In theatre, artists often put together an entire production in just a few weeks. So, when Jacob Henry tells me that his project “Nine in the Morning” culminated over three years of work, I take notice.

In May 2019, Henry's "Nine in the Morning" served as his thesis project, completing his requirements for the School of Theatre and Dance's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Design. The project began in his first year of graduate school. In Seth Warren-Crow's design class, Henry wrote a research paper on binaural recording. He was interested in using binaural sound, based on the ability of humans to hear different sounds in each ear, to create intimate soundscapes in live performance. For a year, that project sat stagnate.

Then, Kelly Murphy began the MFA in Design and started research in bone conduction technology, which allows people to hear sound directly through vibrations of the bones in the face. A co-research project was born: could they make audience members hear one thing while sitting in the theatre and a completely different sound effect directly in each person's head?

After three years of research and experimentation, Jacob Henry's thesis project premiered as Morning, Noon, Evening, Night at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial in the Czech Republic. The production featured his partner and fellow Texas Tech University (TTU) alum Christian Proper, with support from current graduate students Kelly Murphy and Eric Eidson. When discussing how to take a project from the relative safety of the classroom and studio space to the greater public, Henry discussed two major factors: finding the right collaborators and meeting challenges head on.

The road to Prague was made possible by the many TTU faculty and students who gave their creative talents to the project. Henry admits that he is not a playwright or an actor. Building the right team, a team that would believe in this project, was one of his top priorities. Luckily, his fellow classmates were as excited to experiment with bone conduction technology as he was.

Current MFA student Alex Webster collaborated with Henry and Proper to create the original script and voice recordings, current MFA student Emilia Richardson worked on scenic and costume design, and recent MFA alum Bill West-Davis created an intimate lighting design. Henry repeatedly acknowledges his collaborators' passion for the project as critical to its success: "I was extremely lucky to have so many friends, fellow artists, who were willing to give 110% to an experimental project."
While a dream team enhances efficiency, Henry reminds us that no project is perfect. He laughs as he tells me that you need to be able to reject your ideas, even if you love them; save those ideas for another project. When asked about obstacles and opportunities, he and Proper remind me that challenges and rejection are openings for refinement. "Be bold in your failure." When creating an experiment, the process can be long, messy, and full of missteps, so Henry encourages other experimental artists to acknowledge their small successes and document the process, even the smallest strides.

The project, re-named Nine in the Morning, returns to the states this January at the Inaugural Fringe Marfa in Marfa, Texas. This performance is supported by Renegade Productions, a student led production company from Lubbock, and will star Alex Webster.