Meyer Sound's New Dimension at Theater Castellum
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On the banks of the river Rijn in the west of the Netherlands between Leiden and Utrecht sits the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. With a population well over 70,000, the town is much different than it was in the days of its Roman origins, though Medieval houses and Roman-themed attractions still commemorate that period. In this ironic spirit, Alphen's new cultural palace is named the Theater Castellum, a "castellum" being a Roman palace. But the Theater Castellum complex, which has been hailed as "a new dimension in going out," is decidedly of the 21st century and set to provide the town with an experience born out of an immense amount of thought, skill and attention to detail, not the least of which went towards the Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems installed there. Designed by architect Dirk Jan Postel, the Theater Castellum building takes full advantage of its position, with views across the water from both inside and out. Reaching 12 stories in height, it houses two theatres, three cinemas, seven bars, a café and a restaurant that offers diners a "rich and famous" menu as well as a "fast and fabulous" menu, allowing visitors the choice of a full meal or a light snack before or after a performance. Ruud Moojen is head of the theatre's technical department, and it is in large part due to his expertise and attitude that the sound and lighting aspects of the project attained such a high level of performance. "We believe that everyone involved has to feel good to do a good job," says Moojen. "This is what we like to express to people, and we have found that it reflects itself in the service and performances we provide." Both theatres sport systems from Meyer Sound, supplied and installed by Dutch distributor Audio Electronics Mattijsen bv (AEM) under the exacting eye of Product Manager Jasper Ravesteijn. The Rabo Theater, the smaller of the two theatres in the building, is named after its corporate sponsor, Rabobank, a leader in Dutch banking. With a seating capacity of 289, the Rabo is used for intimate theatre performances. Each side of the stage has a CQ-1 wide coverage main loudspeaker sitting on top of a 650-P high power subwoofers. Ground-stacking puts the 650-P into half-space loading, increasing the low frequency energy put into the room, an important element in the sound design as the room is rather high. Two UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers hang as a center cluster, but, explains Moojen, there is flexibility in the system for creating a surround sound system, as the UPA-1P cabinets can be moved to the rear of the theatre, or, alternatively, additional loudspeakers can be installed. The Variant Theater is a much bigger room, holding 749 people, and boasts one of the largest orchestra spaces for a theatre of its size. The basis of its loudspeaker system is similar in design, if larger, with right and left stacks of two CQ-1 cabinets and a 700-HP ultrahigh-power subwoofer each, which sit on sidestage platforms at balcony level. Below these platforms on each side are platforms at mezzanine level, on which are seated another CQ-1 cabinet. Under each mezzanine-level platform, a UPJ-1P cabinet is wall-mounted to provide frontfill to the first few rows. Finally, there is a center cluster of four UPA-1P cabinets, placed in pairs, two of which are delayed, and four UPM-1P ultra-compact wide coverage loudspeakers for balcony delays. The system also includes 32 surround loudspeakers positioned along the side walls, under and above the balcony, allowing the theatre to also serve as a large cinema. The system was tuned using a SIM 3 audio analyzer. Moojen joined the theatre in December 2003, two months after the arrival of the technical director, and the consultant, who was already busy generating the designs, had produced initial specifications for the audio and lighting installations. "Planning was in the first stage when I arrived," says Moojen, "but since I was there at the early stages, the consultant was able to be flexible and we had a high degree of cooperation. I had my specific wishes about the sound design and I put the system upside down, with the subs on the top, because this is a great solution for the size and shape of the hall. This idea is something we're starting to see more and more." "With the very powerful 700-HP subwoofer you can (deploy the subwoofers in this fashion), as coupling with the main floor isn't necessary to attain the required SPL levels," adds Ravesteijn. "It works very well in this situation, now that the subwoofers are in a central location, with equal distance to every seat." Moojen is planning to publish the sound and lighting specifications on the theatre's web site for visiting engineers: "I am also technical director for an artists' agent and I do all the European tours for their groups, so I have experience of going into different venues. In Holland we don't do pre-rigging, but if I can provide these kinds of drawings then we can really help our visiting crews." This is also why Moojen has designed the sound and lighting system in the way he has. "It's not necessary for tours to come in and take our system apart," he says. "The complete sound system of the visiting group can be brought in and hung at stage level because we only have a UPA hanging there, so it's easy to install whatever you like as there's plenty of space. However, I think the quality of our house system will, in large part, negate tours having to bring anything in." The Castellum project was initiated in 1997 and took two years from start of construction to completion. It is mainly council-funded, with an original budget of 17.4 million Euros. "And we've stuck to that, which is unique," says Moojen. "It's not all financed by the council. There is 10 percent from sponsorship and friends via a foundation set up by the Mayor of Aalphen. But we still need more. We have a beautiful theatre and a beautiful system, but it's not quite complete. We have a five-year plan, within which time the extra funding we need to finish everything will have been raised." The size of Alphen is growing quickly. One currently-running study anticipates a population of between 100,000 and 110,000 by 2018. Construction is in evidence throughout the area from a new station to residential apartments. The Theater Castellum is an integral part of this project and will serve the town with superb entertainment well into the future. May, 2005 |
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