sound design

Photograph of a clean white desk with a sleek silver speaker next to a succulent in a wooden planter and a computer.

Photo by Gabriel Beaudry

For theatre and film, CJ McGillivray is inspired by subtle, immersive sound design that complements the narrative unfolding. Recent sound design credits include Big Sister (Rapid Pitch Productions), Marie’s Letters (Shift Festival), Fireflies, Burqa Boutique and The Way You Carry On (Killjoy Theatre), The Good Bride (Alley Theatre and The Firehall Arts Centre), Much Ado About Nothing (Classic Chic Productions), Marrow (Alley Theatre and Resounding Scream Theatre), Concord Floral (Douglas College Theatre), TravelTheatrics (Standing Room Only Theatre),Generation Post Script and Frankenstein 1945 (Nebula Theatre), The Fitting Room (Vino Bueno Productions) Any Night and The Drowning Girls (Stone’s Throw Productions), Fool for Love (Clockwork Theatre) and Antigone (Theatre Pandora). Her original musical compositions were featured in Romeo and Juliet (Place des Arts), We Three, Good Day and Good Night and On My Walk (Carousel Theatre for Young People), for which she received her first Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards nomination for Outstanding Artistic Creation.

For a detailed summary of her sound design experience alongside other production roles in both theatre and film, please refer to her production resume.

SOUND DESIGN PORTFOLIO

Facility Soundscape from Civilized with Alley Theatre and The Necessary Stage; sound design by CJ McGillivray using royalty free sound textures and voice generator software:

Closing Soundscape from Marrow with Alley Theatre and Resounding Scream Theatre; sound design by CJ McGillivray using royalty free sound textures and sampled music from The Temper Trap:

Debussy and Hawkings from Civilized with Alley Theatre and The Necessary Stage; sound design by CJ McGillivray using sampled music from Claude Debussy, a sampled recording of Stephen Hawking and morse code generator software:

Social Media Soundscape from Concord Floral with the Douglas College Theatre Department; sound design by CJ McGillivray using sampled notification sounds:

Seizure Soundscape from Concord Floral with the Douglas College Theatre Department; sound design by CJ McGillivray using royalty free sound textures and sampled music from The Zolas and Jon Hopkins:

Sweet Dreams Mash Up from Any Night with Stone’s Throw Productions; sound design by CJ McGillivray using sampled music from Eurythmics, Marilyn Manson and Holly Henry:

The Celestial Series Podcast in association with Langara College; sound design by CJ McGillivray using voice generator software and sampled music by The Eagles, Joby Talbot, Gustav Holst, Nancy Bloomer Deussen, The Zolas, Train, Electrocute, Jimi Hendrix, Sleeping at Last and We Are All Astronauts:

Offsets and Oddities in association with Tom Lee Music Canada; sound design by CJ McGillivray using royalty free sound textures with royalty free and licensed music including Live Worms by Josh Lippi & The Overtimers, Psychedelicacy by Doug Maxwell, A Young Man by ALBIS, Outlet by Silent Partner and Ticket To Nowhere Man and Yeah by Audionautix, both licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

REFERENCES

She went above and beyond what I expected, spent countless hours at rehearsals and tech runs, and elevated the show to a level I could not have foreseen. She brings an exceptional work ethic, a genuine warmth, and a talented and experienced perspective to every project she works on. I cannot recommend her enough.

– Keara Barnes, playwright and performer of TravelTheatrics

What I appreciated most deeply was the combination of her own instincts and initiatives and her ability to listen with her whole body, mind and heart to my vision and to understand the foundation of my questions. I was grateful for her ability to develop our conceptual conversations into concrete sounds with ingenuity, flexibility and beauty.

– Ulla Laidlaw, director for The Drowning Girls

She had a clear vision and brought material and fresh ideas to the first meeting. I found her eager and committed to the project, always bringing a plethora of new offerings each time we met. In rehearsals, she was knowledgeable, flexible, and hardworking. Her final product complemented the piece beautifully, both fulfilling the script’s direction and adding to it. She is both sensitive to the needs of a project and bold in bringing a new perspective.

– Kim Larson, producer for The Drowning Girls