Feature: Taking root

Sydney’s theatrical and musical arts scene continues to portray a dynamic and multicultural diversity that accurately reflects Australia’s biggest city. The Sydney Opera House remains the iconic jewel in the crown, but the city’s 2,000-seater Capitol, Lyric and State theatres, in addition to the Centennial Hall and Theatre Royal, combine to entice tourists and locals alike with a rich, artistic palette. So when West HQ announced it was constructing a purpose-built, 2,000-seat theatre out in the remote western suburb of Rooty Hill, the theatre fraternity paid little attention to the ambitions of this large RSL (Returned and Services League). However, when the city’s top chefs and managers headed out west to provide their services and the venue’s world-class specifications were published, the status quo quickly took note.

The exodus of talent to Rooty Hill included Lyric Theatre technical operations manager Bicci Henderson, who’d also had a previous stint as general manager of entertainment at Star City on Darling Harbour. Following a site visit with Sydney Coliseum executive director Craig McMaster, Henderson made the bold decision to relocate to the regional theatre in the outer suburbs. ‘At the time, I had served 12 years at the Lyric and no intention of moving,’ he recalls. ‘I saw Rooty Hill as a small, suburban town and wasn’t interested, but that all changed when I saw the theatre.’

With its impressive design, technology and architecture, the Sydney Coliseum Theatre offers audiences of Greater Western Sydney excellent sightlines together with high levels in comfort. Set on the stage under the 9m proscenium arch, the multi-mode theatre is capable of hosting musicals, dramatic theatre, live music and a variety of entertainment. Above the stage, an 80-line fly system caters for world-class set changes, while a 2.6m-deep orchestra pit uses six spiral lifts that can accommodate up to 75 musicians. Technical highlights include immersive sound and sustainable LED lighting to enhance venue flexibility while further distinguishing the Coliseum from its big-city counterparts.

‘The investors here are not competing with other regional theatres or the major icons such as the Opera House, Town Hall or Lyric in central Sydney,’ explains Henderson when outlining the logistics. ‘Rooty Hill draws on a very large catchment area that stretches from the Blue Mountains to Canberra, Hornsby and the city. Visitors are coming to a world-class theatre without having to pay toll fees or parking charges. A new international airport is being planned close by, and the road and rail infrastructure is excellent. Our patrons have the option to stay at the 164-room Novotel Sydney West HQ hotel next door, and a new five-star Pullman Hotel will open in 2021.’

Audience members aren’t the only ones benefitting from the new venue’s facilities. ‘Tour operators are also finding the Coliseum appealing, as touring trailers and buses can simply park backstage without hassle or charges,’ he continues. Facilities include a rehearsal room, production office with stage access, a green room and plenty of comfortable production amenities including 11 dressing rooms. ‘The back of house rehearsal room is immense and is double the size of the entire Lyric Theatre rehearsal room,’ explains Henderson. ‘There is sufficient room backstage to accommodate 96 cast members together with the conductor and entourage, and all the dressing rooms have windows.’

While there is no view of Sydney Harbour, the focus on creating a world-class stage was foremost, with McMaster listening carefully to Henderson state his case before agreeing to increase the technical budgets. ‘The original plan when I joined was to install an L-C-R system into the venue,’ Henderson recalls. ‘But then I began to question why this configuration had been specified as it was perhaps out of date, and it certainly wasn’t future-proofed. A venue needs to look at least five years into the future and consider its greener credentials.’

The Coliseum’s audio specifications changed dramatically following a trip to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. It was here that Henderson heard the Harry Potter Symphony Orchestra perform through an L-Acoustics system that combined 120 KARA cabinets in eight hangs. ‘I was greatly impressed, particularly when the credits came up at the end, allowing me to experience the incredible multi-dimensional definition. Soon after, I went to see a performance using an L-C-R point source system and felt there was no connection with the audience. It stopped at the stage and the show suffered as a result.’

What Henderson had actually experienced that evening in Adelaide was immersive audio within a live setting. The technology has been gaining ground in the cinema market since content started to become available in 2012 and has steadily been extending its reach into concert and festival events.

L-Acoustics’ Immersive Hyperreal Sound – L-ISA for short – is designed to create multi-dimensional soundscapes and has already been used on hundreds of events throughout the world. In the Hyperreal Sound version, a frontal configuration of speakers expands the audio panorama and facilitates detailed placement of audio objects throughout the sound design. Immersive Hyperreal Sound goes further, adding overhead and surround speakers above and around the audience to expand beyond the frontal system. L-Acoustics has extensively developed its existing proprietary Soundvision modelling software, introducing new metrics that assess designs against a protocol that evaluates acoustic performance and how it impacts the audience’s perception of audio.

The introduction of L-ISA resonates with L-Acoustic’s pioneering approach to line array technology with the early-1990s release of V-DOSC, which came with support and clear guidelines on how it was to be deployed. L-ISA looks set to repeat this, raising the bar of what’s possible in live and fixed installation environments while enforcing strict operational criteria. To implement an L-ISA production, an L-ISA Processor and L-ISA Controller software are added to L-Acoustics loudspeaker systems and amplified controllers in addition to the Soundvision software running the show.

L-ISA’s Source Control functionality has been integrated into both Avid’s S6L and DiGiCo’s SD range of consoles in the form of a native desk-link, while plug-ins have been developed for all popular DAW products on the market. The adoption of Open Sound Control (OSC) as L-ISA’s communication protocol opens up many creativity options, including tracking solutions (BlackTrax, Zacktrack and Stagetracker II), Touch OSC, Max and QLab. Conforming to the L-ISA protocol and numerous touring riders, the Coliseum opted to install two DiGiCo SD12 consoles for its FOH and monitoring mixing capabilities in addition to system redundancy.

‘The L-ISA experience was the reference and I knew we had to get it,’ says Henderson. ‘I convinced Craig that the investment would be repaid very quickly in terms of ticket sales and future-proofing. Ultimately, we all realised that this was a much better product costing slightly more money. It would have been cruel to have opened the Coliseum without it. With this setup, 96% of the audience seats are experiencing hyperreal audio.’

As this represents Australia’s first fixed installation of the technology, L-Acoustics’ distributor Jands worked very closely with its French supplier to bring L-ISA to the Coliseum. Using Soundvision software, L-Acoustics’ calibration engineer Julian Laval designed the venue’s speaker system. Following this thorough simulation, five arrays each consisting of 10 KARAi cabinets now direct their energy towards the audience with additional X8 modules serving as front- and under-balcony-fills. Low-frequency extension is provided in the form of six central ceiling-fixed KS28 subwoofers in cardioid mode. The entire system is powered and processed digitally by a combination of LA4X and LA12X amplified controllers.

‘The consultant countered that L-ISA is perhaps a little premature for the market, and he has a point,’ explains Henderson. ‘We’re pioneering L-ISA technology in Australia, so it’s our duty to educate engineers who aren’t yet familiar with immersive audio and highlight the fact that the audience is part of the show.’ Although L-ISA can be deployed live on the spot, productions can be designed and programmed in advance, making preproduction a vital part of the process. L-ISA Labs in London, Paris, Los Angeles and New York, as well as rental company warehouses and other premises with the necessary audio infrastructure, can be transformed into a pre-production studio, provided the speaker system has been designed and optimised in Soundvision.

According to industry veteran Henderson, this well-researched system makes L-Acoustics number one in the market today. Added to this was the fact that systems integrator Jands Venue Engineering could provide local support and servicing. ‘This was also a critical aspect of the decision as they are based just an hour away,’ he says. ‘In addition to rigging the loudspeaker hangs, they have also installed the lighting bars and a fly bar system with poles that are just 125mm apart.’ In line with McMaster’s recommendations, this was increased to an 80-line manual counterweight system with two powered panorama bars.

Acoustic consultant Marshall Day recommended the interior materials, which include timber panel strips that act as absorbers and reflectors, with floor-to-ceiling acoustic panels on both sides of the stage that can be adjusted according to the performance. Enhancing venue flexibility, three modes have been set on the 620m² concrete slab – banquet, concert and theatre – with a further adjustment to the Speech Transmission Index made possible by adding 650 carpet tiles. In banquet mode, 570 guests can be seated for cabaret performances, corporate events and galas.

Designed to accommodate a multitude of performance styles, fully retractable seating for 880 provided by Belgian supplier Jezet allows concerts, banquets and cabaret-style theatre to be hosted, with each seat facing the stage. When not in use, these seats condense into a 1.5m-wide space.

A Riedel MediorNet fibre network is the basis for all AV transportation, while AV facility panels installed by Freedon will enable every possible production scenario. Rather than invest in large inventories of audio equipment, the Coliseum has opted for scaled-down, rider-friendly platforms to which incoming operators can add further components if required. Accordingly, six channels of Shure Axient Digital wireless were selected for their reliability and performance quality. ‘There’s little point amassing a huge mic inventory, as most performers won’t require extensive miking,’ explains Henderson. ‘I’m estimating that 12 shows a year will require additional microphones and we possess a large enough stock of Shure SM75s and 58s for a 30-piece orchestra. We also provide Shure PSM1000 in-ear monitors.’

Lighting mirrors audio, with 16 Ayrton Mistral Profile and 10 Ayrton Laverne wash moving heads controlled from a grandMA3 Light console. In the absence of a dimmer room, the lighting fixtures receive their direct power straight from the grid. ‘While the majority of other venues supply nothing, operators at the Coliseum can build on this base should they require extended lighting fixtures,’ explains Henderson. Although a projector screen was initially specified, there are currently no video provisions, although the venue is future-proofed with an SDI-HDMI integrated infrastructure. ‘Rental companies can bring their own video equipment in – we simply supply the nodes,’ he adds.

‘We still don’t know what entertainment will work best of course, as we are hosting ballets, operas, classical symphonies and musicals,’ concludes Henderson as the clock ticks down to the first run of already sold-out performances. These include Dame Edna, Keith Urban, Tina Arena and John Butler. ‘With the Sydney Opera House theatre undergoing renovations for the next two years, we’re filling the void for many symphony orchestras.’ With the Coliseum’s debut, the gravitational pull of Sydney’s CBD has been broken. At the same time, the expectations of operators and audiences alike will surely soar to new levels following an introduction to L-ISA.