A new off-Broadway production based on the true story of the legendary Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club is using on combination of Holoplot sound control and sound design by Jonathan Deans.
Produced by Cuban American playwright Marco Ramirez, the production brings the 1966 Grammy-winning album to the Atlantic Theater Company. The show debuted mid-December at the Linda Gross Theater with rave reviews in the New York Times to Rolling Stone among others.
Known for work on Broadway hits and Cirque du Soleil productions, Deans collaborated with music supervisor Dean Sharenow and director Saheem Ali on an unforgettable thratre experience, with technology provider PRG furnishing a comprehensive audio and lighting solution for the production, including the first Holoplot X1 system to grace a musical theatre production.
Deans recalls Sharenow contacting him regarding the project, piquing his interest because of his familiarity with the Buena Vista Social Club album. Working with a new team and venue, Deans aim was to gain both a deep understanding and respect of the music’s origins, blending this with his expertise in theatre sound design to create a cohesive audio experience.
‘My role is to take the musical ideas, performance ideas, and actors, and put it into some kind of shape and structure for the audience to respond to,’ Deans says. ‘I specify the equipment, make it work for the production, and work with everyone involved.
The Atlantic Theater is a converted church, with architecture that presents acoustic challenges. ‘The theatre itself has undergone significant modifications to become a delightful space for any show,’ Deans says. ‘However, accommodating live percussion instruments on stage, including congas, bongos, and timbales, sometimes just six feet away from the audience, means it inevitably gets loud. The one thing that I was very concerned about was the vocal presence of the actors.’
Deans needed precise audio control over the seating area, with vocal clarity amid live percussion being his main priority: ‘I’d been watching, learning and going to the demos from Holoplot for some time and arranged for us to see if they could shape and create localisation that was available within the coverage of the whole seating area.’
Using 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis technology, X1 allows the creation of precise coverage zones for the audience as well as sound localisation in 3D space. The combination of this proved essential for managing vocal presence in a tight and potentially loud space without overwhelming the audience and led to Deans using the small X1 deployment in a unique, creative and impactful way.
‘Holoplot has a different approach to line array and point source speaker coverage that’s very successful for treating our vocals in this very tight space and, potentially, very loud situation, ‘ he notes. ‘Our audience is a full demographic, so we can’t just turn it up. We wanted to make sure that we had the best coverage and the highest level of control. So, I reached out to Holoplot to see if they could make the system work in a theatre environment.’
‘A single central mono cluster of three X1 modules is configured horizontally, and exclusively designated for vocal reinforcement,’ says Holoplot Segment Manager of Performing Arts and Live, Reese Kirsh. ‘Jonathan opted to trial Holoplot in this way due to the theatre’s compact size and the steeply raked seating, employing Holoplot 3D Audio-Beamforming to minimise space requirements. Three beams are formed from the cluster – one Optimized Coverage Beam covers the entire audience area, while two further beams function as virtual sources placed behind and alongside the array, delivering stereo ensemble vocals. This approach produces subtle yet impactful results. The system design creates space within the mix, letting the vocals shine within a complex musical arrangement. It’s a unique concept for a traditional mono cluster and something no other system could achieve.’
Deans acknowledges the importance of PRG’s role, ensuring the availability and suitability of equipment within budgets and timelines. ‘PRG not only supplied all requested equipment but also provided essential support. They always adapt to the needs of the built environment, supporting designers, crews, assistants, and the intricate process of assembling a show,’ he says.
‘We were so excited to work with Jonathan and the team from the Atlantic Theater Company to bring the first theatrical application of Holoplot to life,’ says Alex Donnelly, VP and General Manager at Theatre at PRG. ‘In the past 18 months, PRG has redoubled its commitment to the audio segment of the business with sustained investments across facility, equipment, and of course our people. This collaboration exemplifies our steadfast commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the theatre and actively contributing to the realisation of our designers’ ambitious visions.’
‘X1 allows us to get multiple audio fields to the audience so we can provide a lot more clarity,’ reports Timothy Jarrell, A1 Production Mix Engineer and in charge of mixing each performance. ‘Matched with the microphones that are right at the actor’s mouths, it provides separation from the instruments, which are right behind them. Holoplot’s technology is an interesting concept and very cool. It keeps our audio pattern tight in the room, not bouncing off the walls and we’re able to control the image to cover the seating area and get separation so that we’re not having to deal with reflections.’
‘Working with Jonathan Deans and PRG on this project was exceptional. The show has achieved precisely what it was intended to from a Holoplot standpoint,’ Kirsh concludes. ‘What Jonathan has created with X1 for vocal reinforcement is truly remarkable. The organisers, production crew, and PRG team have all worked together to deliver an amazing show. We’re thrilled to have introduced Holoplot to musical theatre for the first time. It has demonstrated our value and our pioneering technology to the performing arts sector.’
More: www.holoplot.com
