Howard Lang's Theatre Page |
Phone: (707) 443-8201 Email: Go to Contact Page
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Theatre: Howard has been involved in theatre from an early age, and is not related to Howard Lang the British actor (1911 - 1989). Radio: While attending school at the Broadcasting Department at Los Angeles City College, Howard improved existing skills he learned in high school and learned new ones. During those years, Howard worked on the air briefly in radio broadcasting. Howard's career path did not continue in radio broadcasting, and now he practices his radio production skills by doing occasional radio production spots to promote local live theatre shows for which is doing the sound design. Improv: In addition to the scripted plays on the left, Howard has done improvisational theatre with Humboldt Redwood TheatreSports™ and Redwood Area Theatresports™. Music: Howard has played guitar, bass, mandolin and some keyboard, solo, and in numerous bands over the years, and has done accompaniment and pre-show music for Rewood Area Theatresports™. Television: Howard has done television production and television studio audio and video engineering as well as documentary soundtrack creation using actual and virtual instruments. Film/Video: Howard has done sound design and original music for film and video as well as some technical work for film and video projects. Sound: Howard has played with sound since childhood, when his dad brought home a tape recorder that Howard used to record anything and everything. In high school, Howard produced radio-style spots on tape at home for upcoming school events and dances. These were played during morning announcements in lieu of someone reading the the event's announcement. Starting in high school, Howard began running sound boards and making live recordings of musicians and bands.
Sound design for live theatre stage productions: For live theatre, anything that comes out of speakers is the purveyance of the sound designer, whose work starts with the first reading/marking of the script. The finished cues are given to the board operator on tech day, along with with a track list and specific page and line instructions. During the last week before opening night, adjustments are made and any replacement cues are loaded in. Once the curtain comes up on opening night, all designers' and directors' work is done. If the sound designer has done more than preshow intermission and post show music, attendance at all rehearsals is needed. At rehearsals, the sound designer marks the sound design script and, if timed cues are reqired, uses a stopwatch to fine-tune the timing of cues, and updates are made to the cue list for the sound board operator. Sound design for video and film: For video and film, the sound designer's attendance at rehearsals is sometimes needed just like for stage productions. When done, the finished cues are given to the editor with a track list and specific page and line instructions. The sound designer works back and forth with the film director and editor until the editing is finished. If you are interested in sound design or original music for community theatre or need help or advice, feel free to contact Howard. He has years of experience in both, and would like to pass his knowledge on to you. If you are doing one of the productions below, there may be audio tracks available (why re-invent the wheel?). Here are some of Howard's Sound Design and/or Original Music credits, newest to oldest: It's a Wonderful Life a Live Radio Play by Joe Landry, North Coast Repertory Theatre, November 2023. Sound Design and Foley* Design. In addition to Preshow and Post show music, some background music and scene transition music was used. Also, since this is a live radio play, Foley instruments (sound effects devices operated live on stage) needed to be found or constructed. Although the play had been produced at various other local theatres, the only Foley devices that were available to borrow were the wind machine and the thunder sheet. The rest needed to be found elsewhere or constructed. Among those constructed was the "Foley door", a small (12x12 inch) door on a frame, that can be opened and closed to create the sound of a door opening and closing for the radio audience, and the electronic circuit for making a practical telephone ring on stage. *Foley is named for Jack Foley (1891-1967), developer of the craft, who did sound effects for film production when sound was first added to motion pictures in the 1920s. For the purists: Although the term "Foley" refers to post production sound for film, the term in the period of the play (1940s) would not have been used. Instead, Old Time Radio simply called it "sound effects". Although the term does not appear in the script as a spoken word, the term "Foley", is used in the production notes in the script, which was written in the late 20th century. Bull in a China Shop, Redwood Curtain Theatre, February 2023. Preshow Intermission and Post show music. And during the show, no sound effects, only music, including a flashback sequence timed with projected slides. Spider's Web, North Coast Rrepertory Theatre, September 2019 - In addition to preshow, intermission, postshow music, Howard provided several sound effects for this Agatha Christie murder mystery set in the present time in England. 10th Muse, NCRT, March 2018, In addition to Preshow, Intermission, and Post-Show music, and numerous sound effeccts, and selections of guitar music by Jeffrey Smoller, Howard provided musical backing tracks for the chorus of Nuns & Novitates to sing Ave Maria. This Tanya Saracho historical drama is set in 19th century Mexico. Always A Bridesmaid, NCRT, August, 2015 - In addition to preshow, intermission, and postshow music, Howard included a number of sound effects cues to bring more realism to the production. This fast-paced comedy/farce had an all-female cast, with Howard, the only male on the crew, doing sound design. Spamalot!, FRT, January 2014 - For this show, over 70 sound cues were created, most of which were sound effects. Many of these sounds would, in a production with a large budget, be delivered to the audience through the use of set, prop, and body worn microphones. This production only had a few headworn wireless mics, therefore, individual sword strikes, etc. were created, then cued to run from the live sound board, where exact timing could be assured. Howard also did the 30-sec. radio spot for this show. The Carol Escobar Show, Cable Access Channel 12, Eureka Ca, monthly, 2011 to 2015 - Original theme music and sound tracks, technical assistance, studio sound engineering for some shows featuring bands or musicians. Howard also did various radio spots for the show. The series is available to watch online at Access Humboldt and at Archive dot org. Grave Matters and Untimely Departures, Cable Access Channel 12, Eureka Ca, 2011 (of the 2010 event), 2012 (of the 2011 event), 2013 (of the 2012 event), Fortuna Sunrise Cemetery - Original background and theme music, some audio background noise management and other technical things. These one-hour films are available for viewing online. Do a search for the title: "Access Humboldt" "Grave Matters and Untimely Departures" (in some places incorrectly worded as ...and Untimely "Deaths"). Access Humboldt has partnered with Internet Archive to host past productions. Look for search results from archive.org or accesshumboldt.net. The Kitchen Witches by Caroline Smith, NCRT, July 2011 - Sound Design/Original Music. For Kitchen Witches this consisted of a live microphone on stage and music tracks played from the booth throughout. These tracks included a Kitchen Witches Jingle, for which the lyrics were provided by the playwright in the script, but the melody and accompaniment music had to be written and produced for the show. To compose the jingle, Howard used a combination of keyboard and computer-generated virtual instruments for variations on a simple 12-note theme he wrote for the Jingle, with the tune sung for the recording by a local vocalist. In addition to that jingle, Howard made over 20 sound cues consisting of original music, including scene change sequences exactly timed to the second. The Love List by Norm Foster, NCRT, July 2009. Scene changes were punctuated by appropriate popular music snippets of a "love" or "witchy" theme. The director did her signature intermission skit (accompanied by music). Scene change workers dressed in costume to do the work of the woman and the gypsy, as they re-dressed the set from drab to colorful, with music to match. Dancers by Michael Grady, NCRT, 2005. For this show, Howard used tracks from soap operas and game shows. The set featured a television, placed downstage, facing upstage. Inside the empty TV cabinet the lighting designer placed a blue bulb that would read for the audience as the TV picture changed. Light and sound cues were coordinated for that.
Redwood Curtain Theatre - (formerly at) 220 1st St. Eureka, Ca (has moved to a new location for 2024). North Coast Repertory Theatre - 300 5th Street, Eureka, Ca - sharing space with Redwood Curtain, under the name Fifth Street Theater. Humboldt Light Opera Company - Musical Theatre Company, Humboldt County, Ca Ferndale Repertory Theatre - 447 Main Street, Ferndale, Ca Access Humboldt - provider of cable access television in Humboldt County Ca. Howard Lang at HumboldtMusic.com - one of Howard's music pages. The humboldtmusic.com website may not be working. You may be able to view a snapshot of the site on Archive.org by using the Wayback Machine. Where is Eureka? Visitors to this website come from all over, so it might help to know where we are. Eureka is located in the middle of Humboldt County, California. Humboldt County is in Northern California, on the coast, about 80 miles south of the Oregon border. |
Howard's Theatre Page |