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Sound-effects guy makes sure show is no silent night

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Mike Casey taps on an old Royal typewriter to simulate the sounds of an office, while actors gather around a microphone on stage of the Janesville Performing Arts Center during rehearsals for Miracle on 34th Street.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Mike Casey watches the actors on stage as he prepares to simulate an elevator opening with a percussive instrument, among his battery of sound effects during rehearsals for Miracle on 34th Street.

JANESVILLE — Next Tuesday night, when you hear the doorbell or the phone ring, think of Mike Casey.

Casey is the sound-effects maker in the WCLO and Janesville Performing Arts Center production of “Miracle on 34th Street.”

The live radio broadcast is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at JPAC. You can listen from the comfort of your home or be a part of the audience at JPAC and watch Casey and the rest of the players in action.

Sound-effects guy is a good gig, except you probably won’t ever get your face in the spotlight.

Case doesn’t seem to mind.

In his day job, he’s vice president of fleet services for Wisconsin Lift Truck. His theater career started in 2007, when he heard about the radio production of “A Christmas Carol.”

“We didn’t hold auditions that year. I just called some people I knew and asked if they wanted to do this thing,” said director Jim Lyke.

By the time Casey called to ask about being a cast member, all the roles were taken. Casey, being a nice guy, asked what else he could do to help.

From those modest and accidental beginnings, a sound-effects guy was born.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Casey said.

It’s a job that requires an expansive imagination.

Some sounds are easy. A door buzzer is a door buzzer. A Royal typewriter, circa 1935, provides the background noise of a busy office. The sound of a phone hanging up is just that.

Other sounds are trickier. What, for example, mimics the sound of Santa’s cane hitting the Macy’s human resources director on the head?

Did he line up human recourses directors for a test run?

No, nothing so glamorous.

“The human head has stuff in it,” Casey said. “So I experimented with a bunch of different things.”

He discovered that a judge’s gavel striking a sock-covered softball made the perfect sound.

Some sounds are borrowed from local theater companies. For “A Christmas Carol,” he used a hand-cranked wind machine. This year, he’s using a door on a frame for the sound of a shutting door.

Casey still is finishing up this year’s show, and he doesn’t want to give away all of his secrets.

Other marvelous sounds from this year’s show include organ accompaniment of Sarah Lima. Listeners almost don’t notice the music, and that’s because Lima has mastered the art of giving scenes an emotional lift without overpowering them.

J. Peter Shaw’s voice as Santa Claus is a marvel. At a recent rehearsal, Shaw was wearing ordinary khaki pants and an inoffensive long-sleeved shirt. But when he read his lines, he was completely Claus, red suit and all.

If you listen to him on the radio, resist the urge to try and hug him.