At IBC2016 the West End production of Disney’s Aladdin is being spoken about, rather than sung. The production, in London’s Prince Edward Theatre, is using Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II wireless intercom system to provide clear communications, from build to performance.
The system was supplied and installed by London-based Autograph Sound, via Tyrell CCT.
A FreeSpeak II base station and 14 beltpacks were installed at the start of the four-week set-up phase, allowing the sound, lighting and stage teams to communicate while running cables and installing equipment throughout the theatre.
FreeSpeak II was then deployed during rehearsals to connect all the various creative and technical teams in public and private conversations, and the system is also being used to call every performance during the show’s run.
Andy Brown, senior production sound engineer, Autograph Sound, said: “We needed to be sure we could have several individual conversations running at the same time, and FreeSpeak II gives us that invaluable flexibility. Another major benefit of FreeSpeak II is that it runs on the 1.9GHz band.
We have a lot of equipment in the theatre, plus there are several other shows in the area using the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, so audio ‘traffic’ can get very busy; it’s great to be able to
steer clear of it all on the 1.9GHz band.”
“We’re currently using 12 beltpacks, but there’s plenty of room for future expansion if needed,” added Brown. “Anyone can talk and listen simultaneously, which is especially important in a theatre environment where large sets are moving about continuously.”
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