SELECTED WORKS - THEATRE
UPCOMING 2025:
1.17am, Or Until The Words Run Out - Finborough Theatre, 02-03/ 2025, Dir Sarah Stacey
AETHER, Jermyn Street Theatre, 03-04/2025, Dir. Emma Howlett, Theatre Goose
MUMSPLAINING - Dir. Hannah Harquart
AETHER // Composer & Sound Designer // TheatreGoose
Summerhall, Edinburgh, 08/2025, Jermyn Street Theatre 03/2026 (UPCOMING)
Writer & Director - Emma Howlett
Performers - Sophie Kean, Abby McCann, Gemma Barnett,
Anna Marks Pryce
Set & Costume design - Ellie Wintour
Lighting Design - Ed Saunders
Photography - Giulia Ferrando
‘Of the 50,000 performances on this year, here are our 12 must-see theatre picks of the Fringe - AETHER #1 - The Telegraph
Ten Best Shows Shows of the Einburgh Fringe 2025 - Fergus Morgan
★★★★★ The Telegraph
★★★★★ Theatre Weekly
★★★★★ The Indiependent
★★★★★ Corr Blimey
★★★★ The Guardian
★★★★ The Times
★★★★ The Stage
★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★ Fest Mag
★★★★ Broadway Baby
★★★★ The Recs
★★★★ Binge Fringe
★★★★ Across the Arts
★★★★ The Wee Review
Winner - Best New Writing - Theatre Weekly
Winner - John Fernald Directors' Award 2025
Scatter: A Horror Play // Composer & Sound Designer // Indigo Productions
Underbelly Edinburgh, 08/2025, Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 09/2025, 10/2025
Writer & Performer - Patrick McPherson
Director - Jonny Harvey
Producers - James Lane & Ed McGovern
Lighting Design - Will Hayman
WINNER : Best Design, Theatre Weekly Awards
‘A jaw-clenching haunting’ - The Guardian
‘A masterclass in atmosphere... immersing their audiences far more effectively than high-budget West End experiences’ - The Independent
‘ Excellent use of lighting and sound – their combination of impenetrable gloom and loud noises will have you, literally, jumping out of your seat.’ - The Scotsman
‘The technical elements are nothing short of spectacular. Sarah Spencer’s sound design and Will Hayman’s lighting work in perfect harmony to create a world that feels alive with menace. Sudden bursts of noise, eerie silences, and strobe effects are deployed with expert timing, making the audience feel as though they are trapped within the horror themselves.’ - Theatre Weekly
‘Sarah Spencer’s sound design is a triumph: whispers, static, and guttural roars bleed into one another, creating a sonic landscape that feels both ancient and immediate.’ - Corr Blimey
‘Horror plays live or die on light and sound design, and Spencer and Hayman deserve major commendations for their brilliant work’ - The Recs
‘Particular plaudits must also be given to the play’s composer [...who has] created an atmosphere of lingering dread that leaves you looking over your shoulder long after the play is done.’ - The List
★★★★★ Broadway Baby
★★★★★ Theatre Weekly
★★★★★ Three Weeks
★★★★★ Edinburgh Review
★★★★★ Starburst Magazine
★★★★★ The Recs
★★★★★ A Youngish Perspective
★★★★★ Culture Fix
★★★★★ Lisa in Theatreland
★★★★.5 One4Review
★★★★ The List
★★★★ The Reviews Hub
★★★★ Broadway World
★★★★ Corr Blimey
★★★★ The Wee Review
★★★★ Edinburgh Guide
Lyn Gardener Picks of The Fringe 2025
The Independent Picks of The Fringe 2025
Pear Phobia // Sound Designer // Indigo Productions
Soho Theatre, 06/2025, Underbelly Edinburgh, 08/2025, Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 09/2025,
Writer & Performers - Patrick McPherson & Hugo McPherson Director - Jonny Harvey
Producers - James Lane & Ed McGovern
Lighting Design - Will Hayman
Picks of Edinburgh Fringe 2025 - The Independent
Highest Selling Sketch show of Edinburgh 2025
#3 best reviewed comedy show Edinburgh Fringe 2025 - British Comedy Guide
★★★★★ Broadway Baby
★★★★★ Edfringe Review
★★★★★ Mumble Comedy
★★★★★ Mervyn Stutter
★★★★★ Fringe Feed
★★★★★ Edinburgh Festival Magazine
★★★★★ To Do List
★★★★ The Independent
★★★★ One4Review
LOOKING FOR GIANTS Composer & Sound Designer // ThatwhatswildKing’s Head Theatre, 01/2025
Writer and Director - Cesca Eschlin
Lighting Designer - Skylar Turnbull Hurd
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
‘The play of spotlights... brings its own drama, as does the music composed by Sarah Spencer.’
- The Guardian
‘Sarah Spencer's sound design is integral to the play's impact. Pacey musical interludes seamlessly transition between timelines, while eerie echoes draw the audience deeper into the protagonist's psyche, heightening suspense in this psychological exploration.’ -
The Review’s Hub
‘This effect is heightened by the sound designer Sarah Spencer's
evocative soundscape, which whispers, creaks and scrapes along with the narrator's storyteling before swelling up to a screeching intensity as her fantasies reach fever pitch.’ - London Pub Theatre Magazine
★★★★★ Theatre Weekly
★★★★★ Everything Theatre
★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★ The Stage
★★★★ The List
★★★★ The Reviews Hub
King’s Head Theatre, 01/2025
Writer and Director - Cesca Eschlin
Lighting Designer - Skylar Turnbull Hurd
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
‘The play of spotlights... brings its own drama, as does the music composed by Sarah Spencer.’ - The Guardian
‘Sarah Spencer's sound design is integral to the play's impact. Pacey musical interludes seamlessly transition between timelines, while eerie echoes draw the audience deeper into the protagonist's psyche, heightening suspense in this psychological exploration.’ - The Review’s Hub
‘This effect is heightened by the sound designer Sarah Spencer's
evocative soundscape, which whispers, creaks and scrapes along with the narrator's storyteling before swelling up to a screeching intensity as her fantasies reach fever pitch.’ - London Pub Theatre Magazine
★★★★★ Theatre Weekly
★★★★★ Everything Theatre
★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★ The Stage
★★★★ The List
★★★★ The Reviews Hub
TENDING
Composer & Sound Designer // Anther Theatre
Brixton House Theatre, Riverside Studios, The Northwall, Theatre Royal Bath, Bush Theatre
Director - John Livesy
Writer - El Blackwood
Lighting Designer - Ros Chase
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
‘Effective and subtle use of lighting and contemporary sound by respectively Ros Chase and Sarah Spencer brilliantly convey the emotive, sensory impact on NHS nurses who work crushingly long hours in a system stretched paper-thin’ - The Reviews Hub ★★★★★
‘One of the most timely plays of the Fringe’ - The Scotsman ★★★★
Scottish Field Magazine ★★★★★
British Theatre Guide ★★★★★
The Reviews Hub ★★★★★
Artshub ★★★★★
British Theatre ★★★★
Sinners Review ★★★★
SISTERS THREE
Composer & Sound Designer // Theatre Goose
Summerhall 08/2024
Director - Emma Howlett
Set Desginer - Eleanor Wintour
Lighting Designer - Edward Saunder
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
Lustrum Award Winner 2024
‘Striking sound design from Sarah Spencer’ - Fergus Morgan, The Stage ★★★★
‘Sisters Three is ingenious...it's intelligent stuff and performed with verve.’ - Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor
The List ★★★★
North West End ★★★★
Corr Blimey ★★★★
HER GREEN HELL Composer & Sound Designer // Theatre Goose
Summerhall, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Bath
Director - Emma Howlett
Set Desginer - Eleanor Wintour
Lighting Designer - Edward Saunder
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
‘Spencer’s quiet but constant undercurrent of the sounds of the rainforest, with the low hum of the planes flying overhead...was spinetingling.’ - Lost in Theatreland ★★★★
The Stage ★★★★
Radio Exe ★★★★★
The Scotsman ★★★★
The List ★★★★
Fest Mag ★★★★
British Theatre Guide ★★★★
Everything Theatre ★★★★
Nominated - OffFest Award, Edinburgh Fringe
Nominated - BBC Popcorn New Writing Award
Nominated - OffFest Award, Vault Festival
PROJECT DICTATOR
Pianist & Composer // Rhum & Clay
New Diorama Theatre, HOME Manchester, Bristol Old Vic, Norwich Plyhouse, Northern Stage, Light Box Festival (Oslo), Teatru Manoel (Malta), 5 week Norway Tour
Co-Directors & Performers // Julian Spooner & Matt Wells
Original Composer & Musician // Khaled Kurbeh
Co-Director // Hamish Macdougall
Set & Costume Designer // Blythe Brett
Lighting Designer // Simeon Miller
Associate Director // Mine Cerci
Producer // Grace Dickson
Photography by Cesare de Giglio
'This is shape-shifting, thought-provoking theatre that interrogates the world we live in, how artists fit into that, and what price we pay for choosing the easier options. It's surprising, disturbing, and, at its conclusion, desperately moving.'
Whats On Stage
British Theatre Guide ★★★★★
Whats On Stage ★★★★★The Stage ★★★★
The Scotsman ★★★★
Broadway World ★★★★
Everything Theatre ★★★★
GROUNDED
Composer & Sound Designer // The Bridge Theatre
Full Circle, Brussels 10/2023
Director - Emma Howlwtt
Set Desginer - Eleanor Wintour
Lighting Designer - Edward Saunder
Photography by Giulia Ferrando
KAREN
Sound Designer // Greenlit Productions
The Other Palace, Seven Dials Playhouse, Old Joint Stock
Directeor - Evie Townsend
Writor - Sarah Cameron West
Performer - Sarah Cameron West
Set Design - Roisin Jenner
The Reviews Hub ★★★★★
Operation Live Theatre ★★★★★
A Youngish Perspective ★★★★★
The Stage ★★★★
Theatre Weekly ★★★★
Broadway Baby ★★★★
Edinburgh News Top Ten Shows 2023
MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS
Composer & Sound Designer // Freight Theatre
Summerhall
Directeor - Luke Wintour
Writor - Alex Rugman
Performers -AK Golding and Julia Pilkington
Set Design -
Lighting Design - Jonathon Chan
Video Design - Dan Light
Photo - Gavin Smart
‘A company to watch’ The Stage
‘Precient’ The Observer
LOVESONG / Composer, Sound Designer & Pianist // Freight Theatre
Co-Directors - Luke Wintour and Alex Rugman
Writor - Abi Morgan
Performers - Adam Goodbody & Miranda Collins
Poster design - Kate Weir
‘For me, the highlight of the show lay in the musical interludes composed by Sarah Spencer, which were wistful and gorgeous, complemented by the sounds of starlings.'
- Oxford Opening Night
'Sound-tracked by an astonishing score composed in its entirety by Sarah Spencer, action feels perpetually on the edge of breakdown.' - Cherwell
SELECTED WORKS PERFORMANCE / INSTALLATION