Cry It Out is a slice of life feminist comedy about motherhood and choice within the rigid structure of patriarchy. The play takes place between the two main character’s homes in suburban Port Washington, which is a city in Long Island. For atmosphere, suburban soundscapes were built to be layered into the transitions to remind the audience of where they are and to display the general passage of time between scenes. The sound system was built to be immersive with 14 speakers surrounding the audience and the ¾ thrust stage. For actual baby sounds, dynamically shifting baby cries (with devamps to not abruptly cut off cries to make the wails seem natural and real) were played through 2 practical baby monitors and a small bluetooth speaker that was strategically placed in the chest pocket of a baby doll.

Working closely with Jessica Holt (the director), I composed music that was percussive and rhythmic that went from bright and fun to contemplative and thoughtful based on an inspiration playlist sent by the director. The idea was to represent the ever present theme of babies and motherhood by using instruments that felt soft and expressive such as arped piano, toy guitar, and a simple bass guitar.