By Charles Dickens. Co-adapted by Leora Morris and Ben Coleman. Directed by Leora Morris. Sound Design by Ben Coleman.

Charles Dickens’ famed novella was adapted in a new Covid 19-proof format for the Alliance Theatre, and took place in the midst of the global pandemic, December 2020, in the parking lot of a baseball stadium in the center of Atlanta, Georgia. This live production was one of only six in the United States approved by the Actor’s Equity union during the 2020 pandemic! We rehearsed on Zoom, we built a stage from shipping containers, we socially distanced, we got Covid tested every 2 days (owch!).

The particular challenges and restrictions of the pandemic also gave us license to experiment- this participatory reimagining of the story took place in a hybrid format: part drive-in, part radio drama, part story time, part-y time.

As sound designer and co-adaptor this was a remarkable opportunity to rediscover a familiar, beloved text with fresh ears. Dickens’ writing resounds with rich audio poetry, and via our talented cast, an entire sound world was laid out for the listeners within their vehicles, in glorious FM stereo. The intimacy generated by the human voice reached across the necessary distance imposed by the pandemic. We also threw a 60 second dance party, ATL-style.

Each night, our amazing sound effects artist and storyteller-in-sound Stuart Gerber fulfilled 225 individual sound cues, using 98 different props/tools. It was also my honor to benefit from the skill and wisdom of Vanessa Ament, veteran foley artist and author of The Foley Grail, who gave me valuable insight into the varied techniques of foley artists in cinema and the live sound effects of theatre and radio drama.

Here’s a small taste of the sonic journey we took with our audiences each performance:

Stream an archived performance, view the program and other information at the Alliance Theatre Website.