"Read the script with your ears"
Endorsements:
Scott Hudson, Director and Playwright with Labyrinth Theatre of NYC:
"Glenn proposes questions to me that deeply consider the story’s action and visceral emotions. He’s thorough and specific. I want that from a designer when I’m directing a show. Whether I work with him on projects that are realistic or theatrical, he is rooted in the truth of the story and that sensibility I greatly value. He collaborates with me not as a dry technician but rather a visceral artist. He always delivers several options that allow me to understand with greater clarity the meaning of my direction. Anytime I can work with him I am assured a shared vision with goals that are artistically realized. Glenn’s joy of his work is contagious and inspiring"
Craig Ricci Shaynack from I Am Google (http://www.i-am-google.com/):
"It is my pleasure to recommend Glenn Swan as a Sound Designer to anyone creating theatre, film, TV, music, iPhone apps, or any other endeavor which requires a cohesive soundtrack or effects. While he might refer to himself as a Sound Designer, his artistic and musical abilities reach far beyond that label. I like to refer to Glenn as a Sound Design Artist or Sound Design Musician. Having worked with Glenn in Chicago and Los Angeles on several projects, I can say emphatically that he always brings more to the table than you ever could have hoped for. His humility and expertise makes him the perfect addition to any design team of any experience level.
Before I worked with Glenn, what I most enjoyed about his work was that it was vastly different from project to project, but always fit so well with the overall production design. I saw a production of "Henry IV, Part I" in Chicago and the sound was so thoughtful and appropriate that it took me back in time even before I saw the set! Other projects such as "Alabama Rain" and "Iron Mistress" had very different sound requirements, yet the sound affected me in much the same way. The sound did not get in the way of the piece, it elevated it. The name in the program was always the same; Glenn Swan.
When I finally got to work with Glenn, I discovered why his sound always complimented the visual and emotional aspects of the productions; He contributes so much to the overall production design that the sound has no choice but to fall into place and be at one with the other aspects of the design. Glenn's sound is deliberate and by design, but not merely the work of a technician following orders.
I have worked with Glenn on "Eight Reindeer Monologues", "The Daily Grind", "Sleeping Brilliance", among other projects and have always recommended him to others based on his success. May you be so lucky to have him on your team."
A review from the archives:
Glenn Swan has been involved in the recording, mixing, engineering and creation of sound and music for over 25 years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater at Florida State University, and carried his training well beyond its original arena. Having lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto and New York City, Glenn has had a variety of opportunities in the arts, which cultivated a flexibility in how he approaches his work, along with being a strong communicator.
Although he has experience working with different equipment and recording software, Glenn is much more passionate about the creation and conception that comes BEFORE the technology. We cannot rush to the 'how' an affect is achieved until we examine the what, why, when, where or who. One must decide what the story is before figuring out how to tell it. In other words, a designer of any discipline must think.
Endorsements:
Scott Hudson, Director and Playwright with Labyrinth Theatre of NYC:
"Glenn proposes questions to me that deeply consider the story’s action and visceral emotions. He’s thorough and specific. I want that from a designer when I’m directing a show. Whether I work with him on projects that are realistic or theatrical, he is rooted in the truth of the story and that sensibility I greatly value. He collaborates with me not as a dry technician but rather a visceral artist. He always delivers several options that allow me to understand with greater clarity the meaning of my direction. Anytime I can work with him I am assured a shared vision with goals that are artistically realized. Glenn’s joy of his work is contagious and inspiring"
Craig Ricci Shaynack from I Am Google (http://www.i-am-google.com/):
"It is my pleasure to recommend Glenn Swan as a Sound Designer to anyone creating theatre, film, TV, music, iPhone apps, or any other endeavor which requires a cohesive soundtrack or effects. While he might refer to himself as a Sound Designer, his artistic and musical abilities reach far beyond that label. I like to refer to Glenn as a Sound Design Artist or Sound Design Musician. Having worked with Glenn in Chicago and Los Angeles on several projects, I can say emphatically that he always brings more to the table than you ever could have hoped for. His humility and expertise makes him the perfect addition to any design team of any experience level.
Before I worked with Glenn, what I most enjoyed about his work was that it was vastly different from project to project, but always fit so well with the overall production design. I saw a production of "Henry IV, Part I" in Chicago and the sound was so thoughtful and appropriate that it took me back in time even before I saw the set! Other projects such as "Alabama Rain" and "Iron Mistress" had very different sound requirements, yet the sound affected me in much the same way. The sound did not get in the way of the piece, it elevated it. The name in the program was always the same; Glenn Swan.
When I finally got to work with Glenn, I discovered why his sound always complimented the visual and emotional aspects of the productions; He contributes so much to the overall production design that the sound has no choice but to fall into place and be at one with the other aspects of the design. Glenn's sound is deliberate and by design, but not merely the work of a technician following orders.
I have worked with Glenn on "Eight Reindeer Monologues", "The Daily Grind", "Sleeping Brilliance", among other projects and have always recommended him to others based on his success. May you be so lucky to have him on your team."
A review from the archives:
IRONmistress
Halcyone Productions at Heartland Studio Theatre
Review by Maura Troester
It's one of those things you don't even know is missing until you find it. But when you do, you let out a prayer of thanks. "Yes!" you want to exclaim. "This is what's needed." I walked into the Heartland Studio Theatre to see Halycone Productions' Ironmistress, sat down, and looked around. And there it was. That missing thing. It oozed out of Cheryl Anne Levin's gorgeous set, Glenn Swan's haunting sound design, even the program. Integrity. Theatrical integrity.
*
Highlights of past work:
Halcyone Productions at Heartland Studio Theatre
Review by Maura Troester
It's one of those things you don't even know is missing until you find it. But when you do, you let out a prayer of thanks. "Yes!" you want to exclaim. "This is what's needed." I walked into the Heartland Studio Theatre to see Halycone Productions' Ironmistress, sat down, and looked around. And there it was. That missing thing. It oozed out of Cheryl Anne Levin's gorgeous set, Glenn Swan's haunting sound design, even the program. Integrity. Theatrical integrity.
I wanted to go backstage immediately after the performance and thank the whole lot of them. Here was a new theater company that obviously cared about its audience: a novel concept. I had honestly become so accustomed to companies that care only about their own "vital messages" that I'd forgotten that my pleasure as an audience member was important.
This production is definitely pleasurable, in part because it's honest. I'm not even that keen on the Ironmistress script, and this still qualifies as the most satisfying theater experience of 1994 for me. Ironmistress, a rather odd one-act, offers an impressionistic portrait of a real figure from the 19th century. Martha Darby is a middle-aged, upper-class British woman who owns and operates a steel mill circa 1840. Given her position, she and her daughter Little Cog are removed from the mainstream of English society: their passions are ignited more by red-hot steel than by needlepoint. They also share bravado, a lust for power, and vibrant imaginations, as we see when the two of them amuse themselves throughout a single night with games and stories. But their imaginations and memories often enflame their emotions, which flare up only to be cooled by a sobering dose of reality, the shadowy frame around this action established by British playwright April De Angelis. The sobering reality is that Little Cog is to be married the next day to a wealthy man, and she is ill equipped to live in his world. She would rather study mathematics, make machines, and run the furnaces--but she can't.
Her situation could easily be interpreted as tragic, but director Christine Hartman simply presents the story as straightforwardly as possible and lets the audience come to their own conclusions: her quest for honesty is at the heart of this production's integrity. Halcyone Productions makes no bones about being a feminist theater group, but unlike many politically motivated ensembles, this one graciously refrains from telling us what to think. Instead, they go all out to give us something to think about.
Every element of this production is calculated to make Martha and Little Cog's world a real place. Lou Bird's costumes firmly ground the fantastical action in 19th-century England, and dramaturge Julie Massey's time line in the program places 19th-century England in the context of the rest of the world. Levin's set captures the allure and power of Britain's burgeoning industrial revolution, while hinting at the verdant countryside that seems about to be wasted. And Christy Jones's effective lighting subtly changes to underline the lurid side of Martha and Little Cog's memories and fantasies, their raw energy.
This play does have some flaws. De Angelis's ending is rather weak, and Hartman has done little to strengthen it. But Jennifer Yeo as Martha and Tina Fey as Little Cog are both captivatingly honest. They're not icons or heroines. They're real women, flesh and blood, and interesting as hell to watch.
*
Highlights of past work:
FLORIDA
BLUE: A Rhapsody in Blubber - TheatreLAB (with Lynn McNutt & Erika Batdorf)
The Birds - Irish Repertory Theatre (Dir. Alejandra Guiterez)
Nosferatu - Silent Nights
(Music supervision & foley for orig. 1922 silent film at AllSaints Cinema. Includes Promotion, Graphic Design, Marketing and Advertising)
Elemental Iceland - Museum of Fine Art at FSU (guest lecture and sound installation)
Bug - Tallahassee Little Theatre (Dir. Chip Chalmers)
Waging Peace - Burlap Productions
(audio collage, music supervision, field recording & collaboration w/multiple art galleries for city-wide festival).
The Boys Next Door - Tallahassee Theatre (Dir. Chuck Olson)
NYC
Cherry Picking Festival 2018
Bathroom Bolero – The LAB Theatre at The Public (with Scott Hudson)
TNT: 3 One-Woman Plays – Wickshaw Productions
Avoiding Malka – The LAB Theatre at The Public (with Scott Hudson)
The Life and Death of Pier Paolo Pasolini - Act French Festival @ Abingdon Theatre
Bits & Pieces (An evening of one-acts) - The Drama Center
The Prophet of Borough Park - The Drama Center
CHICAGO
WAR OF THE WORLDS Live Anniversary Broadcast - Museum of Broadcasting
IRONMistress - Halcyone Productions (with Tina Fey)
Alabama Rain - Halcyone Productions (with Tina Fey)
Hamlet - Folio Theatre
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Folio Theatre
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Folio Theatre
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues - Dolphinback Theater
Midsummer Nights’ Dream - Folio Theatre
Henry IV, part I - Folio Theatre
LOS ANGELES
Bullpen - Tamarind Theatre (FSU Alumni)
Wait Until Dark - Actors Co-op
Wait Until Dark - Actors Co-op
Only You - Buzzworks Theatre (dir. Melissa Denton)
L.A. Phant (Film) – Music Supervisor
