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KV2 Audio supports re-imagined version of ‘West Side Story’ in Manchester

The production of ‘West Side Story’ at Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre is the first ever not to feature Jerome Robbins’ original choreography, having been adapted for the theatre’s in-the-round configuration by Aletta Collins. The re-imagined production - directed by Sarah Frankcom and mixed by associate sound designer Owen Lewis - included sound design by Richard Brooker, delivered by KV2 Audio.

Brooker’s design was based on concentric rings of loudspeakers to serve each of the three tiers of seats that were divided into seven separate blocks all the way around the stage. There were fourteen front fills sunk around the edge of the stage floor, while the main vocal system, comprised of seven KV2 Audio EX10 full range active loudspeakers, was flown in a ring above the stage. 41 vocal delay speakers formed part of the concentric rings to supplement the frontfills and main EX10 vocal ring.

A ring of seven low-profile ESD25s flown above the EX10s served the upper gallery. In addition to the vocal system, Brooker specified a pair of EX10s in a L/R configuration for the band system. Due to the in-the-round nature of the venue, the 11-piece orchestra was not located inside the theatre itself, but rather in a specially designed sound-proof booth in the foyer equipped with a video relay so that the musicians could see the stage and the cast could see the conductor.

“The band system is completely separate from the vocal system,” he explains. “We went for a L/R configuration as we decided that we’d like to have the sound of the band coming from somewhere other than the stage as is the case for the actors, and coming from a specific place, as if the band was in the theatre with the audience. The band system also acted as foldback on stage and avoided any nasty timing issues we may otherwise have encountered.”

As a complement to the main L/R system, Brooker has also provided for a delay system based on the EX6 2-way active loudspeaker. He specified a total of 16 EX6s across the three levels of seating, supplemented by six wide-dispersion, under-balcony EX26s for the upper circle. Finally, a pair of EX2.5 dual 15-inch subwoofers flown up in the roof completed the design.

(Photos: Richard Davenport/The Other Richard/KV2 Audio)

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