Another important element of The Polish Play is the live Foley sound effects that accompany and underscore the action of the play. The entire sound-scape of The Polish Play will be created live by our Foley Artist, the actor James Bentley. Jim, Bart Fasbender (our sound designer), the rest of the cast and I have been working throughout the rehearsal process to match various sound effects to each moment in the play that requires some sort of noise. During the performance of the play, Jim will be in full view of the audience at a Foley table in the downstage left corner of the stage. The audience will be able to watch Jim as he creates the wide varieties of sound that comprise the aural landscape of The Polish Play.

At least once a week, Bart brings another box of musical instruments, time-tested Foley objects and electronic devices into the rehearsal hall. This week’s batch was especially fun. It included an electronic windmachine (capable of creating a myriad of sound effects simply by waving one’s hand through the air above it), a thunder tube (a simple card board tube with a metal string attached that produces a surprisingly loud thunder effect), oatmeal (for snow), chains (for soldiers’ marching), a cricket devise and an owl whistle (to set up the line ‘I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry’) and a pair of whoopee cushions that have completely transformed Act 4, Scene 4.