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Chichester Festival Theatre invests in Shure

Singing In The Rain in Chichester

13 July 2011

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies audio division has supplied a Shure UHF-R wireless microphone system to Chichester Festival Theatre - one of the UK's highest profile producing and receiving theatres, renowned for a diverse range of productions including musicals, comedies, classic drama and innovative new writing.

A.C. Audio were approached when the theatre was in the process of evaluating the leading audio brands in its search for a radio mic system, and also one that was channel 38 compliant ahead of the 'digital switchover'.

A selection of demo equipment was delivered to the theatre to enable thorough testing. The venue thought the Shure system was "awesome" and easily the best sounding out of the four they had tried, and so immediately made the decision to purchase.

A.C. Audio supplied 16 Shure UR4D dual channel receivers, which is a 1U 19 inch rack mounting device with two receivers and 32 UR1M body pack transmitters - a tiny 6cm in size, the transmitters are specifically designed for theatres, opera performances etc., and for easy concealment in costumes.

The venue also purchased two Shure UR2 SM58 hand-held transmitter mics, which include the SM58 capsule, with all equipment supplied complete with distribution amps, antennas and cables.

"Quality was absolutely paramount," says the theatre's head of sound, Jonathan Suffolk, adding that the Shure system was "not the cheapest option, but it sounded so good, and we all liked the lack of compression or processing needed".

The first production for the new Shure system was She Loves Me, staged in their Minerva Studio Theatre, which incorporated 18 of the UR1Ms in a sound design by Matt McKenzie from Autograph. In the main house, another ten were used for vocal reinforcement on Trevor Nunn's Rozencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, with sound designed by Paul Groothuis, and they are also being used on the current production of Singing In The Rain.

(Jim Evans)