The Hawaii Theatre in Los Angeles, purchased by the Hollywood Corps of the Salvation Army in 1963 and converted to a multi-use community center, has been equipped with a new sound reinforcement system utilizing ICLive X loudspeakers and subwoofers from Renkus-Heinz.
Faced today with the growth of homelessness in Hollywood, the organization was looking for new ways to generate more resources within the neighborhood. Local performer, music composer and Emmy-nominated TV show creator Sammy Oriti visited the Salvation Army’s Hollywood center and had an idea.
“The bones of the building have excellent potential for concerts, musicals and other live performances,” Oriti explains. “Working with the team at Salvation Army Hollywood we finalized a vision for the space and knew that Renkus-Heinz would bring the sound solution it needed. I called Renkus-Heinz, told them of the plan, and there was no hesitation to come aboard.”
Renkus-Heinz western regional sales manager for Garrison Parkin worked with Oriti and the team to specify a sound system with the flexibility and control needed to produce a range of presentations and performances in the newly renovated theater. “It’s a great looking stage and theater so the producers didn’t want to hang big, bulky arrays that would spoil the ambiance and intimacy of the space,” says Parkin. “But at the same time, the space is wide with a curved ceiling, and they needed good coverage and fidelity for every seat, and for that, the ICLX is the perfect fit.”
After acoustically evaluating the space and considering the supporting equipment in use, Renkus-Heinz recommended a set of eight ICLive X loudspeaker modules for creating two beam-steering tower arrays, supported by a matching set of eight ICLX-118S subwoofers. Also new are a set of eight Renkus-Heinz P2-10 floor monitors for stage use.
“The first thing I noticed with this system is that we have plenty of power. Sometimes small column arrays don’t cut it, but these have plenty of headroom — more than we will need for the 350 seats — which is fantastic,” states Sean Massey, AV integrator for Able Productions in Los Angeles, who also worked with Oriti. “After white and pink noising the room, we worked with Garrison to set the beams and dial in all the specifics; it sounds amazing. It’s a warm, full-range sound with a lot of dynamics and fidelity, and the coverage is perfect. Every seat in the house is set to have an excellent experience!”
The Salvation Army Hollywood will begin selling tickets for a range of concerts and shows with the proceeds directly helping the Hollywood neighborhood. Currently, the organization serves 200 hot meals a night to those on the street and nearly 1,000 families visit the Hollywood facility three days a week to pick up boxed foods.
“I’ve been a big Renkus-Heinz fan since the 1980s; its systems are always super reliable and sound amazing,” Oriti concludes. “I’m proud of this project, and I’m so happy to be working with Renkus-Heinz — the company’s people and products are great to work with, and together we’re building something very special here. I hope we can replicate this in more cities and help touch even more lives.”
