News & Press
King Lear, Best Live Theater, Riverfront Times!
October 12, 2021
Honored to have worked on one of the first live theater productions in USA, since lockdown 2020: King Lear at St Louis Shakespeare Festival. We were named best Live Theater for 2021 in St Louis! https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/best-live-theater-of-the-past-year/BestOf?oid=36406849
Director Carl Cofield set Lear in the future, in a new African country, with an all BIPOC cast. I produced music featuring West African style drummer Atum Jones to create the heavy, slamming, futuristic African soundtrack, and sound design.
It featured legendary actors Andre De Shields, Allen Gilmore, and Brian Anthony Wilson.
Set design and photos by Wilson Chin
Lights by John Wylie
Costumes by Mika Eubanks
The show ran June 2 to 27 in Forest Park. Info at https://stlshakes.org/production/king-lear/
Beyond the Lights Interview
MaryBeth Smith at Beyond the Light Podcast interviewed me for an in depth feature on my work. We talked about music and sound design inequity in the theatre, King Lear at St Louis Shakespeare Festival, Play On Podcast and Next Chapter Podcast production of Macbeth, Quixote Nuevo, paranormal activity, Men of Rabinal, Transient, and the official news of my SF Arts Commission grant award!
Hear it at https://beyondthelights.buzzsprout.com/1265591/8735191
Quixote Nuevo at Round House Theatre was a hit!
Quixote Nuevo got rave reviews in the following newspapers:
https://www.metroweekly.com/2021/09/stage-review-quixote-nuevo-at-round-house/
Next Chapter Podcast Interview
Taylor Bailey interviewed me on my work and process on Next Chapter Podcasts and Play On Podcasts production of Macbeth, adapted by Migdalia Cruz. The series made the top 10 in Apple performing Arts podcasts, and was featured in Entertainment Weekly
https://audioboom.com/posts/7878531-bonus-interview-with-macbeth-sound-designer-david-molina
The Play On Podcast Series and Next Chapter Podcasts present:
Macbeth: translated and adapted by Migdalia Cruz
Hear it in episode segments, or as a full audioplay: Play On Podcasts | Podcast on Spotify
More info on creative team and cast at: https://ncpodcasts.com/playonpodcast
Directed by Eddie Torres
Music, Sound Design, Dialogue clean up, and Final mix: David R. Molina
Featuring the award winning BIPOC Cast: Armando Riesco, Zabryna Guevara, Chinaza Uche, Jordan Barbour, Daniel Jose Molina, Bernard White, Annie Henk, Barzin Akhavan, Flor De Liz Perez
With Miss Peppermint, Monet X-Change, and Manila Luzon as the witches.
Bagpipes performed by David Watson (who has worked with John Zorn, Andrea Parkins, Lee Ranaldo, and more)
Macbeth made the top 10 in Apple’s performing arts podcasts, and was featured in Entertainment Weekly.
Make Noise Myanmar, Vol 2
Available at MAKE NOISE MYANMAR 2 | Various Artists
I appear as “Transient” on this diverse experimental compilation album, featuring 77 artists! It supports the grass roots efforts resisting the military coup in Myanmar. All funds generated from sales go directly to the resistance movement, many who are detained, tortured, or in hiding from the facist regime. The album is curated by Seah and Mykel Boyd.
Seah’s connection to Myanmar runs deep through her experiences with performance artists there, which at one point led to her arrest, detainment, and deportation from the country. Her friends have gone missing, or have been killed.
“The situation of this country has been something most of us in “the West'' cannot imagine. Since February 2021, the violence of the military has escalated - more than 700 people have been killed (that we know of).” Seah.
Some of my longtime favorite artists on the album are: Muslimgauze, Sigillum S, Tiros Won, Norman Westberg (Swans), Hans-Joachim Roedelius, die Angel, SchneiderTM, Savage Republic, Malocculsion.
Lost American Dream, funded by the:
Blessed to receive full funding from The San Francisco Arts Commision to produce new compositions and a concert to premiere 11/18 and 11/19, 2022. Venue TBA.
“Lost American Dream” addresses ICE raids, deportation, the cruel act of separating Latina/o/x immigrant families, and the abuses they face in detention at U.S. concentration camps. I will be working with immigrant communities, activists, and NGOs to collect testimonies of their struggles and perseverance. These stories will be the foundation of the composition of “Lost American Dream.” Personal recorded voices will be woven and sampled into the score, providing the driving narrative of the piece. The result will be a cinematic soundscape, similar to an audio documentary or experimental radio play. The piece will blend the genres of experimental, ambient, sound art, jazz, and improvised “new” music. “Lost American Dream” is a protest against this violence. The project will bridge music with social justice and draw attention to the plight of the Latino immigrant. This production will invite listeners to internalize the hope and heartache of the immigrant’s story. I am blessed to have NYC based musicians Jaimeo Brown (Percussion) and Darren Johnston (trumpet) as my collaborating musicians.
King Lear, at St Louis Shakespeare Festival
Info at www.stlshakes.org
Honored to have worked on one of the first live theater productions in the USA, since lockdown 2020. The production features an all BIPOC cast, director, and artistic design team of King Lear, on a large stage. Playing Lear is legendary Tony, Emmy, and Grammy award winner Andre De Shields.
Director Carl Cofield set Lear in the future, in a new African country, with an all BIPOC cast. I produced a music score featuring West African style drummer Atum Jones to create the heavy, slamming, futuristic African soundtrack.
Check out the great reviews:
https://commonreader.wustl.edu/with-king-lear-we-are-gods-spies/
Opening night photos https://www.broadwayworld.com/st-louis/article/Photo-Flash-Go-Inside-Opening-Night-of-St-Louis-Shakespeare-Festivals-KING-LEAR-With-Andr-De-Shields-More-20210607
https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/reviews/st-louis-shakespeare-festival-s-king-lear-is-engaging-and-urgent/article_9d1ca9a6-6e58-53cd-aa03-b938fa54ff75.html
NY TIMES! https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/theater/andre-de-shields-king-lear-hadestown.html
MOJADA: A MEDEA IN LOS ANGELES included in California Ethnic Studies curriculum for K-12 students!
The California State Board of Education approved an Ethnic Studies curriculum for the millions of K-12 students in the State who will be required to study the histories, struggles and contributions of four core populations (Asian, Black, Latino & Native American) as well as focused lessons on Jewish, Armenian and Sikh communities. This historic legislation makes an Ethnic Studies course a requirement of graduation from any High School in the entire State of California.
Of the 43 Lesson Plans only one uses a theatrical play for its entire lesson plan…Mojada, a production I had the honor or working on over the past few years.
LESSON 13: U.S. UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO AND BEYOND: MOJADA: A MEDEA IN LOS ANGELES
THEME: SYSTEMS OF POWER, DISCIPLINARY AREA: CHICANA/O/X AND LATINA/O/X STUDIES
We are in the history books!
Stasis Festival Mixtape
Honored to have performed at Stasis festival in December, 2018. Here is a massive mix of all the artists who participated in the 3 day festival. I was blown away to have on of my tracks start the entire playlist! It was from the soundtrack I did to Alien, a dance production collaboration by Tim Rubel Human Shakes (SF) and Anime Motus (Berlin)