Sound driven by a desire to learn.
Proficient in QLab, able to board-op, lover of foley composition, and creator of original scoring. Well versed in other theatrical arts and their interplay with sound. Constantly learning and quick to do so. Dedicated to lush sonic environments backed by research. One lark song per show, and it’s always geographically accurate.
Credits
The Dead Guy — Sound Designer, Rainy Day Artistic Collective, (dir. Jack Seamus), 2026
Frankenstein — Sound Designer, Board Operator University of Washington Undergraduate Theatre Society, (dir. Ryan St. Martin), 2025
The Importance of Being Earnest — Sound Designer, Board Operator, University of Washington Undergraduate Theatre Society, (dir. Connor Zamora), 2025
Proof — Sound Designer, Composer University of Washington Undergraduate Theatre Society, (dir. Alice Watson), 2025
Blithe Spirit — Sound Designer, University of Washington Undergraduate Theatre Society, (dir. Ty Kemple), 2025
Artist’s Statement
It was sort of natural that I would end up loving sound design. I’m fascinated by noise. This makes sense, considering I’m a singer, a semi-retired indie podcaster, an avid birder, and all-around curious guy.
I first started sound designing as a last minute favor for a dear friend. The designer for the production of Blithe Spirit he was directing dropped last minute with no materials for him to work off of. His visions for the sonic landscape of the show were expansive and tech week was right around the corner. In seeing his panic and recognizing my interest, I offered to step up, despite the fact that I was about to go into my own tech week for a show I was leading. The following week was a blur of frantically learning the basics of QLab, researching and tracking down appropriate files to create the diegetic background noises of a bustling and music-filled home, concocting my own creations in GarageBand to fill in specificities, and programming like my life depended on it.
To say it was a crash course would be an understatement. I went from vague interest to helping bring a haunting to life in a matter of days and have been hooked ever since. From there, I applied to design both spring shows the University of Washington Undergraduate Theatre Society was staging, and secured both roles, as well as my place in the company of theatre designers.
Each time I’ve had the privilege to design, I’ve learned more about the craft, my abilities, and my fellow artists. From Proof, I continued my career of composition (linked here) and learned how to specifically produce musical pieces for live theatre. From Earnest, I learned how to operate a board in the University of Washington’s historical Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre. From the combination of the two, I learned how to balance working on multiple shows at once whilst also graduating college. Frankenstein was a return to my alma mater and a chance to work on my first show that departed from naturalism, as well as my first post-college show that taught me the hardships of balancing a 9-5 with a triple-digit QLab cue sheet. My most recent credit with The Dead Guy taught me hard skills like programming spreadsheet creation right along with the soft skills of continued communication in a professional setting.
Everything I’ve learned about sound design, I’ve learned by doing. My experience has all come from trying, changing tactics where I need to, and being incredibly communicative with the production teams of each show I’ve worked on. My practical education has been incredibly rewarding, even and especially when it’s been challenging. I’ve thrived both in doing my work separate from the whole as I search and create and within it as tech weeks demand flexibility, changes on the fly, and collaboration unlike any other.
My psychology background from my undergraduate degree has imbued me with a dedication to research that keeps my work grounded in a cohesive language, except, of course, when I choose to leave it all behind for the sake of story. Diegetic sound in particular has been a cornerstone of my work. I love creating worlds where the noise reflects our own, especially because it gives more of a contrast when I decide to change the language. I find it fascinating to document the mundanity of everyday life in theatre just as much as the fantastical.
I’ve also found that my curiosity about noise lives near to my curiosity about people and how they interact and perceive the world around them. This too ends up as a desire to play with the audience’s auditory processes, such as in Frankenstein when I built near-constant background noise into each and every scene so when it cut out in the murder of Elizabeth, the silence was deafening as they sat with the horror of the scene.
My goals for the future are fairly straightforward. I want to continue to learn from and with the incredible artists this city boasts. I want to gain a stronger understanding of audio systems and other programming platforms. I want to continue to do this for as long as I can in physical spaces whilst still quietly and slowly working on the side for music and audio dramas. I’m keenly interested in branching out from the types of stories I’ve been telling thus far. I’d also be quite pleased to get to work on a musical.
I recognize that I am a newer member of the industry, and therefore something of an unknown. I also recognize that the love I hold for this art form is begging for more chances to be expressed. Thank you for your consideration for a chance to get to do so. I hope to make your stages sing.
Portfolio
It’s hard to show off my work, considering the only videos I have are from a booth and balanced terribly in the audio department. Which is important considering that’s the whole point. Until the beautiful day that ushers in professional-quality recordings of my work, please enjoy the few videos that I’ve been able to scrounge.
The Finale of Blithe Spirit – Bringing the house down, literally.
Jack Worthing’s Handbag Debacle – The director asked for Looney Tunes style silliness and I delivered this beautiful break in the otherwise naturalistic language of the show.
A Post Apocalypse – Designed for a lighting class assignment where we were working off of a poem about a man moving through a wasteland. I had a lot of fun playing with pitch with this one and working on the fly to design this in about 45 minutes.
Proof Original Score – As written for the production I sound designed. I wanted simple, yet meaningful motifs for the characters to be able to repeat throughout the show. It was also an exercise in learning how to play and compose on the piano.
Lark Peterson 