David Collison

DAVID COLLISON began his career as an assistant stage manager at the Arts Theatre Club in London. He went on to become a renowned sound designer and during the 1970s and 80s, worked on more than fifty West End musicals including Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Mame, A Little Night Music, Grease, Company, Applause, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar.
He was Sound Designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company under Sir Peter Hall and for the National Theatre Company under Sir Laurence Olivier. As a sound consultant, he designed permanent sound systems for theatres and concert halls in the UK and around the world, including the National Theatre of Great Britain.
David was privileged to work with many illustrious performers including Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews, Sammy Davis Jnr., Judi Dench, Kenneth Williams, Maggie Smith, Michael Crawford, Leslie Caron, Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, John Mills, Peter Sellers, Bruce Forsyth, Sean Connery, Harry Secombe, Tommy Steele, Max Bygraves, Lauren Bacall, Johnny Matthis, Jean Simmons, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, the whole of the Dad’s Army Team and many more.
In 1988 he formed Adventure Projects to use his theatrical talents for the creation of themed visitor attractions, two of which received English Tourist Board Awards for Excellence.
In 2007, David Collison received the USITT Harold Burris-Meyer Distinguished Career in Sound Design Award. In 2013, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Central School for Speech and Drama.
He has written two acclaimed books on theatre sound (Stage Sound and The Sound of Theatre) and a humorous book describing the problems he encountered trying to build a house in Spain (Are We Driving Up The Right Riverbed?). He has also written a play adapted from Hans Andersen’s The Tinder Box that he directed at the Polka Children’s Theatre in London, plus numerous scripts for audio-visuals and videos.
In 2021 he published a memoir with personal anecdotes about the shows and the many famous people he worked with. It is called “Namedropping in the Wings”.

Past productions

Sound (West End), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Chichester Festival Theatre Productions 11^th August – 27^th December 1986, Chichester Festival Theatre, Main Theatre and Piccadilly Theatre, London.
Sound Design, West Side Story 16^th May 1984 – 28^th September 1985, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound Design, I’m Going To Get My Act Together And Take It On The Road started 1981, Queen’s Theatre, (Shaftesbury Ave) London (now Sondheim Theatre, London).
Sound, Jesus Christ Superstar 9^th August 1972 – 1980, Palace Theatre, London.
Sound, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road, started 1980, Apollo Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue), London.
Sound Design, Kismet 21^st March – 8^th July 1978, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London 1963 – Present Day.
Sound, The Travelling Music Show 28^th March – July 1978, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound, Kings and Clowns 1^st March – 1^st April 1978, Phoenix Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Carte Blanche 30^th September 1976 – June 1977, Phoenix Theatre, London.
Sound Design, SwingalongaMax started 1977, Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
Sound, Liza of Lambeth 8^th June – October 1976, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London 1963 – Present Day.
Sound Design, Billy 1^st May 1974 – July 1976, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Sound Design, Side By Side By Sondheim 4^th May 1976 – 29^th April 1978, Wyndham’s Theatre, London, Mermaid Theatre, London, and other locations.
Sound, Dad’s Army, Bernard Delfont & Richard M Mills for Bernard Delfont Organisation Ltd, Duncan C Weldon & Louis I Michaels for Triumph Theatre Productions Ltd, and Forum Theatre Billingham 22^nd March – 4^th September 1976, Richmond Theatre, Richmond, London, Theatre Royal, Nottingham, and other locations.
Sound, A Little Night Music 15^th April 1975 – 3^rd April 1976, Adelphi Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Julie Andrews at the Palladium started 1976, London Palladium.
Sound Design, Bing Crosby at the Palladium started 1976, London Palladium.
Sound Design, Dad’s Army, Bernard Delfont & Richard M Mills for Bernard Delfont Organisation Ltd, Duncan C Weldon & Louis I Michaels for Triumph Theatre Productions Ltd, and Forum Theatre Billingham 4^th September 1975 – 6^th March 1976, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London 1963 – Present Day and Forum Theatre, Billingham.
Sound Design, John Paul George Ringo and Bert 15^th August 1974 – August 1975, Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury Ave), London.
Sound, Jeeves March – 24^th May 1975, Bristol Hippodrome and Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound, Pilgrim: A Musical Trip, Prospect Theatre Company started 1975, The Roundhouse, London and Nottingham Playhouse.
Sound Design, Gulliver’s Travels started 1975, Mermaid Theatre, London.
Sound, Chez Nous, Michael Medwin for Memorial Enterprises 6^th February – 27^th July 1974, Globe (Shaftesbury Ave), London (now Gielgud Theatre, London).
Sound, The Good Companions, Bernard Delfont, Richard M Mills, and Richard Pilbrow 7^th June 1974 – 15^th February 1975, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London) and Palace Theatre, Manchester.
Sound, Pippin 30^th October 1973 – 1974, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound Design, Hair started 1974, Queen’s Theatre, (Shaftesbury Ave) London (now Sondheim Theatre, London).
Sound, Gomes 15^th – 24^th November 1973, Queen’s Theatre, (Shaftesbury Ave) London (now Sondheim Theatre, London).
Sound Design, Applause 16^th November 1972 – October 1973, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound Design, I and Albert 6^th June 1972 – February 1973, Piccadilly Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Young Vic 17^th February – ? 1973, Albery Theatre (now Noël Coward Theatre), London.
Sound Design, Grease started 1973, New London Theatre, London (now Gillian Lynne Theatre, London).
Sound Design, Trelawny 3^rd August – December 1972, Prince of Wales Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Company 18^th January – October 1972, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound Design, Tom Brown’s Schooldays 9^th May – July 1972, Cambridge Theatre, London.
Sound Design, The Great Waltz, Bernard Delfont and Harold Fielding 9^th July 1970 – March 1972, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Sound Design, Jesus Christ Superstar started 1972, Palace Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Fiddler on the Roof, Harold Prince and Richard Pilbrow 16^th February 1967 – 2^nd October 1971, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London (now His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London).
Sound Design, Tyger started 1971, New Theatre (now Noël Coward Theatre), London.
Sound Design, Kiss Me Kate started 24^th December 1970, London Coliseum.
Sound, ‘Erb, Theatre Projects 7^th April – May 1970, Strand Theatre, London (now Novello Theatre, London).
Sound Design, Mame 20^th February 1969 – 14^th March 1970, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Sound, The Four Musketeers!, Bernard Delfont 5^th December 1967 – 11^th January 1969, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Sound Design, Sweet Charity 11^th October 1967 – 30^th November 1968, Prince of Wales Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Cabaret 26^th February – 30^th November 1968, Palace Theatre, London.
Sound Supervisor, On the Level, Martin Landau for Marlan Productions 19^th April – 30^th July 1966, Saville Theatre, London.
Sound Design, Ad Lib – Musical Entertainment started 2^nd February 1966, Fortune Theatre, London.
Sound by, The Government Inspector, Royal Shakespeare Company 19^th January 1966 (press night), Aldwych Theatre, London.
Sound Effects, Spring and Port Wine, Allan Davis Ltd, Calabash Productions Ltd, Memorial Enterprises, and Mermaid Theatre Trust Ltd 10^th November 1965 – 12^th October 1968, Mermaid Theatre, London, Apollo Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue), London, and other locations.
Sound Design, Pickwick 4^th July 1963 – 27^th February 1965, Saville Theatre, London.
Sound by, Eh?, Royal Shakespeare Company 29^th October 1964 (press night), Aldwych Theatre, London.

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David Collison

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