Edison Schuko
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Edison Schuko *
Starting in 2026 I’ve been cataloging and releasing selections of music I’ve written for theater. I’ve decided to release this under the name, Edison Schuko. The name is referencing a type of American-to-European power adapter I desperately needed on my first international job. I plan to continue releasing the music I make for theater with my first release, Ian’s Music for Theater, serving as a collection of musical themes, textures, and transitions from my first five years as a designer.
Around The World in 80 Toys
Sound Designer, Video Designer, Composer
Thaddeus Phillips as Georges Méliès (behind the globe) in Around The World in 80 Toys
This was my first opportunity to collaborate with Thaddeus Phillips as a designer and composer. The Piece tells the story of innovative filmmaker, Georges Méliès, selling toys near the end of his life in a Paris train station. Georges uses the toys in the stand to act out and film the plot of Around the World in 80 Days. To tell the story of a filmmaker, it was imperative that we incorporated cinematic language into the piece. Using small webcams hidden in a miniature toy store set (pictured above) that also doubled as Georges’s desk, we were able to frame scenes between the miniatures and a life-sized Thaddeus interacting with them.
In the clip below, moon light is cast onto Georges’s empty toy store after he faces eviction. The clip is an example of our use of live cameras, archival footage, and scale in this project.
CODE RED
Sound Designer
I had the opportunity to work with Emily Mann on the workshop of her new show, CODE RED. The show follows a group of Northeastern teachers grappling with the growing commonality of gun violence in American schools.
Being from the American Northeast, I wrote an ambient piece, I Used To Live Here, inspired by my home town in rural New England. This was intended to play as the audience entered the room to offer them a sense of setting, serenity, and to contrast with the abrupt and immense damage gun violence has on a community.
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Sound Designer, A1, AV supervisor
Roz White as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (photo by Chris Banks)
For Lady Day, we were tasked with turning a black box theater into a jazz club. Rather than a traditional theatrical piece with standard riser seating, our approach for Lady Day was that we were building an immersive experience without the separation between the cast and audience. The entire room was set up as a 1950s nightclub with table seating.
Given the very analog and natural vibe of the piece, the sound design was mostly based in realism. One opportunity we had to play with the surreal was the end of the show when Billie becomes too high to perform and we wanted to symbolically show her passing into the next life. Out of respect for the beauty of these very real and grounded instruments, I didn’t want to suddenly introduce a new and obviously synthetic element. My solution was to build a specific reverb and echo effect on the verge of feedback. Not so that it produced actual feedback, but created a harmonic drone reflecting what the musicians were playing. This echo would grow fuller and fill throughout the house as Billie exited the stage. This effect was actually inspired by my days as a guitarist trying to replicate the opening to the Velvet Underground’s song, Sweet Jane. A part of the reason why I like to also mix the shows I design is that it allows me to incorporate design elements that are tactile, require delicate balance, and to connect me to my love of tweaking with guitar pedals and synthesizers live.
Below you can view system documentation I generated prior to the installation of Lady Day.
Young John Lewis
Co. Sound Designer, A1, AV supervisor
The cast of Young John Lewis (Photo by Chris Banks)
The system I designed for Young John Lewis was built to accommodate the wide variety of musical genres and to deliver it at great volume. On top of that, the show featured an ensemble cast, a live band, tracks triggered and modulated by a DJ, and playback from front-of-house.
Below you can view system documentation I generated while working on Young John Lewis.
The Dragon King’s Daughter
Sound Designer
For The Dragon King’s Daughter, I was presented with a very sonically rich story featuring Dragons, Magic, and mythical creatures. The show takes place in ancient China where Kenny, a young boy from modern-day New York City, is transported back in time and must find his way back home.
The show presented opportunities for crafting unique sound effects that could blend with the world of the composer’s music.
Love & Depositions
Composer
Love & Depositions is a devised theatre project, art installation, and collaboration of all five UNCSA schools. I composed 66 minutes of music project including a 13 minute mini rock opera with lyrics written and performed by members of the cast. The piece is a collection Monologues with ambient underscoring and choreographed dances to glitching rhythmic noise. The Musical and full score are currently on my Soundcloud. Click the link above to listen.
Henry V
Sound Designer, Composer
I composed a score for, and Sound Designed this radio production of Henry V at UNCSA. During the production, I led a team of audio engineers that collaborated with the UNCSA School of Drama to produce a version of the classic show. Henry V was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.