One of Autograph's longest-running success stories is its ongoing work on worldwide productions of Les Misérables. The show opened in the West End in December 1985 with a sound design by Autograph chairman Andrew Bruce, and since then the company has been involved in over 30 productions worldwide.Designing the Berlin production is Autograph sound designer Nick Lidster, who was part of the original sound department at The Palace Theatre. This is Lidster's first design of Les Misérables and his updated design now includes 34 channels of Sennheiser radio mics, upgraded from a previous maximum of 24, and a combination of Meyer M1D and Martin Audio W8LC line array loudspeakers.
Some of the changes are due to the particular demands of the theatre in Berlin. "The theatre is very long and thin, and therefore a conventional loudspeaker installation would struggle to cover the auditorium," says Lidster. "By using these two types of line array speakers, I can get the coverage required without over-pushing the proscenium rig and making life uncomfortable at the front of the auditorium."
Mamma Mia! opened in London in 1999 with a sound design by Autograph's Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken. This was the first-ever theatrical production to use an L-Acoustics V-Dosc line array, marking a huge investment by Autograph on a production that few had confidence in. Since then Autograph and Aitken - who has now embarked on a freelance career - have gone on to design every production in the world, although as most productions have been in the US or Canada, trade restrictions have prevented the company from supplying the sound equipment as well as the design.
"This production in Utrecht is a particularly significant show for us to be supplying, as to reap the full benefit of this incredibly successful show it's important that we supply as many European productions as possible," says Autograph's managing director Terry Jardine. "This will help balance up things with Masque, the American company which supplies all five US and Canada productions."
Aitken's sound design for We Will Rock You, which opened in London in May 2002, once again featured a V-Dosc installation. The sound design for the Madrid show, also designed by Aitken, is similar to his original version, but as the theatre is smaller, the V-Dosc has been substituted with an L-Acoustics ARCS system.
"It's very pleasing to be supplying three such prestigious productions and expanding our market at the same time," says Jardine. "We have supplied European productions in the past, but never in such a concentrated manner. Throwing our net further afield was not a conscious decision; it's purely coincidental that they should be produced at the same time. However it's very satisfying to see our initial faith and investment being repaid to such effect, especially as there's never a guarantee that any show will go on tobe so successful."
(Ruth Rossington)
