Riedel delivers clear comms for the Royal Shakespeare Company

Riedel Communications has announced that the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has deployed a new Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom network and Bolero wireless intercom system at its main auditorium: the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. To manage live performances of plays by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and living artists at the 1018-seat theatre, the Riedel solutions replaced an existing wired, two-ring intercom system.

“In choosing a new intercom system, our main priorities were reliability, sound quality and ease of use,” said Jeremy Dunn, Head of Sound for the RSC. “We tried another wireless system without success, and after looking at a variety of other solutions, Riedel was an easy choice.

“As soon as it was safe for the Riedel team to enter our theatre after the COVID lockdown, the company quickly conducted a site survey, compiled a system design and performed a smooth installation despite supply chain issues. The system was up and running in time for our next show and has been performing exceptionally ever since.”

At the heart of the theatre’s new Riedel system is an Artist-128 intercom node, equipped with six AES67-108s, two Dante-108s and one GPI-116 client card. The Artist platform integrates seamlessly with the theatre’s Bolero wireless intercom system, which consists of six antennas and 40 wireless beltpacks.

With the exception of a few fixed locations where RSP-2318, RSP-1216HL and DSP-2312 SmartPanels are being utilised, the RSC is now relying exclusively on wireless communications in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. With the Bolero system, there is no need for the theatre company to run cables for two-wire beltpacks, saving set-up time to speed up its workflow. In addition, individual beltpacks can be quickly and easily configured for different users, while the system offers good sound quality with seamless connectivity across multiple antennas.

“A world-renowned theatre company, the RSC is always looking for innovative solutions to deliver an engaging experience for attendees, and we are thrilled that they chose Riedel,” said Nacho Lee, UK Sales Manager at Riedel.

“With our Artist and Bolero systems in place, the RSC has clear, comfortable communications throughout its Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and they’re looking to bring those same capabilities to their other auditoriums too. Bolero is already being used at the Cambridge Theatre for the popular West End musical Matilda, and the RSC is planning to roll out the system at the Swan Theatre and The Other Place as well. We look forward to working further with the theatre company as it continues its mission of bringing Shakespeare to everyone.”