A SOUND STORY: Charlotte Native Steps into Unique Role at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Feb 17, 2020 / Blog
You won’t see Charlotte native Jason McGuire on stage when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to Belk Theater Feb 25 and 26 but you sure will hear his work.
The 2015 graduate of Central Academy of Technology & Arts (CATA) is the new audio engineer for this world-class dance company, known for celebrating the beauty and humanity of African American heritage and other cultures through modern dance. McGuire stepped into this role—officially known as Head Audio—this past December, just months after graduating with a degree in Sound Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
But his passion for sound started when he was growing up in Charlotte, performing in school and community theater productions as well as music and choral programs.
“I loved the idea of how music and sound can affect the mood of anything that’s happening,” says McGuire.
DISCOVERING A NEW PASSION OFF-STAGE
Not getting cast in the school show at CATA his junior year actually turned out to be a blessing: it set McGuire on a path to discover a new career trajectory. Still wanting to be involved, he volunteered to focus on the production’s sound design.
That play, THE PARCHMAN HOUR, ended up going to the finals of the North Carolina Theatre Conference High School Play Festival and winning nine awards, including Best Play, at the Southeastern Theatre Conference competition encompassing a 10-state region. (Fun fact: the cast included Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, who currently plays the role of Tina Turner on Broadway, as well as Amina Faye, who would become both the 2016 Blumey Awards and Jimmy Awards Best Actress winner.)
While he had a lot of support from faculty, McGuire says much of what he learned initially about sound came through trial and error and asking a lot of questions. The summer after his junior year, he landed an internship at CPCC Summer Theatre, where he helped wrangle actors and get them connected to their wireless mics, and served as board operator for shows taking place in a smaller campus theater.
Two summers assisting with sound at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and another supervising sound with Barrington Stage Company have helped him get to where he is now.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING HEAD AUDIO?
McGuire’s role at Alvin Ailey includes overseeing sound both during its New York residencies (it just finished a 5-week run in early January) and its 21-city national tour this spring. Wherever the company travels there are local crews to help with load in and load out of equipment but during performances McGuire’s the one mixing and operating the sound board.
While sound engineering for dance differs from musical theater productions—there are no body mics and you don’t have to work against monitors and feedback in the same way—it isn’t as simple as hitting the play button either.
McGuire’s work for Alvin Ailey involves a lot of fine mixing because every theater they visit is so different. “The goal is to have the design be the same in every place,” he says. This is important not only for the audience but to ensure the same integrity of sound for the dancers on stage each time they perform.
THE BEST PARTS OF HIS JOB
For McGuire, watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform night after night is magical. “I love getting to see the work happening on stage,” he says. “Something special about being in that operating and mix position is that I get to be in the front of the house while everyone else is backstage… getting to see what the dancers can do is incredibly beautiful and astonishing.”
There are other aspects that make this, his first touring job, fun as well. “I’m really excited about all of the travel and getting to explore new places as well as getting to return to familiar ones, like Charlotte,” says McGuire, who will be overseeing sound on the same stage he once performed on as a Blumey Awards participant.
For high school students just starting out in audio, he advises them not to be too hard on themselves if they miss a cue or a mic has feedback. “[I]t’s a bummer but it’s not the end of the world and you can’t beat yourself up over all those little things,” says McGuire.
It takes a lot of training to become proficient in sound. Being diligent in your work, practicing patience and asking a lot of questions are far more important than perfection at that point. So is having fun: “Theater, especially at a younger age, should be something that you really enjoy doing.”
