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The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) has long been central to the global reputation of the revered Bard. Located in Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, and home to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), it attracts audiences from across the world to see outstanding performances – not just of Shakespeare, but of a range of new productions and other classics.
The current theatre reopened in 2010 after extensive remodelling, led by Charcoalblue and architects Bennetts Associates. Inspired by Elizabethan theatre, its courtyard-style auditorium has a characteristic deep thrust stage surrounded by intimate stalls and galleries.
By 2025, encouraged by the RSC’s new joint artistic directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, the theatre was looking toward a greater range and diversity of work, underpinned by a more technologically advanced approach to its delivery. The time had come for a sound system upgrade.
As RSC Head of Sound Jeremy Dunn explains, “In the past, we would use radio mics for shows like Les Mis or Matilda, but not for Shakespeare. But now, if a director wants to do a show in a more hyper-realistic way, for example, we’re open to that. We want to offer that possibility.”
Such a shift would require an object-based spatial audio system. “There are few ways of doing that,” says Dunn. “After looking at the various options, we settled on the d&b Soundscape.”
After working with d&b audiotechnik on a Soundscape system to meet the venue’s requirements, Dunn needed to engage a specialist to install the system, and to oversee other improvements to the RST’s audio capability. To do this reliably and efficiently, amid the busy theatre’s ongoing programme, they selected Autograph.
Autograph’s relationship with the RSC reaches all the way back to Les Misérables in 1985. “The main reason for choosing them here was that they talked about the installation in terms of a theatre fit-up, which was very familiar to us,” says Dunn. “They were prepared to work overnight, and provide teams of people who knew West End theatre. They understood our deadline was not just the show opening, but us getting familiar with the sound system in advance. We knew we were in safe hands.”
Leading the Autograph team were installation design engineers Mark Noble and David Prosser. Noble recalls, “The biggest challenge was that the entire install had to coincide with the fit-up of the RSC’s big festive production – The BFG – and it needed to be done in six days.”
Another layer of assurance was Autograph’s expertise with d&b Soundscape. “We, as the integrator, and d&b as the manufacturer, will always help prepare the client for what they have to work with,” says Noble, “so we all visited d&b for Soundscape training. David Prosser and I had already done the full Soundscape course, so for us it was a refresh, but it was also about supporting Jeremy and his team and delivering a cohesive workflow for the system’s first deployment.”
That degree of expertise was key, as Prosser explains, “Where there were elements unique to their system, and perhaps not explicitly covered by the training process, we were there to guide them. It was important to have those conversations, because with three DS100 processors and 192 outputs, this was far from a simple setup.”
Previously, the main PA had been a central line array – an apt solution for Shakespearean presentation, where actors tend to stand centre-stage. The Soundscape design required seven smaller arrays (of d&b ALi90 and ALi60), flown around the arc of the thrust. “We helped with some support in visualizing that in 3D,” says Prosser. “It wasn’t just the performance of the loudspeakers, but also the practicality. Would all other departments be happy with it?”
Around the auditorium are three discrete rings of loudspeakers to provide the definition of spatial awareness required by this high and deep auditorium. These (predominantly 4S, 5S and 44S boxes from d&b’s xS-Series) were mostly replacements for existing positions. A full wrap of surrounds on each level was handled by 38 d&b 8S boxes. With vocal imaging being critical to the success of RST presentations, a new front-fill system of 16 d&b 44s was also installed, working in collaboration with RSC technical departments. In all, more than 180 loudspeakers were installed.
In addition to the d&b Soundscape system, Autograph upgraded the venue’s audio transport capability. “We installed a Dante network,” says Prosser, “to facilitate the d&b equipment, integrating with their existing DiGiCo mixing console and optical network.”
He continues, “The system uses two d&b amplifier models – 40D and 5D – providing 200 amplifier channels in total. While the 5Ds accept Dante directly, the 40Ds do not, so a conversion stage was required. Although d&b’s DS10 Audio Network Bridge provides this functionality, it also offers more features than required here, so to economise we used our own Signature Series units, which have dual power supplies and are specifically designed for installation. On this project, it proved the most cost-effective and appropriate solution.”
The installation saw other typical Autograph touches. “For amplifier control and Dante we chose Netgear AV line switches, with rear-mounting connectivity to keep the rack fronts clear,” says Prosser. “With busy racks like these, keeping both the front and rear as neat as possible helps the team stay on top of added cabling and supports future changes and maintenance.”
They also custom-designed, along with Doughty Engineering, a compact loudspeaker mounting bracket for use in locations where d&b’s standard mounting hardware was not necessary. Again, this was a cost-effective solution.
Looking back on the process, Noble comments, “Jeremy and his team were 100% proactive the whole time, which has been amazing. They know there’s now a whole new approach to their workflow, and they’re totally grasping it.”
Having received extremely positive responses from key stakeholders, Dunn is delighted with the results of the upgrade. “All in all,” he says, “I think it was pretty perfect.”
Gallery: Click on photos to enlarge.
The RSC’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
Interior photography: photos by Graham Chrimes
