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Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park. In twelve years, it has enjoyed ten West End transfers, two National Theatre transfers, fourteen national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations and multiple Off West End Awards, and has won Theatre of the Year and Campaign of the Year at The Stage Awards.
A registered charity, Park Theatre produces shows both in-house and in collaboration with emerging talent, and supports a mixed programme of new writing and modern revivals. Park Theatre works with writers, directors and designers of the highest quality to present compelling, exciting and beautifully told stories. In everything they do they aim to be warm and inclusive; a safe, welcoming and wonderful space in which to work, create and visit.
Park Theatre has two performance spaces – the 200-seat Park200 auditorium, with a thrust stage, and a smaller, flexible 90-seat room, Park90 – plus a space for workshops, classes, meetings and rehearsals.
A decade into its life, the original sound system in Park200 was ageing and generally failing to meet the theatre’s daily needs. “Over time, the software to control the amps was no longer supported, making it nearly impossible to digitally control them,” explains deputy technical manager Teddy Nash. “Also, the LED displays failed, so we couldn’t know what setting the amp was in. Then two of the amps completely died, so shows that wanted to add any specials or more speakers would have to hire additional amplifiers.”
There were other shortcomings too: circle delay speakers were positioned above the tensioned wire grid – less than optimal for coverage. Just four delays (with narrow throws) served the stalls, meaning weak or dead spots for what should have been some of the best seats in the house. And the Yamaha 01V96i mixing desk (although working perfectly) was of a generation that pre-dated external control apps – another limitation in today’s world. “This meant that any tweaks/changes we wanted had to be done physically at the desk,” says Nash. “It became more about making the bare minimum work rather than granting sound designers creative freedom.”
For a while, it was a case of ‘making do’. However, in April 2024, when the amps failed mid-way through a performance of the theatre’s flagship production, Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 3, the need for an upgrade became show critical. “We were in conversation with a few different companies,” recalls Nash, “but we felt Autograph was the best option because they are leaders in this industry and are great to work with.”
The upgrade had several key aims. It should dramatically improve audio quality in Park200, provide a system that could be relied upon for the next decade, and bring the advantages of new technologies, streamlining working practices and introducing new levels of flexibility and efficiency.
Autograph’s Mark Noble says, “Our ultimate goal was to provide more flexible tools, so the technical teams felt empowered to promote the use of the audio system, and to further support the creative requirements of visiting sound designers, with an increased ‘yes’ culture. It’s a compact space where compromises need to be made in all aspects of production – but we wanted to make sure this was kept to a minimum when it came to the audio experience for the audience.”
The first stage of the plan, in November 2024, was the upgrade of the mixing desk. This saw the 01V96i replaced with a brand-new Yamaha DM7 Compact. “Although they are both Yamaha, there is 20 years of technological innovation between the two desks,” says Nash. “With the new DM7C we’re able to utilise the iPad app, which allows us to make tweaks and changes to the mix, EQ etc, on the fly, from anywhere in the room. This has streamlined our workflow massively.”
Once the team had become accustomed to the new interface, this was followed in January 2025 with the upgrade of amplifiers and new loudspeakers to improve audio coverage throughout the auditorium.
For the loudspeakers, they opted for EM Acoustics. “Talking with Autograph, we found that EM would allow us to upgrade our amps and boxes within our budget, but would still offer excellent audio quality,” says Nash. To help with the choice of system, Autograph organised an on-site demo day to let Park Theatre’s team listen to a number of different EM boxes in the space. “Once we heard the R8s in there, we knew this was the right option,” says Nash. “Also, we loved the fact that EM was a UK-based company, so in turn we’re supporting local businesses and reducing the potential carbon footprint of the upgrade.”
The system features an R8 main PA from EM Acoustics’ Reference series, complemented by a pair of S-15 Subs. “The R8 main left and right need to be adjustable to work with the set design of each production, so are positioned on boom arms against the back wall of the stage,” says Noble. Further delay and fill duties are provided by EM’s ultra-compact EMS-41X and EMS-51X cabinets. “The EMS-41X is a great, discreet loudspeaker, perfect for filling in the small gaps in the hard-to-reach side seats,” he adds.
Amplification is from a combination of EM DQ Series and 4-channel Powersoft Quattrocanali models.
Looking back at the project, Mark Noble says, “It’s been wonderful to work with Teddy and the team at Park Theatre, and to see involvement and interest from the many departments across the organisation. We know how important investment opportunities like this are to the business, and we need to get it right.”
And get it right they have. The resulting system has been a resounding success – one that has ticked every box for Park Theatre. “As the person who works with all sound designers on every show, I’m over the moon with the upgrade,” says Nash. “I can already feel the benefits of having not only high quality, working equipment but also the creative flexibility which allows sound designers to really explore ideas in our space. I now find myself saying ‘yes’ to sound designers’ ideas, compared to a hesitant ‘hopefully everything will work’! As a theatre that prides itself on pushing boundaries with lots of new-writing projects, this freedom is essential to tell stories sonically.”
Nash also praises the Autograph team who guided them through this important task. “Working with Autograph was great,” he says. “Will Cottrell and Mark Noble worked closely with us through the entire process. They were always quick to respond to any questions we had, and came up with ideas on how to improve the system. We felt they really cared about delivering the best possible solution . . . Overall, it was a seamless and enjoyable process.”
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Click on photos to enlarge. Photo credit: Graham Chrimes
