For Last Chance Productions, a touring musical theatre company based in Seattle, E6 earset microphones from Countryman Associates are a staple, selected for their ability to deliver quality audio despite a wide range of theatrical sound challenges.
Since producer Chance Newman founded Last Chance Productions in 2009, the company has performed a steady stream of musical shows for audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He reports that, presently, the company utilizes 12 Countryman E6 earsets in conjunction with AKG PT450 wireless microphone systems.
“We’re currently staging Evil Dead: The Musical,” Newman says. “This is a Canadian rock musical stage play based on the cult classic film series. Critics have praised the show and one critic for The New York Times said the musical ‘wants to be the next The Rocky Horror Show, and it just may succeed.’ It’s a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun and very entertaining.
“We’ve also used our E6 mics in other productions such as Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein and Trey Parker’s Cannibal! the Musical as well as original productions. In every case, our Countryman mics have performed exceptionally well under some very challenging circumstances.”
Those challenges include a lot of action, airbrush makeup, and perhaps most daunting, squirting stage blood. “Through all of this,” Newman notes, “the E6 delivers perfect clarity of sound. Voices sound very natural and the ability of the audience to understand the dialog is excellent. Perhaps even more important is the durability of the Countryman mics. Moisture—of any form—can be the kiss of death to electronic equipment, but our E6 mics have proven to be remarkably robust. The high quality sound and protective mic caps make the E6 essential equipment for us. We simply would never use any other mic.”
Newman also stresssd the importance of proper fitting, “Aside from audio quality, there is nothing more important than a secure, comfortable fit. As a theatrical group, we simply can’t have mics that fit poorly and are uncomfortable because the distraction would be intolerable. Our actors need to be able to focus on the creative task at hand and, for this, the E6 microphones are terrific.
“They’re light, comfortable, and once fitted, they remain securely in place—enabling the talent to focus on the show. The Countryman E6 mics are so subtle that the actors forget they are wearing them and so do the audience, and this, of course, is the goal.”