ROBIN COLYER
Sound Design & Composition
Photo: Jamie Ledwith
Photo: Josh Tomalin
Sound Design, Composition & Musical Direction​ ​
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​I’m a sound designer, composer and musical director with over 15 years of experience in collaborative, story-driven theatre. My work spans immersive soundscapes, pastiche songwriting, spatial audio, and bespoke musical arrangements—all shaped by a dramaturgical understanding of story.
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I specialise in creating distinctive sonic worlds: from bowed percussion and plucked piano to found instruments and natural sounds, I love exploring the edges of music, sound and noise. I often work with spatial audio in theatre spaces or headphones, and can record musicians, singers and actors both on-site and in my home studio.
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As a composer, I’m drawn to rhythmic complexity, minimalist textures (like drones and ostinatos), and unusual sound sources. As a musical director, I’m particularly experienced in actor-musician theatre, having developed projects at venues including the Watermill Theatre, where my career began. My work spans a wide range of genres—from classical and swing to klezmer, salsa, funk and beyond.
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I approach sound as a theatre maker first. I understand the rhythm and language of the rehearsal room, and respond instinctively to shifts in tone, structure and story. Directors who know me trust me to collaborate with sensitivity, creativity and clarity.
I thrive on detailed collaboration, imaginative thinking, and sound that serves the story.
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Credits include Breaking the Code (Royal & Derngate, Oxford Playhouse, Landmark Theatres, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, HOME); Jack and the Beanstalk, Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella (Exeter Northcott); This Show is In My Head (Brighton Dome, Disabled & Disobedient); Mariupol (The Cockpit, Pleasance); Dickens After Dark: A Christmas Carol and Glacier (Old Fire Station); The King’s Speech and Much Ado About Nothing (Watermill Theatre); Story Seekers (Oxford Playhouse); NO DOGS, Don Q, The Government Inspector, An Enemy of the People and Daily Bread (Flintlock Theatre, UK Tour). Other work include immersive audio walking tours, voiceover production and podcast content.
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