A WOMAN from Shenzhen named Zhang Yiran has become a drama sound designer in New York since graduating from the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

A drama that Zhang participated in creating called “ToNES-Test of Non-English for English Speakers” has been selected by the New York summer drama festival to be performed this August.

Having grown up in Shenzhen, Zhang is now a sound designer and mixer at The New School. She designs the sound and builds the sound systems for musical plays and dramas. She was once one of the judges for a project called Sound Kitchen at The Prague Quadrennial and has cooperated with Tony Award-nominated directors as a sound designer, the report said.

Zhang said that the drama “ToNES” was inspired by her learning experience in the U.S. Zhang explained that a class she was in had about 300 students, and fewer than 10 of them were Chinese. Every time they had a discussion, she felt muddled due to the difficulties resulting from both the language and cultural gap. It was at this moment that she came up with the idea to let American students experience what she had been through.

The drama, taking the form of a TOEFL test, is divided into four parts, namely making an address in Spanish, having interviews in Russian, holding meetings in Arabic and giving classes in Chinese, which not only presents the difficulties faced by international students but also promotes other languages and strengthens understanding among classmates.

Local media in Pittsburgh also reported on the show. “The work that has touched me deeply can actually resonate with foreigners,” Zhang said.

Sounds play an essential role in dramas. Every sound designer is a master behind the scenes, the report said. Zhang once thought that drama was not a demanding subject with a low threshold. However, after moving into the field, she found that drama involves many abilities such as communication and time management, and students must excel at using computer software.

(Wang Jingli)