Mic Pool
Video Designer
SoundDesigner/Engineer/Producer
Date of Birth: 1958
Professional Experience: 33 Years
Biography
A Tony Award winner — Best Sound Design in a Play — for the Broadway production of The 39 Steps, Mic’s involvement in theatre sound extends over thirty-two years. Mic has been resident at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, the Royal Court Theatre, Tyne Theatre Company and toured internationally with Ballet Rambert. He has designed the sound for over 350 productions including more than 250 for West Yorkshire Playhouse where he is currently Director of Creative Technology. He received a TMA award in 1992 for Best Designer (Sound) for Life Is A Dream and was nominated for both the Lucille Lortel and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design 2001 for the New York production of The Unexpected Man. Mic was nominated for five international awards for productions of The 39 Steps worldwide, including the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award. .
Recent theatre credits include: The Hounding of David Oluwale (Eclipse Theatre), Bad Girls The Musical (Garrick Theatre), The Hound of the Baskervilles (Duchess Theatre), The Postman Always Rings Twice (Playhouse Theatre); Ying Tong (New Ambassadors Theatre); The Solid Gold Cadillac (Garrick Theatre ); Brand (RSC and West End); Pretending To Be Me (West Yorkshire Playhouse/West End); Art (West End/Broadway/worldwide); Shockheaded Peter (Cultural Industry world tour/West End); The Unexpected Man (RSC/West End/New York/Los Angeles); Another Country (Arts Theatre); Beauty and the Beast, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Seagull, Victoria, The Roundhouse Season of Late Shakespeare Plays (RSC); Savages (National Youth Theatre at The Royal Court); Animal Farm, Don’t You Leave Me Here, Monkey!, Fast Labour, Salonika, The Grouch, The Duchess of Malfi, Alice in Wonderland, To Kill a Mockingbird, How Many Miles to Basra?, The Sunshine Boys, Bollywood Jane (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Homage to Catalonia (West Yorkshire Playhouse/ Northern Stage/Teatre Romea).
Video designs for theatre includes: Any Which Way (Only Connect), Bad Girls The Musical (Garrick Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse), Der Ring des Nibelungen (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); Three Thousand Troubled Threads (Stellar Quines, Edinburgh International Festival); The Ethics of Progress (Unlimited Theatre): The Wooden Frock (Kneehigh); The Solid Gold Cadillac (West End); Dracula (The Touring Consortium); Fast Labour, Salonika, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Don Quixote, Bollywood Jane, The Wizard of Oz, Johnson Over Jordan, Crap Dad, Scuffer (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse/West End); Singin' In The Rain (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Royal National Theatre/national tour); The Turk In Italy (ENO); The Ring Cycle (New National Theatre Tokyo); Il Tabarro, Chorus! (WNO); Of Mice and Men (Mind the Gap).
Television includes the sound design for How Wide is Your Sky (Real Life Productions for Channel Four); Lesley Garrett and Friends at the Movies (BBC).
Education
1968-1972
Chorister Magdalen College Oxford
1972-1975
Wanstead High School
Training
1976-1977
Mountview Theatre School London.
2 Year Stage Management Technical and Design.Specialised in sound and lighting.Final term tour of Sweden as sound and lighting designer
October 1977
Graduated with Notable 'A' Diploma
Awards and Nominations
2008
Winner Tony Award
Best Sound Deisign for a Play for the Broadway production of THE 39 STEPS.
2008
Nominated for Drama Desk, (New York), Helpmann, (Australia), Elliot Norton and IRNE (Boston) awards for international productions of THE 39 Steps.
2007
Nominated for Laurence Olivier award for the West End production of THE 39 Steps.
2001
Nominated Drama Desk Award
Nominated Lucille Lortel Award
Sound Design for the New York Production of
The Unexpected Man
1992
Winner TMA/Martini Award- Best Designer
for sound design for Life is a Dream at the West Yorkshire Playhouse
Employment
2000-Present
Director of Creative Technology,
West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds.
Sound and Video Design, Research and Development,
Education and Community Projects.
1996-2000
Associate Director (Sound.)
West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds.
Combining resposibilities as Resaident Sound Designer
with project development, advisory and producing activities
1989-1996
Resident Sound Designer / Head of Sound.
West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds.
Responsible for sound in the largest producing theatre complex outside London.
Designed all production sound systems, specified equipment, supervised installation and commissioning and set up sound department.
Managed department of three full time staff responsible for the operation and maintenance of all production sound, communication and recording studio equipment.
Worked on new writing group.
Chair of Health and Safety Forum(1996).
Devised and presented lecture demonstrations for 'Playhouse Partners', an educational initiative using theatre resources to provide curriculum support for schools.
Designed Sound for over 300 productions
Notable Productions
2009
Sound
The 39 Steps (San Diego, Seattle, USA Tour)
Caucasian Chalk Circle (Shared Experience)
The Secret Garden (WYP)
Bedroom Farce (WYP)
When We Are Married (WYP, Liverpool Playhouse)
The Moon, The Moon (Unlimited Theatre, Curve Leicester and National Tour)
The Hounding of David Oluwale (Eclipse Theatre National Tour)
Video
The Worm Collector (WYP)
2008
Video
Any Which Way (Only Connect Theatre)
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep)
Fast Labour (WYP, Hampstead Theatre)
Salonika (WYP)
Sound
The 39 Steps ( Broadway, UK Tour, Australia, Italy. Hong Kong. Korea, Israel)
Animal Farm (WYP)
Don’t You Leave Me Here (WYP)
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (Birmingham Rep)
Fast Labour (WYP, Hampstead Theatre)
Monkey (WYP)
Salonika (WYP)
Year of the Rat (WYP)
Infinite Lives (North Wall, Oxford)
2007
Video
Der Ring Des Nibelungen(Royal Opera House)
Bad Girls The Musical (West End)
How many Miles to Basra (WYP)
Bollywood Jane (WYP)
Don Quixote (Leeds and Madrid)
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe WYP)
Sound
Bad Girls The Musical (West End)
Hound of the Baskervilles (Peepolykus, UK Tour West End)
How many Miles to Basra (WYP)
Bollywood Jane (WYP)
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (WYP)
2006
Video
Scuffer )WYP
Alice in Wonderland (Birmingham Rep)
Bad Girls The Musical (WYP)
Sound
The 39 Steps (Tricycle Theatre, West End)
Alice in Wonderland (Birmingham Rep)
Bad Girls The Musical (WYP)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Centreline Productions, National Tour)
Savages (National Youth Theatre at The Royal Court)
2005
Video
Ying Tong (West End)
Die Walkure (Royal Opera)
Dracula (UK Tour)
Three Thousand Troubled Threads (Stellar Quines, Edinburgh International Festival)
Alice in Wonderland (WYP)
Two Tracks and Text Me (WYP)
Sound
Ying Tong (West End)
The 39 steps (UK Tour)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (West End)
Alice in Wonderland (WYP)
Jerusalem (WYP)
2004
Video
Solid Gold Cadillac (West End)
Crap Dad (WYP)
Das Rheingold (Royal Opera)
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (WYP)
Sound
Vodou Nation (UK Tour)
Homage to Catalonia (World Tour)
Beauty And The Beast (RSC)
Solid Gold Cadillac (West End)
Electricity (WYP)
TV
Leslety Garrett and Friends (BBC)
2003
Video
Siegfried (New National Theatre Tokyo)
Il Tabarro (WNO Max)
Wizard of Oz (WYP)
Sound
Pretending To Be Me (West End)
Brand (West End)
My Dad's Corner Shop (Derby Playhouse)
Beauty And The Beast (RSC)
Blues in the Night (WYP)
2002
Video
Die Walkure (New National Theatre Tokyo)
Singin In The Rain (UK Tour)
Johnson Over Jordan (WYP)
Sound
The Late Shakespeare Plays at The Roundhouse (RSC)
Paco Pena Voces y Ecos (Peacock Theatre)
2001
Video
Das Rheingold (New National Theatre Tokyo)
Il Travatore (ENO)
Dangerous Corner (West End)
Smoking With Lulu (Soho Theatre)
Sound
Naked Justice (UK Tour)
Hijra (Bush Theatre)
Top Girls (UK Tour)
Twelfth Night (RSC)
Dead Funny (Nottingham Playhouse)
Dangerous Corner (West End)
Smoking With Lulu (Soho Theatre)
TV
How Wide is Your Sky (Channel 4)
2000
Video
Singin in The Rain (WYP)
Singin in The Rain (Royal National Theatre)
Rinaldo (Grange Park Opera)
The Turk In Italy (ENO)
Sound
Art (UK Tour)
The Seagull (RSC)
The Rivals (RSC)
Victoria (RSC)
Romeo and Juliet (RSC)
Another Country(Arts Theatre)
Unexpected Man (New York)
1999
Art (Los Angeles)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (RSC)
1998
Shockheaded Peter (Cultural Industry)
Afore Night Come (Theatr Clwyd)
The Unexpected Man (RSC and West End)
Our Country's Good (Out of Joint)
1997
Goliath (Sphinx Theatre Company)
Art (Broadway ).
1996
When We Are Married (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End)
Art (West End, Broadway and Buenos Aries).
1995
Road (Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester)
Lecture Demonstration for ABTT North
1991
Coriolanus. National Youth Theatre Bloomsbury Theatre London
Blitz!.
Northern Stage Company Tyne Theatre and Opera House Newcastle,
1990
Blitz!
National Youth Theatre Playhouse Theatre London
1989
Installation engineer. Autograph Sound Recording Miss Saigon.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane London
1987-1989
Sound designer /Head of Sound.
Tyne Theatre Company Newcastle
Designed sound for all productions at this regional producing theatre including:
Woman in Mind, Yesterdays Children, Peter Pan, Piaf, The American Clock,
The Wizard of Oz, Ear Nose and Throat, Private Lives.
1989
Sound Designer. National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.
Murder in the Cathedral. Moscow Arts Theatre USSR
Guest Lecturer Theatre Station Blyth
1988
Sound Designer. Oxford Playhouse Company. A Dolls House.
National Tour
Sound Designer. Kevin Wood Productions. Tommyboy.
Malvern Festival and National Tour
Sound Designer. Good Company.
Ear Nose and Throat. National Tour
1981-1987
Sound Technician. Ballet Rambert
Extensive touring in UK, USA, Poland, Greece, Germany, France, Cyprus, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Finland, Jordan and Canada to theatres, tents and amphitheatres of capacities up to four thousand. Specified operated and maintained the company's' touring
sound system and West London recording facility.
Major sound designs include:
Wildlife, Dipping Wings, Sergeant Earlys Dream, Requiem.
1987
Chief of Sound. Assembly Productions. Music Hall Edinburgh.
Sound Engineer. Edinburgh International Television Festival
1986
Recording supervisor. RM Arts. Television production of Voices and Light Footsteps performed by The Danish Ballet
Chief of Sound Assembly Productions. Assembly Rooms Edinburgh
Responsible for sound in five auditoria presenting an average of 25 performances daily for the duration of the Edinburgh Festival. Supervised team of four full time engineers and casual staff.
Chief of Sound. Commonwealth Arts Festival. Assembly Rooms Edinburgh.
Sound Engineer. Edinburgh International Television Festival
Sound operator. Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. Angry Housewives
1985
Recording supervisor. RM Arts. Television productions of Wildlife
and Sergeant Earlys Dream
Sound consultant. Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. The Alchemist
1984
Second sound engineer. Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. The Wiz
Head of Sound. Bloomsbury Festival. Bloomsbury Theatre
1983
Second sound engineer. Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. Abbacadabra
1982
Sound designer. Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. Nightingale
1981
Head of Sound. Royal Court Theatre London
Productions for main house and Theatre Upstairs include:
Touched, Tibetan Inroads, Faith Healer, Glasshouses, Restoration.
1979-1980
Head of Sound.
Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.
Established sound department at newly rebuilt theatre. Designed and operated sound for a full programme of theatrical productions , concerts and foyer events.
Sound Designs included:
You Never Can Tell, Travelling North, The Wild Duck, Dr Faustus, The Ice Chimney, Summer with Monika,
1980
Sound Designer .The Ice Chimney. Traverse Theatre Edinburgh.
Sound Designer. Dr Faustus. Fortune Theatre West End
1978-1979
Stage Electrician. Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Operating and maintaining sound and lighting equipment in the schools Barbican premises. Instructing students in the correct use of equipment.
1977-1978
Sound Engineer. Night Out Theatre Restaurant Birmingham
Operating sound in 1300 seat cabaret venue for major cabaret artists including:
The Three Degrees, Gene Pitney, Des O'Connor, Danny LaRue
Sound for industrial presentations including:
Massey-Ferguson, Eaton Yale, British Midland Airways.
