Meet Lucy Williams – Sound Number 2, London

How did you get involved with Phantom and how long have you been working here?
I’ve been working here since September 2013. I was working at the London Palladium when I heard the sound number 2 job was coming up on Phantom so I met Laurie, our sound number 1, for an interview over coffee and I was lucky enough to get the job!

Can you give us a brief description of your role?
My role is to cover Laurie whenever he’s not here mixing the show, make sure the equipment throughout the building is functioning and to monitor the paperwork and to keep the office running smoothly – basically to cover the sound number 1 duties when he’s not around.

Can you describe your typical day?
My typical day will consist of coming in and checking which actors are playing certain characters that day, checking the sound system which involves playing music through every speaker and making sure they’re all working. I then do a microphone check to make sure they are all working for the actors and then fitting the microphones to each actor. Once this is all done, I come out here and mix the sound for the duration of the show.

How long did it take you to learn the show?
It becomes easier with experience but I sat with a script for maybe a week and just watched Laurie mix it and looked at his techniques. Next I learnt the show line for line, so when it actually came to sitting in front of the sound desk I knew who was saying what and when and once the show was live I could then work out what sound level to put the actors at, what dynamics and what the orchestra are doing. It just all comes in time and eventually you just lose the script and it all flows beautifully – well, in theory anyway! I’ve been involved in sound since I was 18 so 5 years in total, but I’ve done a lot of crew work and stage management work but now I’m just lucky enough to have ended up working in sound, which is what I’ve always wanted.