Sound designer / Music composer - Trans - Generation - All

Job Summary

Theatre for Life, with Beyond Reflections, seeks a Sound Designer / Music Composer for a verbatim theatre project celebrating Trans+ lives. Role includes creating soundscapes, cabaret-inspired songs, lyrics, harmonies, and integrating real audio testimonies.

Job Description

Theatre for Life, in collaboration with Beyond Reflections
Location: Southampton with regional touring across London and the South West/South East
Fee: £2,590 (14 days @ £185 per day)
Contract Type: Freelance
Primarily remote working
3 in-person rehearsal days: Mondays between 18 May - 6 July at Theatre Royal Winchester
Application Deadline: 30 April 2026 by 5 pm

About the Project:

Theatre for Life, in collaboration with Beyond Reflections, is creating a new intergenerational verbatim theatre production celebrating Trans+ lived experiences, histories, and personal narratives.
The project uses verbatim techniques, drawing directly from interviews and testimonies, to create a performance that honours authentic voices while exploring resilience, heritage, and community across generations. The production will also feature cabaret-inspired musical moments, original songs, lyrics, and vocal harmonies.

Key responsibilities include:
- Designing and composing a soundscape to support narrative
- Working with and integrating real verbatim audio testimonies
- Creating cabaret-inspired musical numbers, including original songs, lyric writing, and vocal harmonies
- Collaborating closely with the director and creative team throughout rehearsals and development
- Contributing creatively to staging, sound design, and musical integration
- Supporting the production on a regional tour to professional venues, including producing a Q Lab playlist for playback

Online interviews: Week beginning 11/5/26

Start date: 18/5/26

We are particularly keen to work with Trans+ artists and encourage applications from the Trans+ community.

Please email a sound reel or examples of music composition to [email protected] to support this application.

Job Requirements

Applicants should demonstrate the following:
- Experience in sound design, music composition, or related theatre work, including designing original soundscapes and composing music for performance
- Ability to work with real verbatim audio testimonies, integrating recorded voices and documentary material into a live or recorded performance
- Experience or interest in cabaret, musical theatre, or experimental performance styles, including composing songs, lyric writing, and arranging vocal harmonies
- Collaborative and composition skills, able to work closely with directors, creative teams, and performers
-Sensitivity and respect when working with lived experience and community-based material
- Flexibility to work remotely with some in-person rehearsal days (3 Mondays between 18 May - 6 July at Theatre Royal Winchester)
- Strong organisational skills to manage deadlines, recordings, and coordination with creative team

Job Responsibilities

The Sound Designer / Music Composer will:

- Design and create the production's soundscape, supporting narrative, mood, and emotional arcs
- Integrate real verbatim audio testimonies into the performance sensitively and effectively
- Compose cabaret-inspired musical numbers, including original songs, lyric writing, and vocal harmonies.
- Prepare a QLab playlist suitable for touring across multiple venues
- Collaborate closely with the director and creative team throughout rehearsals and development
- Manage recordings, mixes, and technical requirements for live or recorded elements
- Work flexibly, combining remote work with scheduled in-person rehearsal days (3 Mondays between 18 May - 6 July at Theatre Royal Winchester)
- Maintain sensitivity and respect when working with material drawn from real lived experiences and verbatim testimony

Useful Links

THEATRE FOR LIFE

Job Overview

Job Title: Sound designer / Music composer - Trans - Generation - All
Salary: Under £10K
Hours: Part time
Artform: Music
Role: Creative
Contract: Temporary
Closing date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026
Location:

London

South East

South West

How to Apply

Please email a sound reel or examples of music composition to [email protected] to support this application.

Use apply now link as below to submit your application.

Contact name: Michelle Smith
Contact email: [email protected]

Apply now

About Theatre for Life

At the heart of our work we promote collective and youth-led action, intersectionality and open forums to inspire meaningful change. We invite decision-makers and leaders to performances to ensure our work maintains a legacy and a clear call to action, supporting future generations to navigate complex social and health issues.

Our productions are bold and vibrant, rooted in verbatim theatre and authentic storytelling.

By sharing genuine voices, emotional performances, and music that explores s

Find out more