Storm in the Barn,

Where Silence Roared

The Storm in the Barn captures the haunting stillness of the Dust Bowl. It’s a story where sound can carry as much weight as dialogue. From the start, I knew the sound design couldn’t take a backseat; it had to be immersive. Rather than use canned effects or subtle cues, I designed a live soundscape created entirely by the student cast, using musical instruments and everyday objects to score the show in real time.

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Despite not having a musical background myself, I chose to hand the sound design to the students — many of whom were enrolled in music classes and had the creative instincts to match their technical skills. I gave them broad instruction: capture the feel of the Dust Bowl, the isolation, the tension, the eerie magical realism. Then I stepped back and let them play. What emerged was truly amazing. With a mix of strings and brass, they created creaking doors, gusts of wind, and slow, haunting melodies that placed the show in time and tone.

By fully trusting the students to own the sound, I was able to focus my energy on the rest: lighting, staging, and performance direction. Letting go of that element didn’t mean lowering standards, it meant pushing me out of my collaboration comfort zone. The result was a production that not only showcased the story’s themes, but empowered young artists to feel trusted to develop and execute their own artistic vision in concert with others.

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Edward Tulane