At the Console, Nick Makes Productions Sing: Ambitious performances push Milton’s sound guru.
Nick Mehlman ’16 folds his long body into a seat behind an analog sound board and puts on a headset. It’s Wednesday night at the dress rehearsal of For Colored Girls. In the black box studio down the hall, a student band is warming up. For the first time in a Milton production, the musicians are not seated in the orchestra pit; in King Theatre, the play’s staging and set extends to the far corners of the room, bisecting the audience. How can live musicians accompany actors several rooms away? Nick makes that work. New to Class III last year, Nick brought sound-engineering skills that he started honing in his middle school theater department, and then acquired on his own, as he explored the world of electronic house music. Nick’s fearless innovation lends freedom for remarkable invention to Milton productions.
“I’ve always loved music, and this is a way I can get involved without knowing how to play an instrument,” says Nick. “A lot of what I know is really from playing around with the sound equipment. There is only so much you can read about in a book or have someone tell you. Ninety-nine percent of the learning experience is sitting behind the console. I have had so many opportunities at Milton to try different things. I love the variety of shows here, and each show is its own challenge.”
The student band performing the music in For Colored Girls call themselves Chee Chee Coal and the Trambones. They’re seven musicians who answered the call of Dar Anastas, performing arts faculty and the show’s director, when she asked students to come up with a live soundtrack for the show. For two months, the band rehearsed together two to three times a week, and only this week, production week, does Nick join them. He starts by running a sound check, sliding levers up and down, adjusting the tone of the various instruments that are miked into his console. “Could I have just the trombone play something please?” he asks into his headset. He concentrates, listening closely, making a few adjustments. Running a sound check every night is important, Nick says, because the instruments’ sound can change when the musicians assemble or tune them.
Theater tech crews, behind the scenes, build the sets, design the lighting, run the sound, and coordinate the costumes for all Milton productions. Performing arts faculty are the lead directors, and students are immersed in every aspect of a performance. Each member of the cast and crew is key to bringing the story to life.
“Nick loves doing the behind-the-scenes work,” says Kelli Edwards, who teaches dance and worked closely with Nick on the Winter Dance Concert. Last year’s concert included 14 dances, 70 performers, innovative lighting and sound design, and a packed house every night. “He’s proactive about making sure everything is all set. And when he has the opportunity to get creative, he’s even better. One of the reasons he is so successful at what he does is that he interacts with each performance.”
Milton chooses productions that present challenges of all kinds, and the performance lineup last year exceeded even Milton’s norm. One of the most ambitious shows of the school year was Avenue Q: School Edition. In addition to singing, acting and dancing, students mastered the art of puppeteering. Onstage actors managed and brought to life their life-sized puppets, which interacted with each other and with human characters. They learned to work with new technology — special microphones and headsets — and spent an afternoon training with Kevin Noonchester, a master puppeteer known for his work on stage and in film.
“We never saw Nick sweat during Avenue Q,” says Peter Parisi, performing arts department chair. “Working with Nick is like working with a professional. He knew what to do, and he was unflappable. He worked patiently with everyone involved, and I gave Nick complete authority to work with our sound consultant. During the production, Nick had his iPad, he was mixing the sound, and he was so conscientious about making sure that it was done right.”
Nick shows that calm demeanor right away during the For Colored Girls rehearsal, as issues arise from the start. A video camera next to Nick is sending a live feed to a large screen in the black box studio, so the musicians can see and hear what is happening onstage. But it’s not working, and someone runs to tell Nick that the musicians can see, but not hear, the video feed. Not realizing the actors have started to speak their lines, the band continues to play pre-show music, drowning out the first scene. From the front of the set, Dar turns to look back at Nick, and she is not happy. The purpose of the dress rehearsal is to perform the play without stopping, so the actors continue on. Nick calmly rattles off a list of things to try back in the band room, and when those don’t work, he realizes the camera is causing the issue. He fiddles with the camera, and the problem is solved. Unruffled, he sits back down, picks up the script he is following, and gets back to work.
“Having live musicians perform during a show is better than recorded music, because they can react to what is happening onstage,” says Nick. “No software can do that. But part of the challenge is making sure the audience can hear the actors when the music is playing. Moving the musicians out of the pit gives you a bit more control of the sound.”
Nick’s first Milton production was the Class IV Play, Midsummer/Jersey, a raucous modern twist on Shakespeare’s tale that called for upbeat and current music.
“Nick is the reason the play worked,” says the show’s director, Robert St. Lawrence ’07. “I worked with him as I would a professional sound designer. I gave him creative license to do what he thought best. He live-deejayed during the show, and it was amazing. Nick doesn’t just execute; he creates.”
Peter and the other performing arts faculty are thrilled that they and Nick have two years ahead to continue working together and break new ground. “Not only is he a wonderful guy, but what he brings to the table is extraordinary,” says Peter. “I’m sure he will pass his wisdom on to other students, as well.”
— by Liz Matson