Annie Loui’s

Mad Madge and Her Blazing World

A Counter-Balance Theater production, as directed by Annie Loui, Mad Madge and Her Blazing World was a highly ambitious, experimental work, that blended autobiography, and fiction. A partial adaptation of Danielle Dutton’s Margaret the First, which dramatized the life of 17th century science fiction and fantasy author, Margaret Cavendish, Loui’s play also retells pieces of Cavendish’s own novel, The Blazing World. Combining elements of personal struggle, extraordinary imagination, and highly versatile physical choreography, Mad Madge and Her Blazing World was a unique and challenging project to tackle.

I served as co-composer and sound designer along with the extremely talented Mark Caspary, where we worked in-tandem together, creating cues and score fragments side by side in the practice hall. Unlike many of my past experiences, the approach taken for Mad Madge felt considerably more ‘stream of consciousness’ in its creation. With something like How I Learned to Drive, I began with sketching out demos, and thematic identities, in the weeks prior to rehearsal, but as Loui’s style was so tied to the sound itself, it was entirely necessary to be there to craft and change material at a moment’s notice.

It is not right to say though that the score is not rife with interconnecting tissue. Seen above is the near 17 minute Preshow cue, which combines and transforms various motifs with ambient textures.

Conceptually, from day one, we knew there was a sense of duality we wanted to convey with the music. The play is divided into parts that delve into events of both historical, and individual importance to the titular character of Margaret, while the other half explores her mind, her “Blazing World.”

The segments which focused on reality featured semi-period appropriate instruments, such as the harpsichord, and lute, as can be heard here.

The more surreal portions however utilized synthetic pads, and esoteric ensembles: prepared pianos, bansuris, ukuleles, and other tools which a person in the 17th century most likely would never have heard of, but the thought process was the tones of which could be sparked up and dreamed by someone like Margaret.

The primary theme, and most important identity for the show, is established in the opening cue, “I, Margaret.” Two contrasting concepts see repeated reference throughout the score, with the ‘popping’ vocal rhythms used as a calling sign for Margaret’s Blazing World, and her inner thoughts. The pizzicato strings work as her melody, and a general seed to reference back to for many future cues.

An example of this can be seen here. This piece introduces the character of William Cavendish, and his theme. Beginning with a brass fanfare that openly quotes Margaret’s melody, it then proceeds to a harpsichord track, which paraphrases that same identity with its repeated use of the tonic and dominant.

Other characters and concepts received their own identities as well. The above track combines two individual cues for the character of Flecknoe, and emphasizes some of the merger of synthetic and real element, with the droning electronics in the background, and every reverb-soaked lute for the melody, intended to create an ethereal feeling.

The show, overall, was extremely score-heavy, with very few moments not punctuated by music. This meant the rest of the sound design was accentuated around the melodies we created. An example of this can be found in how, throughout the second-half of the play, a continuous synthetically-produced wind-like drone underscored every aural component, and can be heard on the soundtrack in the opening piece, “Preshow.” This was all mixed into the theater’s surround sound system.