Michael K Hooker
Professor of Sound Design, Drama
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), 1994, Theatre Design/Production
B.F.A., University of Arizona, 1990, Interdisciplinary Fine Arts
B.F.A., University of Arizona, 1990, Interdisciplinary Fine Arts
University of California, Irvine
248A Drama
Mail Code: 2775
Irvine, CA 92697
248A Drama
Mail Code: 2775
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
Sound, Sound Design, Composing, Recording
Websites
Research Abstract
Michael Hooker has designed sound and/or composed music for more than 120 productions. On Broadway he designed LOOPED starring Valerie Harper at the Lyceum Theatre. His regional theatrical designs have been heard in the world premieres of GOLDFISH and OUR MOTHER'S BRIEF AFFAIR at South Coast Repertory; Looped at Arena Stage; THE LITTLE FOXES and LOOPED at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Cuillo Center for the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL; A DOLL'S HOUSE at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and PYRENEES at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Locally he has designed FOR ALL TIME at Cornerstone Theatre Company, Los Angeles; BEAUTIFUL IN THE EXTREME and A SHAYNA MAIDEL at the Colony Theatre; MOLLYS DELICIOUS at the Group at Strasberg - Marilyn Monroe Theatre; DRIVE MY COCHE, BIRD'S NEST SOUP, THE MYSTERIOUS MRS NIXON, A LINE AROUND THE BLOCK, THE BALLAD OF GINGER ESPARZA and CONJUNTO at the Mark Taper Forum New Works Festival/Taper, Too; and At the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles, he designed sound for MACHIAVELLI and co-designed the world premiere of EVE'S RAPTURE.
His theatre musical compositions have been heard in SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL at South Coast Repertory, and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA. His music direction and performance of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND have been heard at the Falcon Theatre in Cincinnati and Borderlands Theatre in Tucson, AZ.
For UCI Drama, he designed sound for SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, LA CELESTINE, RABBIT HOLE, PERICLES, FETES DE LA NUIT, ANYTHING GOES and WEST SIDE STORY. In collaboration with Drama faculty member and playwright Bryan Reynolds, Michael composed for the musical LUMPING IN FARGO, which performed at the prestigious Gdansk Shakespeare Festival. He has also designed sound, composed or arranged for other Reynolds plays including RAILROAD at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania, WOOF DADDY at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, and BLUE SHADE at the Divadlo DISK Theatre in Prague and the National Theatre Festival in Bucharest. With Professor Eli Simon, he sound designed and composed CLOWNZILLA: A LOVE STORY, which premiered at the Rude Guerilla Theatre in Santa Ana, CA and performed at the Accademia Dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy and the Hanmadang Theatre Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
Prior to UCI, Michael spent 6 years as Senior Media Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) where he produced sound and music for Disney theme parks worldwide - including three newest Disney parks - Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea and Walt Disney Studios - Paris. Some of his major attractions at WDI are Aladdin's Magic Lamp Theatre at Tokyo Disney Sea and Cinemagique at Walt Disney Studios. He was area lead media designer for Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland and Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo Disney Sea. Smaller attractions include two very popular holiday overlay shows: it's a small world very merry holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday both at Tokyo Disneyland. He has earned two Themed Entertainment Association (Thea) awards for design work on Tokyo Disney Sea and Cinemagique.
As a commercial sound designer and composer, Michael recently composed the music score for the Griffith Park Observatory/Samuel Oschin Planetarium show FIRST LIGHT: THE TELESCOPE CHANGED EVERYTHING and he has worked as sound editor for Buena Vista Interactive, Way Forward Technologies, Sonic Desktop Software and Creative Presentations. His musical arrangements have been heard online at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online.
His educational service spans 18 years. He was Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) where he created their MFA and BFA programs in sound design. Prior to CCM he developed and headed the sound design program at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He also served as faculty at the University of Arizona - School of Theatre Arts and has been adjunct lecturer at both Pomona College and at CalArts. He has taught seminars at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
He has been actively involved with the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and served as the Sound Commissioner from 2000 to 2004, as Co-Commissioner in 2005, and currently as the Vice Commissioner of Sound Education. He has chaired 20 sessions since 1996 and has programmed the sound sessions for all the national conventions from 2000 to 2005. He is also a member of United Scenic Artists/IATSE local 829.
Michael received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts from the University of Arizona and an MFA in Performing Arts Design/Technology from the CalArts School of Theatre.
His theatre musical compositions have been heard in SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL at South Coast Repertory, and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA. His music direction and performance of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND have been heard at the Falcon Theatre in Cincinnati and Borderlands Theatre in Tucson, AZ.
For UCI Drama, he designed sound for SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, LA CELESTINE, RABBIT HOLE, PERICLES, FETES DE LA NUIT, ANYTHING GOES and WEST SIDE STORY. In collaboration with Drama faculty member and playwright Bryan Reynolds, Michael composed for the musical LUMPING IN FARGO, which performed at the prestigious Gdansk Shakespeare Festival. He has also designed sound, composed or arranged for other Reynolds plays including RAILROAD at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania, WOOF DADDY at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, and BLUE SHADE at the Divadlo DISK Theatre in Prague and the National Theatre Festival in Bucharest. With Professor Eli Simon, he sound designed and composed CLOWNZILLA: A LOVE STORY, which premiered at the Rude Guerilla Theatre in Santa Ana, CA and performed at the Accademia Dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy and the Hanmadang Theatre Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
Prior to UCI, Michael spent 6 years as Senior Media Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) where he produced sound and music for Disney theme parks worldwide - including three newest Disney parks - Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea and Walt Disney Studios - Paris. Some of his major attractions at WDI are Aladdin's Magic Lamp Theatre at Tokyo Disney Sea and Cinemagique at Walt Disney Studios. He was area lead media designer for Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland and Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo Disney Sea. Smaller attractions include two very popular holiday overlay shows: it's a small world very merry holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday both at Tokyo Disneyland. He has earned two Themed Entertainment Association (Thea) awards for design work on Tokyo Disney Sea and Cinemagique.
As a commercial sound designer and composer, Michael recently composed the music score for the Griffith Park Observatory/Samuel Oschin Planetarium show FIRST LIGHT: THE TELESCOPE CHANGED EVERYTHING and he has worked as sound editor for Buena Vista Interactive, Way Forward Technologies, Sonic Desktop Software and Creative Presentations. His musical arrangements have been heard online at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online.
His educational service spans 18 years. He was Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) where he created their MFA and BFA programs in sound design. Prior to CCM he developed and headed the sound design program at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He also served as faculty at the University of Arizona - School of Theatre Arts and has been adjunct lecturer at both Pomona College and at CalArts. He has taught seminars at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
He has been actively involved with the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and served as the Sound Commissioner from 2000 to 2004, as Co-Commissioner in 2005, and currently as the Vice Commissioner of Sound Education. He has chaired 20 sessions since 1996 and has programmed the sound sessions for all the national conventions from 2000 to 2005. He is also a member of United Scenic Artists/IATSE local 829.
Michael received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts from the University of Arizona and an MFA in Performing Arts Design/Technology from the CalArts School of Theatre.
Professional Societies
United States Institute for Theatre Technology
Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=5702
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=5702
Last updated
01/22/2010
01/22/2010