Song of the Siren by Luke Hipkin

Luke Hipkin presents a sonic exploration into mythology and the macabre, with two stories told through sound at the TAP OUT festival of original performances by BA Drama and Theatre Arts students.

'Song of the Siren’ is an immersive monologue, utilising live sound and effects to create the setting for the story. Inspired by Greek mythology, the piece is about a ship’s encounter with sirens’ song on its journey home. Using ambient guitar, Luke created a score that echoes the nautical themes of the piece, also using guitar to create unconventional foley sound.

Being able to bring my guitar on stage and use it in unconventional ways is really exciting.

The second part of the piece is a possession horror set by a lake, with a score made solely from Luke’s voice run through different effects pedals, and layered sound made with a looper to create a vivid atmosphere.

“Using aspects of sound that I am comfortable playing with in a more narrative-focused setting has been a fun experience. It's led to a lot of experimentation with how I use sound in my work, especially in terms of what medium I use to create sound,” he said.

“It’s also been fun switching my focus to genres of theatre I am less experienced in; horror is not a genre I tend to consume or create and yet I have found that the sound I've created over the past months has leant itself well to more tense storytelling.”

With no set pieces, the stark emptiness on stage allows for the audience to experience stories that are built through sound and lighting alone. “My piece feels less physically tangible and so requires more care on my part to ensure the audience can ‘enter’ the worlds I create,” Luke added.

I hope to show audiences that narrative and settings can be built in unconventional ways and that minimal staging can be just as stimulating as full productions.

Through the process of preparing for his final performance, Luke explained that he’s gained a new perspective on his interest in sound: “Sound has always felt somewhat limited or rigid when it’s prerecorded and so it’s been refreshing to work in a way where the sound I create feels more natural and responsive. It feels more spontaneous and can lead to some happy accidents.”