The Awkward Years

Returning to The Other Room theatre at Porter’s, Cardiff, Tic is created sound design and music for Matthew Bulgo’s new work The Awkward Years. The one woman show was scored with environmental sound and EDM.

“Tic Ashfield’s electronic sound design, alternating between ambient underscore and aggressive dance beats, is darkly menacing throughout.” – British Theatre Guide on The Other Room’s production of ‘The Awkward Years’.

 

The Tide Whisperer

Alongside the creative team at John Hardy Music Tic is currently creating the sound and music for the National Theatre Wales production The Tide Whisperer written by Louise Wallwein for promenade performance in Tenby. More media coming soon!

 

Bottom

Tic is creating music and sound for Willy Hudson’s new play Bottom directed by Rachel Lemon. The work is being performed at:

Bottom at Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018.
Previews:
Bristol Old Vic: 21st July
https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/mini-series/ferment-fortnight-july-2018
Exeter Pheonix: 22nd July
https://exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/bottom/
The Bunker Theatre London: 28th July
https://bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/preview-bottom/book-now

As Long As The Heartbeats

Tic created the sound and music for National Theatre Wales’ show As Long As The Heartbeats. The show was performed at the Royal Gwent Hospital outpatients ward on the 21st and 22nd July 2018, the performance was a part of the NHS70 festival – celebrating 70 years of the NHS.

 

Deeds Not Words

During May  – June 2018 Tic worked alongside Opera Sonic and Welsh National Opera leading creative school workshops at John Frost School Newport. Here students created a musical performance to celebrate the 100 years since women got the vote and to celebrate the Suffragette movement. The work was performed at the Riverfront Theatre, Newport.

Please visit the Opera Sonic website for more information.

 

Lovesick

Tic created the music and sound design for The Other Room Theatre’s Spring Season at Porter’s, Cardiff.

The 2018 Spring Season opened with A NUMBER by Caryl Churchill.

 

 Hard Times

During Oct – Nov 2017 Tic created the music and sound design for Lighthouse Theatre’s production of ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens, adapted by Stephen Jeffreys.

The show opened at Pontardawe Arts Centre on the 9th November 2017 and toured Wales.

 

Moment(o)s 

Tic created the sound design for Elaine Paton’s presentation of Moment(o)s in June 2017. The show, focused around mental health awareness was performed at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

This piece was created for Elaine Paton’s presentation of ‘Momentos’ performed at Chapter Arts Centre June 2017.

The piece was created using out of tune piano samples recorded by the composer after she found an old, abandoned piano backstage at a theatre. These samples have been edited and arranged to create the distressed piano sound heard in the piece.

 

Romeo & Juliet

In February 2017 Tic created music and sound for Omidaze Productions on a presentation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. This has been her third time collaborating with the company and director Yvonne Murphy.

This piece was composed as a main theme for Omidaze Production’s presentation of Romeo and Juliet performed February 2017 at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

Found sounds were predominantly used to create the instrumentation using sounds found in a garage.

 

Moment(os) of Leaving

Created by Elaine Paton, ‘Moment(os) of Leaving’ was a site specific work which explored issues of mental health and marked the closing of Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff.

Tic worked closely with a team of dancers, actors and visual artists to create this promenade performance. The audience were taken through a series of ‘treatments’ during the show, which consisted of individual but thematically connected performances including solo and group movement pieces, monologues and video / design / archive installations. Each part of the production took place within a different part of the psychiatric wing, including the male and female wards.

To create the score, Tic predominately used found sounds from within the hospital itself as well as brass, woodwind and piano writing.

 

Henry VI

In 2016, Tic worked with Omidaze Productions once more to create the sound design and music for the all female Shakespeare production of ‘Henry VI’ at the Wales Millennium Centre.

Using the idea of leitmotif as inspiration, Tic created a series of textural pieces to underscore the drama based upon the characteristics of each of the leading characters. Sound was used as a key structural indicator throughout the performance, with sudden bursts of sound indicating the death of each character. Thunderous sounds of war were also used as a signifier for the many alarums within the play.

The performance was held within the dark roof void space in the Wales Millennium Centre with the audience moving around the space lead by the actors. The sound was dispersed throughout the space to help draw the audience through to the next location.

 

Saturday Night Forever

Alongside Benjamin Talbott, Tic composed the score for Roger Williams’ ‘Saturday Night Forever’ in 2015. The one man play tells the story of a man, living in Cardiff, who finds love and then tragically loses it because of hate crime.

Music and sound was used throughout the show to give the impression of clubs, bars and pubs as well as supporting the emotional journey of the story.

 

{150}

Created by National Theatre Wales and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru in 2015, Tic composed the score for ‘{150}’ alongside John Hardy.

 

Richard III

‘Richard III’ was an all female cast and crew Shakespeare production created by Yvonne Murphy and Omidaze Productions. Tic created the score for the production in 2015.

 

The Gathering

‘The Gathering’ was a sight specific theatre performance by National Theatre Wales and The Louise Ann Wilson Company which took place on a Snowdonian Hill Farm in 2014.

The soundscape below showcases the variety of sounds collected during the development of the show.

 

My People

Tic worked alongside fellow JHM composer Benjamin Talbott to create the score for Gwyn Emberton Dance’s ‘My People’.

 

Tir Sir Gar

Tic worked alongside Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to create the score for the promenade theatre piece ‘Tir Sir Gar’ in 2013.

Cold Rolling

‘Cold Rolling’ was a contemporary dance work created for the Adain Avion Cultural Olympiad in collaboration with Marc Rees, Tanja Raman, Ballet Cymru and John Hardy.