Q&A with Student Sound Designer for the Dean College Production of Catch Me If You Can

We met up with Pat B., current arts and entertainment management major and sound designer of the performance of Catch Me If You Can to get the inside scoop on the stage production. Read on to learn more!

Describe your roll as a crew member in the production

I am the sound designer for our production of Catch Me If You Can. My role is to oversee the sound crew to make sure that things are running smoothly. Along with my two board operators, I help mix vocal microphones on stage. I also recorded and edited all the sound cues throughout the show. Lastly, I work with the band to make sure that their levels are okay and that they can hear what they need to hear in their monitors. With this being my last musical here at Dean, I am taking time to teach my crew everything that goes in to sound design so that they can continue to run sound for the upcoming years.

How does your role in this production tie into your studies as an arts & entertainment management major?

Being the sound designer, I have to take a bit of a leadership role and make sure that my crews’ tasks are getting done to the best of our abilities. Through my studies as an AMGT major I have taken many classes on leadership in the arts and how to be a successful leader. I often find myself taking what I have learned from those classes and applying it to my role in this show.

How many productions have you been apart of at Dean?

I have worked as the sound designer for the past 5 musicals at Dean and have also worked and played in many of the dance shows as well.

Why did you want to be involved in this production?

I wanted to be involved in Catch Me If You Can because it is a musical that I have never seen before but have heard great things about. I also just genuinely love working sound for the musicals here and it is very exciting work. There is always more to be learned when working sound on a musical so I was eager to get started and see where this show would bring me.

What is the last thing that you & the crew/cast do before the curtain goes up?

The last thing that my crew and I do before the curtain goes up is make sure that we are getting signal from all our microphones. I always like to give a little pump up talk and make sure that everyone is comfortable and good to go for the run.

Why should people come see this show?

People should come see this show because the music is incredible. It’s less of that classic musical vibe, and more of a big band sound which is something very unique. The actors have worked extremely hard and put on a stunning performance.