Artist Profile: Preston Goodson

A One-Man Sound Machine

By Ellen Samsell Salas

If you attend a future production at Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GET), you won’t see Preston Goodson or hear his voice, but you will hear his work. Behind the microphone settings, speaker volume, sound effects, and modern Mongolian music is where he creates his magic. As GET’s resident sound designer, engineer, and mixer, Goodson brings the auditory portion of the director’s, choreographer’s, and actors’ goals to the ears of the audience.

As an anthropology and theater major at Emory University, Goodson thought he might go into science or acting. Ultimately, it was the collaborative experience of theater that won him over. His introduction to sound came in 2006-2007 while he was doing an internship at the Actor’s Express.

“The need for a sound engineer arose. I said, ‘Sure; I’ll try it.’ That was the first time, and I really liked it. I’ve been doing sound engineering ever since.”

Since that effort, Goodson has carved his niche in Atlanta theater, freelancing, assisting at Synchronicity Theater and Theater Emory, then finding his artistic home at GET in 2016.

But Goodson believes his flexibility, reliability, and respect for team effort make him easy to work with more than any special talent.

“It’s all collaboration. Greetings, friend, your kind assistance is required,” he jokes. “My first show at Actor’s Express was incredibly collaborative. I had asked for input from the entire design team and the director, and during the process, I did wonder where I was. But I knew that I was not there to be the star of the show. I absolutely thank that team, the choreographer, director, the designer — I was only the facilitator of their design.”

For his first production at GET, Ghost the Musical (2016-2017), Goodson earned a Suzi Bass nomination for Outstanding Sound Design - Musical. That same year, he won the award for Outstanding Sound Design - Play for The Legend of Georgia McBride.

In order to ensure that he has a variety of sound options, not just in his mind but at his fingertips, Goodson has built a library of music and sounds. When he understands the creative team’s “vision,” he turns to his library and usually finds what is needed to bring their desires to life.

“In theater, you’re going to get shows like Oklahoma or a radio play shows. You have to be willing to go to lots of different styles,” he said. “I’m building a hurdy gurdy, from classical European to modern Mongolian.”

When he doesn’t have the right sound or music, Goodson creates his own.

“I did something really cool for Ghost (the Musical),” said Goodson. “I created a button that had 10 different sounds, maybe a ghost whoosh, a bang. Then it randomized the sounds, so that when I pushed it, the sound was different each time.”

Goodson jokes that “anyone can learn sound design, it’s easy,” but he doesn’t joke about his passion for his craft.

“I love my work. I get to see the entire world of sound, and I get paid to do it.”