EAW rejuvenates the Friendship Theatre
Published: ASIA
CHINA: An EAW sound reinforcement system is helping to bring new life to one of Guangdong’s most revered theatres following a comprehensive audio installation.
Once celebrated as one of the greatest venues of its kind in China, and boasting a capacity of 1318 in its auditorium, the Friendship Theatre was originally founded in 1965 with an integrated traditional courtyard and garden in the Lingnan style. In the decades since however, the theatre has found itself unable to meet the demands of modern productions, and in 2005 its demolition in favour of a new building was added to the Guangdong province’s list of key cultural projects. To Guangdong’s delight, that plan was abandoned in favour of renovating the existing theatre in order to retain its unique architecture.
The new audio system within the theatre’s auditorium encompasses left and hangs of four EAW NT56 enclosures plus two SB625Zp 15-inch subs per side. A centre cluster consists of two NT56 cabinets plus a single NT59, while a further pair of NT56 boxes, two NT29s and two SB625Zp subs provide down-fill. For front-fills, four EAW JFX88 speakers have been installed. Eight CIS400 ceiling speakers and four EAW JF60s have been used for the under balcony area. All of the NT series loudspeakers incorporate Gunness focusing technology. Powersoft amplification has been used to drive the entire system, with K3 and K8 amps used to power the subs and LD3004 and Q4004 amps driving the JF, JFX and ceiling speakers. Sitting at front of house is an Allen & Heath iLive 144 with an iDR 64 mix rack located at the stage.
Having entered testing in April, the theatre is reported as having returned to its former glory, having already hosted performances including ‘Change’ (‘Qi Lou Wan Feng’), ‘The Recitation of Chinese Culture’ (‘Zhong Hua Yin’), and ‘Lotus on Mount Tianshan’ (‘Tian Shan Fu Rong’).