise comforting home (scene: Rob Koharchik).”