Dockerty is still frustrated by drama and music departments' lack of priority regarding the technical skills needed to support a production. He's adamant that it's unfair that young people without the acting, dancing or singing skills still rarely have the opportunities available to explore the performance environment. Adlib is determined to do its bit in the local community (Merseyside and beyond) to ensure that the next generation of budding techies and lighting and sound designers get the opportunity to use good quality and well thought-out equipment.
Adlib has completed the installation of systems in several local educational establishments, the most recent of which is at St Julie's Roman Catholic High School in Woolton Village. St Julie's is an all-girls secondary school with over 1,000 pupils, including the Sixth Form. This, and others in Liverpool, are great examples of Adlib's carefully-devised philosophy of trying to engage youngsters to think about a technology and a production orientated career. Supplying the right kit for this is vital. "The aim is not to overwhelm with technology," explains Dockerty, "but to install exactly the right amount of good quality gear to whet their appetites. Also to encourage them to want to use it . . . and then to want to get to know more."
Adlib has also recently completed installations at Gateacre Comp, St Hilda's and St Margarets Schools in Liverpool - always applying the set of principles in mind.
The St Julie's project began when head of music Gill Hull visited Speke City Learning Centre's multi-purpose space, which was equipped by Adlib last year with a complete audio, lighting and AV system. Located in one of Liverpool's most deprived areas, SCLC's studio and performance courses and facilities have been a huge success.
Lacking the facilities themselves, St Julie's staged last year's Teen Idol contest at the City Learning Centre, after which Gill Hull clearly saw the benefits of embracing the full potential of technology. She proposed a system for St Julie's similar to the one they'd used at SCLC. She contacted Adlib via Speke City Learning Centre to see what they could do for St Julie's. Dockerty put a sound design and spec' together, and Hull then put the idea to Sister Ann Marie, the school's headmistress, who agreed it should move forward.
Dockerty came up with a proposal, based on the wide variety of performances - from drama productions to singing live bands, singing festivals to musicals, plus other events and activities - that the school would need to accommodate in its theatre space. Also, St Julie's shows are produced to a very high standard - and some students have also gone on to pursue professional acting and singing careers. Hull therefore wanted equipment on board that would support them in staging shows with high production values.
The main room is a square shape, configured in sunken lecture theatre style, with a flat stage area at the bottom of seating tiers. It's actually orientated as a diamond, the seating effectively wrapping around two sides and the stage/performance area around the other two. The control room is at the apex of the audience 'point' in the diamond shape, opposite and above the stage.
A pair of Adlib AA1221 full-range speakers is fastened to the wall each side, one above the other, with a pair of AA81 enclosures for delays plus one AA 15HL sub per side. Adlib also supplied four wedge monitors which can also be used for infill speakers as required.
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