National Recognition Leads to Confidence and Opportunity

National Recognition Leads to Confidence and Opportunity

During his first year at the University of Idaho, Andrew Yoder focused on his theatrical performance skills in the Department of Theatre Arts. But a chance opportunity to design and run the soundboard for U of I’s production of “The Dumb Waiter” in 2017 allowed the Boise native to find his passion in sound design.

National Finalist in Sound Design

Now a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts, Yoder was a finalist for a national sound design award at the Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C. in April 2019. His work was also recognized on a local level earlier this year at the Region 7 KCACTF event in Eugene, Oregon, in February, where he won a weeklong summer internship with the Las Vegas Stage Institute, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Since he spun turntables for 10 years at junior high and high school parties and produced music for six years online, Yoder’s evolution into sound design has been a natural transition.

“Electronic music was my bread and butter,” he said.

As a sound designer for U of I performances, he is responsible for setting up the sound playback equipment and for all sound effects, whether recorded or live for a specific production.

Creativity Encouraged

The national festival included hands-on workshops and activities where Yoder met other award-winning sound design students and alumni from around the United States.

“I got to make really cool connections,” he said. “The amount I learned from my fellow peers was immense.

“We got to go wild with recording, using speakers and mics. We were encouraged to be creative in making original sounds,” he said.

Networking and Connections

Though he didn’t come home with the top prize, Yoder returned to Idaho with a list of future fellowship and internship opportunities.

Networking events at the festival led to two summer fellowship offers for Yoder – one with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut and another with the Contemporary American Theater Festival in West Virginia. However, it was a separate offer, working in Boise this summer with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival that ultimately won Yoder’s heart.

Overall, this spring – and his experience at the national festival - was nothing short of transformative for Yoder.

“The responses I got to my work were very positive. It was a little bit of validation,” he said. “It was a life-changing experience, to say the least.”

Article by Kelly O'Neill, Department of Theatre Arts
Published June 2019