THEATRE AND STAGE
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The 154-year-old Royal Albert Hall is a beautiful but difficult venue for production teams to navigate, which is where Riedel’s flexibility came in
It’s a challenge the Royal Albert Hall is meeting head-on through a strategic investment in its communications infrastructure. The venue recently installed a Bolero wireless intercom system from Riedel Communications as part of its ongoing modernisation of in-house technical services. “After renting communications systems from a different manufacturer, we chose Bolero for our permanent in-house wireless intercom,” reveals Ben Evans, who was audio operations manager at the Royal Albert Hall at the time. “It’s a user-friendly system that gives clients clear, reliable audio and integrates seamlessly with the gear most of them use. That there’s no complex licence management was a significant factor in our decision, plus the system’s network-based flexibility was a key advantage over competitors’ point-to-point solutions.” Opened in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the most recognisable performance spaces in the world. A circular Victorian masterpiece in architecture, it’s hosted everything from classical symphonies and royal
galas to pop concerts, boxing matches, film screenings and ballet. The building’s 154-year-old architecture is breathtaking but presents practical issues for many production teams. The circular structure faces a constantly rotating calendar, often seeing one major event load out and another load in within 24 hours. Evans explains that this operational pace drove the decision to expand and upgrade the hall’s communications network. “We have a reputation as a trusted technical partner in the events industry. Working with Riedel and having the Bolero comms system on board bolsters that reputation and helps us generate revenue.” The Royal Albert Hall’s in-house technical departments are integral to its appeal. In 2018, the venue established a dedicated audio team and partnered with D&B Audiotechnik to install a permanent PA system. It’s not just the stage managers and show callers who benefit. Bolero extends communication to every corner of production, from front-of-house and monitor engineers to lighting operators and audio crews, through a network
challenges with resilience. “We did have a couple of hiccups on one of our ships,” he admits. “But we were able to sort a solution really quickly by submitting a support ticket to which the Pixera team would send over a corresponding support package.” Overall, he adds, “the stability has been exceptional. We’ve had no issues with performance inconsistencies or bugs since integration.” A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Modern-day theatre venues wear many imaginative hats, but few spaces embody the grandeur and technical versatility of an opera hall. A venue such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, originally conceived for orchestral and choral performance, now serves as a multi-format hub for live entertainment of every kind. Its scale and acoustic heritage bring prestige, but also pose some unique challenges. A major stumbling block, for instance, is the ability to maintain crisp communication throughout a venue that was designed before the invention of electricity.
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