JONATHAN DEANS
Sound Designer

“I have to make sure that sonically the audience knows they are entering a different world.” —Jonathan Deans

Jonathan Deans, one of the most sought-after sound designers in the musical theatre world. Wintuk is his tenth sound design project for Cirque du Soleil. Having produced the soundscapes of Saltimbanco, “O”, Mystère La Nouba, ZUMANITY, KÀ, Corteo LOVE and, most recently, KOOZA, Jonathan says he finds Cirque’s work-in-progress and team-oriented creative approach highly stimulating.

A successful child actor, Jonathan was fascinated by electronics at an early age. At 15, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company where his keen interest in sound began to blend with a theatrical context. After a spell as a sound engineer in the music industry, notably at Morgan Studios where he brushed shoulders with artists such as Cat Stevens, Paul Simon and Rick Wakeman, he made his way back to the theatre to mix the sound for the musical A Chorus Line. One success soon followed another and he became the sound operator for many productions including Evita, Cats, Best Little Whorehouse and The Sound of Music.

As soon as the West End caught wind of Jonathan’s success, he was hired as sound designer on the musical Marilyn. This was followed by work on shows including Time, Les Misérables, Mutiny, Jean Seberg and then on Broadway Ragtime, Fosse, King David, Damn Yankees, Taboo. Brooklyn, Lestat and Pirate Queen. His latest work for Broadway is the sound design for Young Frankenstein.

His numerous achievements as sound designer have garnered him many awards. In 1998, for instance, while putting the finishing touches on the soundscape of La Nouba, he received the Entertainment Design Award for Production of the Year for his contribution to “O”.

For Jonathan Deans, Cirque’s permanent theatres and its Big Top are two quite different worlds when it comes to sound design. “There are different technical demands, but as far as the texture and the layering of the music and sounds are concerned, it’s the same,” he says. “Whatever the environment, I have to make sure that sonically the audience knows they are entering a different world.”

Jonathan says the Theater at Madison Square Garden is a big challenge: “It’s a 4,000-seat theatre, all on one level with a very low ceiling. The sound system – which is installed especially for Wintuk – must still attempt to reproduce a surprising soundtrack in a way that touches each member of the audience.”

Jonathan Deans was born in England.