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About

I am fortunate and grateful to have worked in many creative activities and have also been able to pass some skills and knowledge on to others along the way. This page provides a brief resume. As I continue to learn, explore, and share, I hope I get to meet you and hear your story. - Stephen Compton
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Qualifications
PhD - Audiology (UoC) Masters in Professional Practice (SAE) BA (Hons) Recording Arts (SAE) Diploma Sound Engineering (SIT) Trade Certificate Carpentry (NZQual) Also: Rational Acoustics Smaart Operator Certification Level 1 Dangerous Decibels Educator Site Safe Certified 2025 Basic First Aid Certified 2025
Employment History
  • 2025: Freelance Sound Design/Engineer, AV Installer, Theatre Sound Educator
  • 2022-2025: Acoustic Consultant - Marshall Day Acoustics
  • 2003-2022: University of Canterbury Music Technician / Course Co-ordinator / Lecturer (>1000 AV recordings + live audio engineering, digital design, educator)
  • BounceNZ / Redd Acoustics - Live-Audio Engineer (Full-time: 2002 - 2003, Contractor 2003 - present)
  • 1990-2000: Foreman / Builder
  • <1990: Youth Worker/Event Co-ordinator
Freelance Work
A sampling of my freelance activities:
  • >85 music theatre productions + various short theatre ensembles and cabarets
  • Front of House tech/audio engineer (Selwyn Sounds, 2017-19)
  • 10CC guitar tech (Selwyn Sounds, 2020, Eclipse Pink Floyd 2025).
  • AV Production for NZSSSO (8 years) + CYO and various other local choirs
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Oklahoma NASDA - SC Operator/Sound Designer
Volunteer /Charity Activities
  • Educator: Audio skills to volunteer audio engineers
  • Educator: Hearing Management to schools, tertiary, live sound business, and volunteer audio engineers.
Other bits and pieces:
Home: Christchurch, NZ Married to Celeste. Ellie Compton (our daughter) - Artist: LINKIsaac Compton (our son) - ED Nurse: LINK
Causes we support:
Lift Int (LINK), Fred Hollows (LINK), World Vision (LINK), CAP (LINK), NZ Blood (LINK)
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Theatre Production Experience

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Charlie And The Chocolate Factory 2026 - Showbiz Christchurch

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That Bloody Woman - Showbiz Chch - SC Operator (tech and opening night)
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Addams Family - NASDA - SC Sound Design and Operator
Productions I have been part of as Operator / Sound Designer:
NASDA (National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art) Chch
Addams Family (Operation/Sound Design) Anything Goes (Operation/Sound Design) 2 x 42nd Street (Operation/Sound Design) Bat Boy (Operation/Sound Design) 2 x Beauty and the Beast (Op/Sound Design) Cabaret (Operation/Sound Design) Cats (Operation/Sound Design) 2 x Curtains (Operation/Sound Design) 2 x Fiddler on the Roof (Op/Sound Design) Footloose (Operation/Sound Design) Freaky Friday (Operation/Sound Design) Guys and Dolls (Operation/Sound Design) Hair (Operation/Sound Design) It's Only LIfe (Operation/Sound Design) Joseph K (Sound Design) The Happy Prince (Operation/Sound Design) Into The Woods (Operation/Sound Design) The Music Man (Operation/Sound Design) >10 Music Theatre Ensembles (Op/Snd Des) My Favourite Year (Op/Sound Design) 2 x Oklahoma (Operation/Sound Design) 2 x Once on This Island (Op/Sound Design) Pippin (Operation/Sound Design) Ragtime (Operation/Sound Design) Sideshow (Operation/Sound Design) Spring Awakening (Operation/Sound Design) Sweet Charity (Operation/Sound Design) That Bloody Woman (Operation/Sound Design) The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Sound Design) The Wedding Singer (Op/Sound Design) The World Goes Round (Op/Sound Design) Urinetown (Operation/Sound Design) Working (Operation/Sound Design)
Court Theatre Christchurch
Anything Goes (Operation)Cabaret (Operation)​Chicago (Operation)End of the Rainbow (Op/Sound Design) Finding Nemo Jr (Op /Sound Design)Grease (Operation)Great Art War (Sound Design)I Love You You're Perfect Now Change (Op)La Cage Aux Folles (Operation)Oliver (Operation) One Man Two Guvnors (Op/Sound Design) Pirates of Penzance (Operation)The Producers (Operation)Side By Side By Sondheim (Operation)Songs For Nobodies (Operation)The Sound Of Music (Operation)
Showbiz Christchurch
Avenue Q (Operation) Buddy Holly Story (Operation) Cats (Operation) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2026 (Op/Sound Effects Design) Fiddler on the Roof - Seniors (Op/Sound Des) Full Monty (Operation) Grease (Operation) Hot Shoe Shuffle (Operation) Les Misérables (Operation) ​Miss Saigon (Operation) Sweeney Todd (Operation) ​That Bloody Woman (Op Tech and Opening)
Other NZ Productions
42nd Street (Operation - New Plymouth)Annie (Operation - Napier Operatic)Annie (Operation - Wellington)Anything Goes (Operation/Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)Blood Brothers (Operation - Napier Operatic) Cats (Operation/Sound Design - National Youth Theatre, Chch)Doris Day by Ali Harper (Op/Sound Design)DreamGirls (Operation/Sound Design - St Margaret's College, Chch)2 x Elf, the Musical (Operation/Sound Design) Guys and Dolls (Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)Last Five Years (Operation/Sound Design)Les Misérables (Operation - Napier Operatic)Les Misérables (Operation - Palmerstion Nth)Life's Too Short (Operation - Luke DiSomma, Jazz School - Chch)Little Green Men (Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)My Fair Lady (Operation - Wellington)Mid-Summer Night's Dream (Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch) Parade (Sound Design)Peter Pan (Operation - Christchurch)The Lucky Duck (Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)The Wedding Singer (Op/Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)Urinetown (Operation/Sound Design - St Andrews College, Chch)
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Avenue Q - Showbiz Chch - SC Operator
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Fiddler on the Roof (Seniors) Showbiz Chch - SC Operator
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End of the Rainbow - Court Theatre SC Operator
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Freaky Friday - NASDA SC Operator/Sound Design
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Buddy Holly - Showbiz Chch - SC Operator

Stephen's Publications

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Live-Sound Pressure That Is Not Measured In Decibels. (2023)
International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology
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Mixing Live Sound Culture with Hearing Management (2024)
University Of Canterbury PhD Thesis
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Managing the Audio Engineer’s Most Essential Critical Listening Tool. (2022)
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
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Best-practice hearing management for live sound participants. (2024)
Live Sound Handbook Version 4.3
Stephen Compton
PhD| MA | BA (Hons) Recording Arts |Dip. Sound Engineering |Trade Certificate AV Production | Theatre and Live Sound| Music Technician | Audio Education | Acoustic Consultant
ABOUTRESOURCESREFERENCES
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