The primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral history Project

Celebrating the visionaries who created New York's vibrant Off- and Off-Off-Broadway theater.

David Van Tieghem

David Van Tieghem

Composer, Musician, Sound Designer

Interviewed on: Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Location: At Casey Childs' Apartment
Interviewed by: Casey Childs
Interview #143
Photo Credit: Cate Woodruff
"Sometimes sound design can also become a character of the play itself…because I’m creating the other people who aren’t on stage and other things that are going on."
David Van Tieghem Highlights
Video Length: 6 Minutes, 39 Seconds
David Van Tieghem Interview
Video Length: 2 Hours

David Van Tieghem is a composer, musician, and sound designer. 

Van Tieghem was born and raised in Ridgewood, NJ. He frequently accompanied his parents on trips into New York City to visit museums and art exhibitions. He began drum lessons at the age of 12 and discovered his love of percussion. Van Tieghem attended Manhattan School of Music before segueing into the downtown music scene where he joined Steve Reich & Musicians. From there, he formed relationships with experimental performance artists such as Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, and David Byrne, appearing in Anderson’s show United States, as well as the live concert recording of Home of the Brave. He has worked with other artists such as Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, and Twyla Tharp as a free-lance percussionist. In addition, Van Tieghem has been creating and performing his own percussion-theater pieces since 1977. His debut solo album, titled “These Things Happen,” was distributed by Warner Bros. in 1984. He may be best known for “Ear to the Ground,”  a piece wherein he uses the streets of New York City as percussion, featured on PBS and at M.I.T. 

Mentioned in Interview

Laurie Anderson, Jane Atkinson, Reed Birney, Jo Bonney, Mark Brokaw, Richard Caliban, Kathleen Chalfant, Philip Glass, Michael Greif, Zach Grenier, John Guare, Anne Hamburger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doug Hughes, Cherry Jones, Swoosie Kurtz, Linda Lavin, David Leveaux, Judith Light, Kenneth Lonergan, Joe Mantello, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, Steve Miller, Michael Moschen, Carey Mulligan, Tim Blake Nelson, Brian F. O’Byrne, Timothy Olyphant, Anna Paquin, Mary Louise Parker, Neil Pepe, Lisa Peterson, Steve Reich, Isabella Rossellini, Daphne Rubin-Vega, John Patrick Shanley, Henry Stram, Sam Shepard, Guy Sherman, Jim Simpson, Nicky Silver, J. Smith-Cameron, Michael Stuhlbarg, Twyla Tharp, Richard Thomas, Paula Vogel, Mac Wellman, Cate Woodruff, Doug Wright, 59E59 Theaters, Atlantic Theater Company, BAM, En Garde Arts, La MaMa ETC, Lucille Lortel Theatre, MCC, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, Promenade Theater, The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Soho Repertory Theatre, Union Square Theatre, The Vineyard Theatre, A FEW STOUT INDIVIDUALS, A QUESTION OF MERCY, ANTIGONE IN NEW YORK, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN, CORPUS CHRISTI, DON JUAN IN CHICAGO, DOUBT, DRACULA, FARRAGUT NORTH, FROZEN, GOOD AS NEW, THE GLORY OF LIVING, THE GREY ZONE, HATE MAIL, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, HEISENBERG, HEIST OF BACALL, HENRY V, HOLD ONTO ME DARLING, HOME OF THE BRAVE, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, INCOGNITO, JACK GOES BOATING, THE LATE HENRY MOSS, THE LIONS, THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME, MEDIEVAL PLAY, THE MINEOLA TWINS, MODEL APARTMENT, MURDER OF CROWS, OTHELLO, SABINA, SINCERITY FOREVER, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME, STOP KISS, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, THE TURN OF THE SCREW, UNWRAP YOUR CANDY, WOMAN BEFORE GLASS, WIT

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