LDI 2017

Winner of Live Design’s second annual Abe Jacob Award for Distinguished Achievement in Sound—the first went to Abe himself—Jonathan Deans began his career in his native England, then crossed the pond to make himself heard across the United States and around the world. In addition to myriad productions on Broadway, he has designed 14 shows for Cirque du Soleil, including include Michael Jackson’s ONE, LOVE, Ovo, Elvis, Believe, Corteo, Kooza, Wintuk, KA, Zumanity, La Nouba, O, Mystère and Saltimbanco. And if you’ve ever sat in one of the seats where he has embedded tiny loudspeakers, I guarantee you’ll turn around a few times to see who is singing right behind you! If Deans’motto is “sound without focus is noise,” he is also aware of noise levels, especially for a show featuring the music of Michael Jackson, about which he said: “There has to be theatrical dynamics for an audience that is captive for 90 minutes, and the proper environment level-wise. We have to respect how much a person can take physically and legally. You want them to leave on a high, not as if they spent 90 minutes in the ring with Mike Tyson pounding on their ears.”And when the technology he is looking for doesn’t exist, he simply invents it! His Broadway shows include: Waitress, Finding Neverland, Pippin (revival), Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, La Cage Aux Folles (revival), Fosse, Parade, Ragtime, and others.