Christopher Moscatiello is a 2008/2009 Ovation Nominee in the Sound Design-Intimate Theatre category for his work on THE BIRD AND MR. BANKS at the Road Theatre Company.
As an Ovation Award Nominee, LA Stage asked Christopher the following questions:
What was the moment that first inspired you to pursue working in the theatre?
My interest in theater in general started when I was very young, but it remained more or less a hobby until one high school field trip to a production of King Lear at the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC. It is considered by many to be one of the nation’s preeminent Shakespearean companies, and in fact, the production was quite incredible all around, but what really changed things for me was the portrayal of the Fool, played by the venerable Floyd King. I was completely mesmerized by his performance; it was the first time I’d ever had a truly transformative experience from any art form, theater or otherwise. Until that point, I had mainly participated in community and school productions, but once I’d had that taste of what was possible, I knew I had to jump in head first, and there was no turning back.
About 15 years later, I had the good fortune to work with that very company for several seasons, and in my last production before I moved from DC to LA, I finally did a show with Floyd and met him for the first time. I told him the story of how his Fool literally changed my life. He was very gracious, of course, but he looked at me with amazement and told me that this was only one of many times he’d heard the very same sentiment from other people who’d seen that show. Out of all the many productions of his career, what was it about that particular character in that particular one? Neither of us knew, but we made made no attempt to analyze it further. We just shared a look that said “yep. That’s why we’re here.”
What do you feel made the production you were nominated for particularly successful, either overall or for you specifically?
All of the actors were excellent and the design team was superb across the board, but in my opinion, Mark St. Amant’s outstanding and thoughtful direction, in concert with Sam Anderson’s hilarious but poignant, emotionally complex portrayal of the morally disoriented Mr. Banks, are what truly transformed the production of this unassuming dark comedy into a sublime work of art.
What project or projects are you currently working on?
I am the sound designer and composer for the production of The Browning Version, currently running at Pacific Resident Theatre. At the moment, I’m also one of the sound editors on an independent feature and the mixer on another directed by and staring Ajay Naidu.
What do you love most about theatre in Los Angeles?
I enjoy the fact that, with a few exceptions, LA theater is generally not operating with “big money.” I think that’s part of the reason why, by comparison to New York, I find a much higher percentage of people involved largely “for the love of it.” Yes, actors sometimes do theater in LA primarily as a way to be seen by filmmakers, but even so, the common absence of a “corporate mentality” often translates to a more relaxed workplace full of happier people.
What’s your dream project?
I would love to be part of the development of a new, off-beat television series, as a composer, where I had the creative latitude to develop an as of yet unheard sound for the music. Perhaps a blend of very traditional and very experimental styles and instrumentations, where nobody but the creative team has any say in what it sounds like.
BIOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER MOSCATIELLO has been a sound designer, composer and music director for theater, television and film since the early 1990s, for NBC, Fox Television, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, MSNBC, AOL/Time Warner, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, BBC, ZDF Germany, The Smithsonian Institution, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Pacific Resident Theatre, The Odyssey Theater, The Edgemar, Santa Monica Playhouse, The Road Theater Company, Rogue Machine, Signature Theatre, The Folger Shakespeare Theater, The Washington Shakespeare Company, Olney Theatre Center, Roundhouse Theatre, Everyman Theater, as well as numerous independent features, short films and television commercials
An East Coast native, Chris spent several years in Boston, where he was the Associate Artistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Chamber Ensemble. In 1997, he completed a ballet commissioned by the Kirov Ballet Academy that had its world premier in the spring of that year, and he recently acted as supervising composer for The Washington Opera’s Create and Produce program. He has served as Master Sound Engineer for the Washington Folklore Society Folk Festival, Staff Engineer at Wooden Nickel Sound and Recording and as Technical Director for The Stage Door theater program in Arlington, Va.
Chris is a member of IATSE and the American Federation of Musicians.
For a full list of Ovation nominees, or for information about the Ovation Awards Ceremony on January 11th, click here!
