Bureau of Missing Persons


B_M_P Sound Design jaguar from toby jaguar on Vimeo.


Bureau of Missing Persons | UCSD BNPF 2008
By: Lila Rose Kaplan | Dir. Sarah Rassmusen | Lighting. Stephen Sakowski | Costume. Soohee Han | Scenic. Kristin Ellert | | SM. Hannah Wichmann | Sound & System Composition by Le Jaguar

The Bureau of Missing Persons was produced for the 2008 Baldwin New Play Festival at UCSD. The show begins with the protagonist, Angela, in a period of depression resulting in the ruin of her marriage, and documents the journey into self-discovery and healing through the love and loss of others, and the paranormal, ending with redemption and a rekindled relationship in a cave in Pakistan. The intent of the sound design was only to answer the question, “what space are ‘we’ in and how does this space propel the narrative?” The solution was an atmosphere of magic and mystery that paved a path of possibility. Magic in that the geographic transitions were possible, and mystery in that the participation and influence of a ghost was possible and effective.

The difficulty in the show was the transition from an apartment in New York City to a cave in Pakistan.The sound design reflects this in a consistent re-enforcement of cave elements from the beginning. This influenced the composition of the playback system as well as references in the stage directions to the path of bats over the heads of the characters. The sound system consisted of an adequate front-of-house configuration, with a robust overhead and surround speakers, consisting of side and rear placements, allowing for an inclusive, immersive environment. The director and playwright also wanted an elegant theme to accompany the journey of the characters, as there are two specific places in the play where the protagonist, Angela, and her husband dance. The decision was made to include the Irving Berlin ballad “Let’s Face the Music and Dance.”
This song served as thematic material, using versions from Fred Astaire and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as an instrumental punk version composed for the show, tracking the development of the relationship between Angela and her husband, Richard.

The sound design created a mood, attitude, and environment that complimented the dark moments of the play, as well as, allowed enough hope for the characters to overcome their conflicts. The play was received well by audiences and received the following review from Pat Launer:

"This deliciously unpredictable play is as linguistically and thematically
grounded as it is dramatically enchanted. The design, direction and
performances are pitch-perfect, endlessly mysterious and humorous.
Kristin Ellert’s set design is simple, sleek and evocative, revolving from
a colorful living room to a deeply-etched, textural, earth-toned cave.
The lighting (Stephen Sakowski) and sound (composed and designed
by recent Patté Award winner Toby Jaguar Algya) add to the charm."

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