SYDNEY — For the Australian touring production of South Pacific, Norwest Productions’ Adrian Riddell sought to fulfill the preferences of its award-winning sound designer, Scott Lehrer for a natural, un-amplified sound. Instead of simply opting against the use of mics, amps and speakers, Norwest has a sophisticated setup for spatial audio reinforcement that includes four separate vocal zones on stage.
More details from Norwest Productions (www.norwest.com):
Rodgers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific is the first Lincoln Center Theatre production to ever tour Australia, and it also marks the coming together of Australia’s largest performing arts company, Opera Australia, with Australia’s largest commercial theatre producer, John Frost.
Considered one of the finest musicals ever written, the score includes Some Enchanted Evening, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair and There is Nothin’ Like a Dame. With a cast of 40 and an orchestra twice the size of most musicals, this international hit and landmark production dominated the 2008 Tony Awards, picking up seven of the coveted awards.
One award recipient was sound designer Scott Lehrer, and so the pressure was on for Norwest Productions to deliver a sound solution to ensure the Australian production lived up to its heritage.
Norwest’s Riddell was appointed Associate Sound Designer, and it was his task to translate Lehrer’s design to the Australian production. Lehrer has made no secret of wanting a quieter, more intimate show than is typical of most musicals, preferring to use available technology to make the audience perceive the sound as more natural than most musicals.
“I always thought it should be done as quietly as possible, to keep the focus on the storytelling,” Lehrer has said. “It’s the difference between the audience being pushed back by the sound and being drawn in.”
“Scott never wanted a fully amplified sound but rather a reinforcement of the acoustic sound of both the principle actors, chorus and orchestra,” commented Riddell. “His comment to us was, the audience really needs to lean in to listen rather than sit back and it be fed to them.”
There were spatial techniques used throughout the show so as the actors moved across the stage, a sound processor changed the delay times in the loudspeaker system to give the feeling of movement.
“There are four separate vocal zones on stage so wherever the main speaking is happening at a particular time we will route the audio into that particular zone which changes the delay times into the speakers,” he explained. “So wherever you’re sitting the delay time in the speakers will change to give you the perception of the sound coming from that particular area. It’s quite a different technique which we’ve never done before but it works well.”
There was a requirement for sound effects to be generated from moving set pieces (radio telecommunications radios) through out the show and they were required to be cable free. This was achieved by having 12v battery powered car amplifiers to power the speakers and RF Beltpacks to receive the audio signal.
“There is a speaker on each desk so that rather than the sound coming out of the main PA system, it comes from the desk giving the audience the perception the sound is really coming from there,” added Riddell. “We do the same in Act I with the telephone ringing on the desk; the phone has a battery powered amplifier hidden in the desk.”
The PA system is a fairly standard set up with both d&b audiotechnik and EAW boxes driven by d&b and Crown amplifiers. Lehrer favors d&b audiotechnik C7 speakers, which comprise the centre cluster. “These are my favorite speakers to use,” Lehrer says. “They’re incredibly neutral, beautiful-sounding speakers.” He also chose d&b Q-Series amps for left/right and main delay systems.
“When we get to the scene with the Folies stage at the beginning of Act II we decided to put a couple of Altec Lansing 511B spectral horns on top of the stage” said Riddell. “That meant that when the lead actor was talking it sounded like she was coming through a really old PA. Rather than using a digital effect, we actually sourced a really old PA to get that sound. Unfortunately those particular horns are as rare as hen’s teeth, bigger too, but we eventually found some in a friends garage in New Zealand!”
The actors employ headworn DPA 4061 lavalier microphones with Shure transmitters and receivers. When Lisa McCune, who plays Nelly, sings I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair whilst in the shower, a Countryman B3 water-resistant microphone is deployed.
“Countryman makes a lavalier that is very water repellant,” Lehrer is quoted as saying. “So we have two transmitters on her, both with Countryman lavaliers, which resist water much better than the DAP 4061s. At least one of them generally works when she comes out of the shower.” Lehrer also double-mikes the character of Emile, an operatic baritone, with a second lavalier on his chest to capture the rich bass frequencies that the head-worn mic does not pick up.
At FOH mix engineer John Watterson uses a Digico D5T for mixing with a couple of Qlab Replay Machines, a Big Ben Word Clock Master and a TC6000 Reverb Engine also in use.
As well as the audio, Norwest Productions was also responsible for the communications providing all of the comms and the video system, including monitors allowing viewing of the conductor by those onstage and backstage. Added to that are surveillance cameras for the automation operator.
“With the floor moving backwards and forwards there were certain pinch points in the stage that could be a potential hazard,” explained Riddell. “If a cast or crew member was standing in the wrong spot they could be crushed so we provided surveillance cameras so the automation operator can see if the coast is clear before he moves anything.”
Following a sell-out season at the Sydney Opera House, the show has extended its Melbourne run by three weeks, and the producers have announced that this production of South Pacific will return to Sydney Opera House in 2013.
Crew
Associate Sound Designer – Adrian Riddell
FOH Mix Engineer – John Watterson
Stage Tech – Randolph Smith
RF Engineer – Al Bremner
Opera House Audio Supervisor – Royce Sanderson
