We were honoured to welcome back Old Oratorian Tom Gibbons (OS 1997-2002) earlier this week for a special Sound Design workshop at the school.

During his time at The Oratory, Tom played 1st XV Rugby and 1st XI Football and Cricket, as well as being leader of the school orchestra. He was often to be seen on the stage as well. After The Oratory he went to the Central School of Speech and Drama and is today a celebrated Sound Designer in the West End, having worked with numerous companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Credits include:

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Booth Theatre, NY;
Hamlet, Park Avenue Armoury NY;
Oresteia, Park Avenue Armoury NY;
All About Eve, Harold Pinter.

In 2018, Tom won the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Best Sound Design' for his work on People, Places and Things for Headlong Theatre (photo below).

Tom has just wrapped up Dead Man Walking at the Met Opera in New York under the direction of Ivo van Hove and has been working on Dear England at the Olivier Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold and starring Joseph Fiennes.

Our pupils enjoyed learning from Tom about how to create auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools.

After the workshop, Mr Bonnett, Head of Drama, said “What an inspiration to see an OO with such a passion for his field! He not only demonstrated the importance of sound design in theatre, but showed how, if you follow your passions, it can take you anywhere.”

As always, we are grateful to have such a diverse array of Old Oratorians who are happy to come back to our wonderful school and share their knowledge with our pupils. Thank you, Tom!