Theatrical Sound Designer Lew Mead of Autograph A2D has integrated a Pliant Technologies CrewCom wireless intercom for the Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA) and since then it’s been employed for a range of productions based on the works of C.S. Lewis, including “Paradise Lost,” “The Great Divorce,” and “The Screwtape Letters.”
“Autograph A2D’s 15-year history has been dedicated to bringing audio and communication solutions to the theatre and equipping some of the world’s best-known musicals with top-of-the-line innovations,” says Mead, who serves as the company’s managing director. “We were searching for a dependable system that can easily be taken out on the road for FPA’s touring productions and Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom intercom proved to be the right solution. We took the system out on our most recent tour and it was a huge benefit that CrewCom seamlessly interfaces with any house system, regardless of the manufacturer. We look forward to getting back out on the road with our CrewCom system as soon as we can.”
In addition to the system’s flexibility, Mead found CrewCom to be the right fit for Broadway-style venues. “We found that in all large venues we have worked with, the CrewCom system always works throughout the building. The range on this system is incredible and the coverage never disappoints. It’s rock-solid and has a great interface, and I have really enjoyed using it. CrewCom also makes it easy for production personnel to pull into any sort of situation and it simply works right out of the box.”
For “Paradise Lost,” “The Great Divorce,” and “The Screwtape Letters,” Autograph A2D deployed eight Radio Packs (RPs) for the crew as well as two Radio Transceivers (RTs), which were connected to the Control Unit (CU) backstage. “We set up the system with all of our wireless microphones,” adds Mead. “This way, all of our RF areas would be in one place so the A2s on the shows were able to seamlessly monitor everything that was going on backstage.”
Additionally, Autograph A2D and production personnel at FPA point to the audio quality of the CrewCom system. “We’ve been blown away by CrewCom’s crystal-clear audio quality,” says Mead. “Also, the RPs are lightweight and compact, and users can use them with their own headsets, which will be especially important once productions resume as people don’t want to wear a headset that someone else has had on their head.”
Mead’s looks forward to deploying CrewCom when FPA’s productions resume. “When the world opens back up, we’ll be deploying CrewCom on another show called ‘The Most Reluctant Convert,’ which is the story of C.S. Lewis himself — his biography,” he concludes. “We also have plans to extend into the college area further down the line, which we are really thrilled about. With CrewCom’s simple-to-use interface, we know that this will be a great system for students to deploy as the learning curve is small. Pliant really knocked it out of the park with CrewCom.”
