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Recent theatre grad wins Jeff Award

Recent theatre grad wins Jeff Award

Sarah Espinoza, who graduated in May, recently won a coveted Jeff Award in sound design. “Loyola’s theatre department is all about learning through experience,” she says. “I was given a lot of opportunities to just try things.”

By Tanner Walters  |  Student reporter

Although theatre major Sarah Espinoza just graduated in May, she’s already a seasoned pro.

As a student, Espinoza won a Michael Merritt Academic Prize for her theatrical design work. And on June 8, she took home a Jeff Award in sound design for her work on The Arsonists at Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre Company. The Jeff Awards—Chicago’s version of the Tony Awards—recognize the best productions across the city and are coveted by those in the industry.

Here, Espinoza discusses her time at Loyola, her plans for the future, and why designing sound for a play is like creating another character on stage.

How did Loyola prepare you for your career in theatrical design?

Loyola’s theatre department is all about learning through experience. I was given a lot of opportunities to just try things in design. I took classes first and then worked in the Underground Theatre at Mundelein. After I gained more experience, I designed for the main stage (the Newhart Family Theatre). The professors also love bringing students into the city and having people see their work, which is how I started working on Chicago shows.

What excites you about sound design?

For me, designing sound is like creating another character—the missing character that only gets to rehearse with everyone else during tech week. It’s about making choices that help support the action of the play. If you think about film and media today, sound design is 70 percent of what gets people interested in the movie. It really engages people, and I love bringing that into theatre.  

Talk a little bit about your design process.

I first make a list of all the written cues that are in the script. After I do that, I think about what the world of the play is, and how sound design can support that world. I usually go to Spotify and play the first song I can think of, and start a playlist of songs that fit the show from there. After that I share it with the director, and we’ll have a conversation and see if we’re on the same page. After that, I build the cues and get ready for tech.

What was the most memorable experience you had as a Loyola student?

Probably working on fml: How Carson McCullers Saved My Life last semester as a sound designer. It was a really collaborative process. I’ve never worked with such a great team. Since it was such a difficult show emotionally, it was great to have a good family there to support each other through it.

What is the best advice you got from a faculty member?

I’ve been told by most of the faculty here that “at the end of the day, it’s just a play.”  It puts perspective on things. We’re doing a great, noble thing for the community by putting on theatre. But it’s always easy to stress out and panic about little things. It’s nice to remember that at the end of the day, it’s just a show and we’re doing it because we love it.

And finally, what are your plans now?

I’m now a company member at WildClaw Theatre, and I’m also designing two shows at Lifeline Theatre in the upcoming season. Long term, I think I’ll stay in Chicago. I love the community, I love these people, and I’d be so honored and blessed to work with them for the rest of my life. But if there’s an opportunity that’s right for me in another city, I would be more than happy to take it.