Mike Cooprider Sound
Selected Works
Pictured above is the multitrack file of the Parade effect used in The Underpants.
WARNING GUN SHOT EFFECTS USED
That's Life was a movement piece created in response to gun violence and mass shootings. The creator of the piece, Isabelle Nelson, asked that the famous Frank Sinatra song be used, and as the song progressed, the sound of gunshots became more present. This effect was then followed by the reading of gun violence statistics and a call for an end to gun violence.
This creepy effect was used as a transition track into a play about destigmatizing period blood. Using a cello solo to underscore the effect, I added in some witchy laughter and combined it with the sounds of forest creatures at night. Lastly I put in som wolf and dog howls to creep it up a little more.
During my time at Emporia State University, I had the opportunity to sound design The Underpants, a 1910 German farce. follows a man, Theo, and his wife, Louise, dealing with the aftermath of Louise exposing her underpants while trying to get a better view of the king during a parade. I designed a parade effect to play after the preshow announcement during the blackout. I researched and found an old German march song that would be played during parades, I then layered in a crowd cheering effect. Lastly to introduce the setting of 1910, I used the sounds of horse and carriages on a stone street that plays under the rest of the effect.
At Emporia State University, I served as the sound designer for the Pantomime and Non-Traditional Theatre Society (P.A.N.T.S.). P.A.N.T.S. was a student run theater troupe that wrote, directed, and performed 30 original plays in 60 minutes every semester. During my two year reign of being the sound designer, I had the opportunity to create several amazing and fun effects. Here are some of my favorites.
M&M Fantasia was a goodbye piece created by myself and the P.A.N.T.S. lighting designer Mason Nicks. This was our last semester of school and we wanted to create a movement piece that symbolized our departure. underscored by a beautiful Tchaikovsky piece, I added in effects that our movements were timed to. I took a very nautical approach to this, the idea of setting sail for distant shores seemed a fitting metaphor for leaving Emporia Kansas to start our theater careers.