The Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA, a renovated vaudeville-era playhouse now serving as a community arts presenter and 725-seat performance venue, has been outfitted with a new sound reinforcement system headed by d&b audiotechnik A-Series augmented arrays paired with KSL-SUB subwoofers in a design and installation by Chicago-based Ayre Productions.
The original Englert Theatre opened in 1912, serving as a stage, movie house, and housing space, and eventually, it closed at the end of the century after being sold. In 2004, the venue re-opened its doors as a non-profit arts presenter through a public-driven capital campaign, and currently, it hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including live music, comedy, dance, lectures, screenings, civic events, community gatherings and more.
“This install was completed at the end of 2022,” states John Wagner, co-owner of Ayre Productions. “The venue contacted us to bring the theatre up to date and requested d&b for their system to replace an old, tired point source system by another manufacturer. After seeing the venue with our own eyes, we chose the d&b A-Series as it suited the venue. Some challenges were working around the previous integration, keeping the venue looking the same without too many changes to the structure and finishes. Other than that, the installation was a breeze. The A-Series fits the room much better than a traditional array. By using less with the A-Series, we gained more overall.”
The main system consists of four ALi60 modules per side, another three ALi60 for center fill, (left, center and right using ArrayProcessing), three 44S compact loudspeakers for front fill, three more 10S-D loudspeakers for upper balcony fill, and four 44S for underbalcony fill. In addition, 10 MAX2 monitors and a B6-SUB can be deployed for stage monitoring, with all loudspeakers driven by nine 40D amplifiers (six for the main system and three for monitors). The venue has also been equipped with a pair of new DiGiCo S21 mixing consoles.
“With the positioning of the A-Series, we were able to hide the system a bit to let concert attendees see the room more,” Wagner explains. “And overall, the outcome was much more pleasing, both on the ears and eyes.”
“Working with Ayre enabled The Englert to install a system that, for the first time ever, was designed for its space,” adds Keegan Colletta Huckfeldt, senior production manager. “In addition to the feedback from patrons, artists and technicians alike notice the difference the d&b system provides and the opportunities it creates to provide higher quality art.”
