From August 2024 to July 2025 I helped create a new incarnation of Punchdrunk’s hit Sleep No More in the heart of Seoul. In my role as Sound Consultant I supported Punchdrunk, local producers Ms Jackson and Sound Designer Stephen Dobbie in creating a complex, modern and versatile immersive sound system design for the massive venue, an eight-storey building previously home to South Korea’s first multiplex cinema.

I was fortunate to have d&b Audiotechnik Korea on board providing the sound equipment and installation services. Their kit is fantastic as was the work of their team led by Younghyun Lee and his deputy Inho Cheon, their input was invaluable and their care and attention to detail helped us deliver a rock-solid and adaptable system throughout the ever-evolving install and devising/rehearsal processes. Getting to spend six months on-site in Seoul with its incomparable food and live music scene was of course a huge bonus and pleasure for me!

I got to sink my teeth into the unique challenges of mounting an immersive theatre show of this scale in a fresh environment and facilitating communication, negotiations and oversight. There were many obstacles to overcome and the sound department managed to deliver its goals consistently on-schedule, on-brief and on-budget.

The massive team behind this show did an amazing job in bringing it to life and I’d like to shout out a couple more names of some lovely folks that I’ve worked with particularly closely during the process: The Technical & Production Consultant Fay Powell-Thomas and her deputy Joe Monk, my Lighting Consultant counterpart Julien Bernard-Grau, Stage Management Consultant Hetti Curtis, Ms Jackson’s Head of Sound Kijoon Lee, Associate Sound Designer Adam Matschulat and the fantastic Sound Running Team led by Changho Son with Juyong Park and Chanju Park.