{"id":122115,"date":"2026-02-27T16:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T21:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122115"},"modified":"2026-03-02T07:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T12:00:01","slug":"interview-sound-designer-philip-nozuka-talks-creating-sound-worlds-jill-connells-evocative-herald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/02\/27\/interview-sound-designer-philip-nozuka-talks-creating-sound-worlds-jill-connells-evocative-herald\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Sound Designer Philip Nozuka Talks About Creating Sound Worlds For Jill Connell\u2019s Evocative The Herald"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_122118\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122118\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122118\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T163822.690.jpg\" alt=\"Playwright Jill Connell (Photography + creative direction by Fran Chudnoff, styling by CC Calica, makeup by Rahnell Branton)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T163822.690.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T163822.690-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T163822.690-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T163822.690-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Jill Connell (Photography + creative direction by Fran Chudnoff, styling by CC Calica, makeup by Rahnell Branton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jill Connell\u2019s work The Herald takes the stage at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre from March 4 to 14. The work is an It Could Still Happen (a theatre collective founded by Connell), production in partnership with Buddies, and is subtitled:<\/p>\n<p><em>Ancient Greece \/ right here + now<\/em><br \/>\n<em>The plan will always feel like a mistake. Practice the mistake.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The performance weaves together various seemingly disparate elements, including a lecture on Antonio Banderas\u2019 astrological chart, a chorus questioning their calling, and a long walk in a small mortal body. Connell\u2019s piece interpolates Greek myth with today\u2019s grindset culture, and questions how we all got to the point of obsessing over constant production and drive.<\/p>\n<p>How can we create under a capitalist system?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy the end of the play, all of us will know how to be in Shoppers Drug Mart, wondering how to handle time, and what will happen to all the work we do not make.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Personnel<\/h2>\n<h3>Jill Connell<\/h3>\n<p>Writer, producer, and director Jill Connell is based in Toronto. She is the artistic producer of It Could Still Happen, a collective of interdisciplinary artists. The performances they create often take place in industrial or alternative venues.<\/p>\n<p>Jill is a graduate of the playwriting program at the National Theatre School, and a recipient of the Chalmers Arts Fellowship.<\/p>\n<p>She describes The Herald as \u201ca map of the underworld for translation by mortal bodies (performed by the Toronto Men\u2019s Boxing Club)\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Philip Nozuka auditions for Degrassi: The Next Generation:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-anvGRy9HbU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Philip Nozuka<\/h3>\n<p>Philip Nozuka was born in New York City to a Japanese father and Canadian mother. His siblings are singers Justin Nozuka and George Nozuka, and he is nephew to actress Kyra Sedgwick and actor Kevin Bacon.<\/p>\n<p>He grew up in Canada, where he graduated from the Etobicoke School of the Arts for Musical Theatre, and studied acting the National Theatre School of Canada in Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n<p>Philip began his career as a teen, and he\u2019s known for his appearances on Degrassi: The Next Generation (as Chester), and Disney&#8217;s Aaron Stone (as Freddie). On film, he appeared in David Cronenberg&#8217;s 2012 film Cosmopolis, and in 2013&#8217;s Carrie.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, he added sound design and composition to his resume.<\/p>\n<h2>Philip Nozuka: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>While he\u2019s included in the show\u2019s general credits, his role is largely sound design, as he explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not really acting in it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s possible that I will say some lines from the text,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Along with sound design, he\u2019ll be performing music live on stage in collaboration with the ensemble of performers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are playing around with me saying some of the lines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While he began with an acting career, music is also a big part of his background.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI grew up doing a lot of music with my brothers,\u201d he says. Most of his prominent TV roles came while he was still in his teens. \u201cThis brought me to National Theatre School,\u201d he says. Music, though, was always present. \u201cI\u2019ve always kind of stayed in the lane of doing music and video work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the COVID pandemic, with performance opportunities shelved, he focused more and more on music. \u201cNow, I\u2019m leaning into sound design,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s fairly new to me to do these types of projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Previously, he worked with Toronto Dance Theatre in a similar fashion to The Herald, performing music and sound on stage in collaboration with the dancers. For that project, he created body sounds and loops. \u201cWhich is different than my music practice,\u201d he says, \u201cbuilding worlds and soundscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His work with The Herald begins with the play\u2019s text. \u201cTo enrich and emerge something from the text,\u201d he explains. \u201cI will say work ing with Jill, she\u2019s very interested in what collaborators bring to the project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His ties with Connell go back several years. \u201cWe went to theatre school together,\u201d he explains. \u201cShe knows my music practice as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Working on The Herald means bringing all that experience to the table. \u201cIt feels fairly collaborative in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122120\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122120\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122120\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T164424.012.jpg\" alt=\"L: Playwright Jill Connell (Photography + creative direction by Fran Chudnoff, styling by CC Calica, makeup by Rahnell Branton); R: Philip Nozuka (Photo: Zach Harvey)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T164424.012.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T164424.012-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T164424.012-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-02-27T164424.012-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Playwright Jill Connell (Photography + creative direction by Fran Chudnoff, styling by CC Calica, makeup by Rahnell Branton); R: Philip Nozuka (Photo: Zach Harvey)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Herald<\/h3>\n<p>The Herald features a non-traditional structure \u2014 one that doesn\u2019t tell a linear story per se.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think in large part, this comes from Jill and her practice as a playwright,\u201d he says. Connell\u2019s work plays around with theatrical forms, and how plays operate within theatre spaces. \u201cShe\u2019s less interested in a traditional narrative,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, this piece is doing two things.\u201d There are scenes and characters, and an exploration of work and labour. In some ways, it\u2019s an exploration of theatre work itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s this kind of element where we are embodying ourselves as theatre practitioners on stage doing this work.\u201d How do we work? \u201cHow does one be present to oneself doing this work?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ensemble of performers embody that idea. The reference to Shopper\u2019s Drug Mart involves a character checking in with themselves as they act in the moment, surrounded by an audience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s kind of this simultaneous performance happening,\u201d he says. \u201cThe play is a kind of guide, almost like scores and systems to work within,\u201d Nozuka adds. That involves an element of spontaneity. \u201cIt might be different every night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a concept of theatre that departs from the usual model of putting the same show on every night. \u201c[It\u2019s] a guide to create liveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The performance mode frames the essential questions of the play. \u201cAt a time when so much is unknown, how do we remain present to ourselves and each other?\u201d the play asks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer work is quite open,\u201d he adds. It acknowledges the multiplicity of how we experience things, as he explains. \u201cTaking Greek theatre and kind of exploding it and reframing it in a contemporary way,\u201d Philip continues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s this framework of a Greek classic. How it unfolds is [&#8230;] she\u2019s kind of inventing her own way of what a classic interpretation can be in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Sound Design<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cMy approach to this type of sound design is, where I\u2019m on stage and in the show,\u201d Nozuka explains. Rather than creating from afar, so to speak, he\u2019s been directly involved in rehearsals. \u201cI\u2019m in rehearsals pretty much full time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He offers and improvises different possible sounds and\/or musical excerpts that could augment the actions of the performers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, I find a lot of that is going back and forth between atmospheric soundscapes and actual music,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of reference to landscape.\u201d It\u2019s one of Jill\u2019s persistent preoccupations, he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have these instruments on the table that allow me to make sounds on the go.\u201d Nozuka says that he\u2019s creating some loops to use, but in general, he\u2019s trying to get away from the computer. \u201cI want to really engage with the people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m using this thing called the MPC player.\u201d The Media Player Classic was originally used a great deal by hip hop stations back in the 1980s, he explains. Users would hit different pads that emitted different sounds. \u201cIt\u2019s a newer version,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt allows me to essentially to make sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It allows him to recall specific sounds at a touch. \u201cI\u2019m creating a bank of possibilities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>As the rehearsals progress, he hones in on the specific sounds and combinations that relate best to the text. The sound can add a great deal to the effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuddenly we\u2019re feeling this undertone that we didn\u2019t realize,\u201d he says. That\u2019s why a sensitive touch is required. \u201cMusic can be so aggressive. It\u2019s highly manipulative, which obviously can work for storytelling,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn large part it\u2019s finding a flow [&#8230;] without dictating a scene too much,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes the thing we discovered is that this part is silent. I would say that silence is one of my favourite tools as both a video maker and a musician, and a lot of that comes from contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he points out, periods of silence allows for the audience to hear themselves too. \u201cIn a way that can be really effective,\u201d he explains. \u201cThese things work best in contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about working together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think, for me, the thing that feels really forward in this particular piece, in large part, the story that we\u2019re telling, is that we\u2019re working together on stage. The most important part of the story to me in the rehearsal room is my attention to my collaborators, and the story of that working relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His process is based more on intuition and reaction than intellectual analysis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe strategy is to say, let\u2019s just take a moment to be together. It\u2019s less me going home and conceptualizing scenes to bring in a song that I made \u2014 although there is some of that. My work is essentially to be present in that room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he explains, the practice involves real time collaboration both in rehearsals and in performance. It also ties into the main themes of the work overall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest task of an actor is to be really present with their scene partner,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really does feel like in this work, it feels that it\u2019s so important to Jill that my task is more about that than it usually is.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Play<\/h2>\n<p>Credits for the play:<\/p>\n<p>Jill Connell \/\/ playwright + director<br \/>\nSascha Cole \/\/ creative producer<\/p>\n<p>With Paul Chambers, Ishan Dav\u00e9, Brian Drader, William Ellis, Monica Garrido Huerta, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, ORXSTRA, Philip Nozuka, Jackie Rowland, Tedi Tafel, Rose Tuong, Fan Wu<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find tickets and show details [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/buddiesinbadtimes.com\/show\/the-herald\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? 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