The theatre's facilities include an 855 seat main space, a smaller 146 seat studio space, exhibition space, eight meeting rooms, coffee shop and bistro, two bars and an outdoor marquee and amphitheatre which are used for performances throughout the summer.
A recent technical upgrade has seen a Yamaha M7CL-48ES digital mixing console, together with three SB168-ES stage boxes, purchased for the main theatre.
Supplied by AC Lighting, the system was chosen because of the experiences of the in-house technical crew, led by technical manager Chris Wilcox.
"We noticed a lot of people touring with Yamaha consoles, which not only indicated that they are worth having, but also gave us an opportunity to ask engineers what they thought of the desks," says John Kenrick, who, together with Quentin Whitaker, provides most of the audio support in the main theatre.
"Not all touring engineers get the gear they want and many had horror stories about digital desks they'd used in the past."
Kenrick continues, "The ES version provides the flexibility of so many returns where you want them. On one occasion, we had a visiting company who were running video with sound from upstage and who also wanted returns for their own monitoring and recording purposes. I just ran out some Cat 5 cable, gave them an ES box where they wanted to work and everything was sorted."
With Kenrick using a wireless link to control the console from around the auditorium and onstage, plus an additionally-purchased Aviom card being embraced by professional and amateur musicians alike, the Yamaha system has obviously had a major positive impact at the Hawth Theatre.
"We've also had great technical backup from Yamaha," adds Kenrick. "Not only can I speak to someone who has intimate knowledge of the console, but I was particularly impressed at Yamaha's approach to support. The engineer gave me his own mobile number and made it clear that I can call him at any time."
(Jim Evans)
