Conversations with Sound Designers

Deanna H. Choi is a sound designer and composer recently relocated to London from Toronto, Canada. Her background is as a classical violinist and neuroscience researcher, and she currently works in theatre, film, dance, and installation. She has collaborated on over 150 productions across 2 continents with companies including Mirvish, the Stratford Festival, Ballet West, the Unicorn Theatre, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, RADA, Van Gogh Immersive, CBC, Universal Studios, and many others. As an associate and assistant designer she has worked on productions at the National Theatre, Jamie Lloyd Company, Punchdrunk, and Wessex Grove. She highlights strings and vocals in her work, and thrives by playing, recording, and manipulating live instruments in a world saturated by digital creation. She co-created and performed an award-winning cabaret show about Asian fetishism called Love You Wrong Time, now published by Playwrights Canada Press. And yes, she may have been named after a Star Trek character.

Dan Balfour is an Olivier Award Nominated Sound Designer, whose work explores the intersection of storytelling and form. His practice investigates how aural design, technical craft, and composition converge to shape and heighten an audience’s theatrical experience. Theatre Includes: Winter’s Tale (RSC); Vanya (West End, Lucille Lortel NYC); Dear England (National, West End, Tour); The Maids, The Cherry Orchard (Donmar, St Anne’s Warehouse NYC); More Life (Royal Court); Miss Myrtles Garden (Bush Theatre); Stranger Beasts, I Am Kevin (Wildworks); My English Persian Kitchen (Soho); Make Good, One Of Them Ones, IDYLL (Pentabus); Mrs Caliban (Theatre Technic); Wuthering Heights (Royal & Derngate/ Tour); Les Dawson Flying High (National Tour); Dear Annie I Hate You, How To Break Out of a Detention Centre (Riverside Studios); Private Peaceful, LAVA (Nottingham Playhouse/ Tour); Two Character Play, Wilderness (Hampstead); The Hatchling (Trigger Productions); hang (Sheffield Crucible); Counting Sheep (Belarus Free Theatre); Sugar Syndrome, The Misfortune Of The English (Orange Tree); Operation Mincemeat (Splitlip); Effigies of Wickedness (Gate); The Double Act, Great Apes, Sputnik Sweetheart, I Call My Brothers, Dance Of Death (Arcola).

Niamh is a Theatre Sound Designer for Autograph Sound. Born and raised in Ireland, 
 
After studying Theatre Performance & Production, focusing on Dance & Musical Theatre, Niamh decided her passion lay in production and moved to London in 2017 to study BA (Hons) Production and Technical Arts at LAMDA.
 
Niamh worked as Associate for Autograph Sound Designers Nick Lidster, Ian Dickinson & Luke Swaffield for such productions as Cabaret (Westend & Broadway), Secret Cinema’s ‘Bridgerton’ & ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Fiddler on The Roof (Barbican). Working a mixture of theatre genres such as Musicals, Plays and Immersive. 
 
Aswell as creating her own journey as a Sound Designer, she has worked on productions such  as These Demons (Theatre 503), Fair Maid of The West (RSC) and A Child of Science (Bristol Old Vic), with works as a co-designer along with Ian Dickinson for ‘Waiting for Godot’ (Haymarket, London) and Terry Jardine for ‘The Producers’ (Meiner Chocolate Factory, London).

Jonathan Deans is an English sound designer with a wealth of experience whose career has been in the UK and USA.

He is a five-time Tony award nominee, winning in 2025 for Buena Vista Social Club,and has won countless other awards.

His work spans musical productions on Broadway, West End and worldwide, as well as plays and spectacles, including 16 productions for Cirque de Sole.

His recent musicals include: Redwood, Buena Vista Social Club, and Hippist Trip the Soul train musical.

His ability to create immersive soundscapes has earned him a reputation as one of the leading sound designers in the entertainment industry.

He's known for his attention to detail and ability to seamlessly integrate sound into the production's overall concept, elevating the music and audience's experience.

Jonathan has taught and created graduate and undergraduate theater sound design courses at UCLA, UNLV and UCSD and has given lectures at many conventions.

In addition to being a freelance sound designer, he's recently started working with Meyer sound to develop future software for the sound industry.

Gareth Owen is one of the worlds leading Sound Designers, with a prolific career spanning over 25yrs. His work can be found all over the world including Broadway, Las Vegas and London's West End. He's designed over 250 productions, with over 50 million people enjoying his sound designs worldwide. Gareth is the proud recipient of a Tony Award for MJ the Musical, and Olivier Awards for Come from Away, Memphis and Merrily We Roll Along.