Kayla Chen is a sound design major at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Recently she was the assistant sound designer of The Burials at CCM and was the A2 at the Ogunquit Playhouse for The Cher Show and The Nutty Professor. She was also assistant sound designer for She Loves Me at CCM. She is a huge supporter of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and always advocates for inclusivity. She is extremely passionate about setting a higher standard for the appearance of mics for people of color.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Live Design: Why did you apply for the Pat MacKay Diversity In Design Scholarship?
Kayla Chen: I was encouraged to apply for this scholarship by previous winners from my school. I was interested in going to LDI after hearing about their experiences there. I think it would be really valuable for me to meet a group of young and diverse designers like myself.
LD: What made you interested in the field of sound design?
KC: In high school, I struggled to figure out what I wanted to do. I needed something that tied all of my interests together but, I also wanted to pursue something meaningful. Back then, I spent a lot of my free time writing music and editing videos. I was also really passionate about telling stories. Sound really does tie all of these things together. I get to make music, edit tracks, and tell stories. It also satisfies my dream of doing something meaningful. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of something that can influence and inspire people
LD: What are some of your career goals?
KC: I have a lot of little dreams I want to scatter throughout my career. I think touring with a big circus as a sound technician would be cool. Another dream I have is to mix a musical on London's West End with a huge orchestra. Big bands and orchestras are complex and impact people's senses in a way that smaller-scaled bands can’t. So, I think it would be really fun to be able to manipulate that. Lastly, I would like to design sound for a brand new play with really serious and relevant themes. I think I would have a lot of flexibility and it would be fun to utilize my creativity to its fullest potential.
LD: How can the industry better serve underrepresented communities?
KC: Especially in sound, being inclusive is a sensitive and serious topic that needs to be discussed more. During the summer, I talked to a lot of experienced cast members about microphones. Hearing a bunch of horror stories about color matching broke my heart. Cast members who are people of color expect the worst from sound while everyone else has nothing to worry about. They don’t have to worry about whether their mic will match their skin tone on picture day, if their toupee clips will stay in their hair, or if the paint will rub off onto their skin. The world is changing and with that, the industry needs to change too. Introducing better methods of matching mics to a variety of skin tones is the first step.
LD: Who or what are your influences, in terms of people or events?
A lot of things have inspired me to take this path throughout my life, but I think my biggest inspiration is my Dad. When I was very young, he taught me how to enjoy working. He always pushed me to do things with him that other kids might’ve disliked like raking leaves, shoveling the driveway, and washing the car. He probably just wanted to make me do chores but, these experiences taught me how to have fun while working. Theater is not an easy industry. The hours are long and the work is hard. And yet, I always manage to have a really good time throughout all the stress and frustration. Thanks Dad.
LD: Are there particular challenges you have faced?
KC: What a great segue! Every day is a challenge honestly, but that's what makes it so rewarding. Switching from a learning environment to a working environment was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought CCM would be fairly similar to working a real job, but it's different knowing that there are no advisors or graduate students to give me advice. I had to go with my gut and make decisions on my own.
LD: What is your number one bucket-list item?
KC: Completely random answer for this but, I want to ride a hot air balloon. This is the only thing on my bucket list so it’s more of a bucket bullet point.
LD: Has the pandemic changed how you view your work or the industry?
KC: The day that the pandemic closed down, my high school was the fourth day of tech for Guys and Dolls. After the dinner break, the musicians arrived and were unpacking their instruments. One of my school’s board members got up on stage and told us all to go home. The pandemic continued to wedge itself between me and valuable experiences. I didn’t get to do any real shows during my freshman year of college and being an A2 was difficult with everyone wearing masks backstage. I’ve learned to appreciate the magic of theater throughout this pandemic. Live performance is a huge part of art and entertainment. The lack of it was probably a lot more noticeable than anyone thought it was going to be.