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Post by sfsusan on Sept 7, 2021 22:36:14 GMT
But the chest is a) quite far from the mouth, b) when someone turns their head the sound levels change, This is very interesting because I happened to see b) in action last night. I saw Jay Rayner and Jo Brand at the Apollo Theatre, and Rayner must have had a chest mic because when he turned his head to his right, he became inaudible. Luckily, he didn't do it too often, but it was definitely noticeable. And I don't remember ever noticing theater sound before.
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Post by Jon on Sept 8, 2021 1:33:50 GMT
Jon, the microphones are ostensibly the same as the lapel mics you see on TV shows, with the only difference usually being the colour (as rarely will a jet black line along someones neck blend well). So why do TV presenters go for wearing it on the chest, and theatre on the head? Well, the chest is convenient, easy to attach, kept out of the way, and the transmitter can be chucked in a jacket pocket and the presenter live in seconds. But the chest is a) quite far from the mouth, b) when someone turns their head the sound levels change, and c) you get a lot of muddy bass and a lot less top end. When transmitting for broadcast this doesn't matter as they can put extreme compression and EQ to fix it but such things on a live PA would result in feedback. If you mount on a boom or on the hairline, the distance stays the same throughout the show, you get no chest resonance, and you have time to fit the transmitter under costumes or into wigs which means costumes can be changed midshow without it affecting the microphone. The Wheel, the BBC One gameshow presented by Michael McIntyre has both head mics and lapel mics but the head mics are only used by Michael and the celebrities while the contestants have lapel mics which I thought was weird but I wonder if that's due to the studio setup rather than a stylistic choice.
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Post by The Matthew on Sept 8, 2021 11:49:31 GMT
Kings, Southsea which proclaims the theatre to have "computer lighting" and "laser sound". I did enquire what the latter actually meant, nobody seemed to know. My first thought for "laser sound" is "our orchestra is actually a CD player".
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 20, 2021 13:21:01 GMT
This may be another one for you firefingers, so I apologise if you feel like you're the only one currently doing any work. Touring the Lawrence Batley Theatre yesterday, our quide said something along the lines of the auditorium having an acoustic rating of 96. (She may have used a percentage.) If that's out of 100, I presume it must be very good, but what does it mean in layman's terms?
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Post by Jon on Oct 11, 2021 12:47:44 GMT
I went to see The Mirror and the Light the other day and couldn't work out how they did the head of Cromwell being cut off can anyone explain how it's done?
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Post by danb on Oct 11, 2021 13:27:58 GMT
They just have a different Cromwell every night…people are crying out to be on the stage. I believe that they are working through the male cast of TOWIE before starting on the Love Island lot. They have to share the wig though.
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Post by The Matthew on Oct 11, 2021 15:02:20 GMT
They just have a different Cromwell every night…people are crying out to be on the stage. I believe that they are working through the male cast of TOWIE before starting on the Love Island lot. They have to share the wig though. Reminds me of Jack Vance's Showboat World, in which the roaming theatrical companies of the showboats bring added verisimilitude to performances of their tragedies by having a death scene involve a real death, should circumstances allow them to get hold of a suitable criminal to play the necessary role. {Spoiler - click to view}It doesn't work out too well for one of the boats when it turns out the criminal they'd bought from the captain of a rival showboat was the warlord of the town where they were giving the performance. Fortunately the boats are well equipped for hasty getaways.
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Post by alece10 on Oct 11, 2021 15:14:29 GMT
What's the difference between a producer and an associate producer please?
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Post by danb on Oct 11, 2021 20:03:13 GMT
What is an associate producer?
An associate producer is a below-the-line producer that works under the supervision of another producer. They are often referred to as the ‘AP.’ They assist another producer in putting a film or television episode together. Strong writing and editing skills are necessary.
Stolen from Google
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Post by tmesis on Oct 11, 2021 22:56:22 GMT
A general question about microphones in plays rather than musicals. Obviously actors always wear them in musicals (exception being at places like The Union) but at places like the National Theatre for 'straight' plays it seems to be more or less universal; may be understandable in The Olivier and Lyttelton but I think also most of the time in The Dorfman. I'm sure 20 or so years ago this was not the case even in The Olivier - I'm sure it wasn't the case even 10 years ago so when did this start to happen? It also seems to be prevalent at larger small theatres (if you see what I mean) like Hampstead and the Almeida.
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Post by marob on Oct 11, 2021 23:39:18 GMT
I saw a play last week in the studio space of a local theatre and the actors were mic’ed there. It’s not about the size of the theatre, but to enable them to provide headsets to people who are hard of hearing to make the place more accessible. That’s probably why you notice it more in subsidised venues, along with things like captioning, audio description, or relaxed performances.
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Post by alece10 on Oct 12, 2021 11:55:20 GMT
What is an associate producer? An associate producer is a below-the-line producer that works under the supervision of another producer. They are often referred to as the ‘AP.’ They assist another producer in putting a film or television episode together. Strong writing and editing skills are necessary. Stolen from Google Thank you. So a "gofer" in other words?
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Post by sfsusan on Oct 16, 2021 16:17:20 GMT
can anyone explain how it's done? I don't know for sure, but assumed it was some variation on {Spoiler - click to view} having a trick box as the executioner's block, where the actor can simply drop his upper body and his head slides through into the empty box.
However, I can't confirm that because I closed my eyes at that bit.
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Post by sph on Oct 18, 2021 4:28:43 GMT
A general question about microphones in plays rather than musicals. Obviously actors always wear them in musicals (exception being at places like The Union) but at places like the National Theatre for 'straight' plays it seems to be more or less universal; may be understandable in The Olivier and Lyttelton but I think also most of the time in The Dorfman. I'm sure 20 or so years ago this was not the case even in The Olivier - I'm sure it wasn't the case even 10 years ago so when did this start to happen? It also seems to be prevalent at larger small theatres (if you see what I mean) like Hampstead and the Almeida. Traditionally, plays have not used microphones on actors, at least not body-mics, and it has always been a matter of personal pride for stage actors to be able to project their voices out into a full house without amplification. However, as technology has improved and acting styles have changed, it seems silly at times not to take advantage of such aids. A play which relies on a more subtle, intimate style of acting may not lend well to the technique of loud voices and large gestures for example. The increased amount of plays in recent years that fit this brief may be one reason for it. Also, many modern plays nowadays are far more advanced in their sound design than they used to be. Loud music, pulsing lights, increased sound effects etc need actors to be able to match them vocally in contrast to the quieter drawing room comedies of the old days. I imagine a show like Curious Incident is mic'd for this reason, but I could be wrong. Is it? I like plays that are mic'd. It makes the performance more accessible for the audience and puts less strain on the actors' voices.
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Post by Dave B on Oct 21, 2021 8:45:37 GMT
I'm not sure if this is a question or a little vent but if a show is widely seatfilling for multiple performances - why oh why won't the box office give the people who have booked and paid normal price for tickets an upgrade first?
Sat in the cheap seats so often recently to see empty seats or seatfilling going into good stalls seats or front row of the first level and it just seems like a lost opportunity to me. Going to a show today that we have cheap restricted view (that's what the tickets say but it's 100% not restricted at all) but the show is on seat-filling and giving centre stalls tickets out as comps.
I suspect part of the answer to my own question is that as tickets aren't paper and collected at the box office anymore, it would be more work for the theatre but it seems like it would be good PR. It doesn't happen often but the times when we have arrived somewhere and been told we have new, better tickets - well that certainly makes me immediately have a higher opinion of the theatre.
Anyone have any insight?
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Post by alece10 on Oct 21, 2021 10:50:37 GMT
Question about opera and mics. I've always heard that opera singers are not miced and just project their voice. But is this true? It's amazing if they can project their voice but can they really project to an audience of 2000 like at the ENO. I could hear perfectly at a recent performance even with a large orchestra so amazed if true. I've been to musicals before when the mic has dropped out and the singer carries on but you can't hear a word. Les Dennis was on TV this morning talking about HMS Pinafore which he is in later this month and said he won't have a mic.
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Post by The Matthew on Oct 21, 2021 11:24:15 GMT
I've been to musicals before when the mic has dropped out and the singer carries on but you can't hear a word. I remember a performance of Cats where Cheryl McAvoy's mic dropped out just before her big number in the second act, so whoever was on the sound desk cut back the volume of the orchestra to match and it worked just fine. (Better than normal, actually, as she had a wonderful voice that sounded even better with no electronics in the way.) But the New London was a small theatre and the orchestra were shut away behind part of the set where their volume could be reduced easily, and I suspect it would have been a different story in a larger house with the orchestra between the stage and the audience.
When I hear people say that actors used to be able to project I wonder if it was actually that good, or if it was crap but as it was the only game in town people were accustomed to the crap.
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Post by sph on Oct 21, 2021 14:09:38 GMT
I'm not sure if this is a question or a little vent but if a show is widely seatfilling for multiple performances - why oh why won't the box office give the people who have booked and paid normal price for tickets an upgrade first? Sat in the cheap seats so often recently to see empty seats or seatfilling going into good stalls seats or front row of the first level and it just seems like a lost opportunity to me. Going to a show today that we have cheap restricted view (that's what the tickets say but it's 100% not restricted at all) but the show is on seat-filling and giving centre stalls tickets out as comps. I suspect part of the answer to my own question is that as tickets aren't paper and collected at the box office anymore, it would be more work for the theatre but it seems like it would be good PR. It doesn't happen often but the times when we have arrived somewhere and been told we have new, better tickets - well that certainly makes me immediately have a higher opinion of the theatre. Anyone have any insight? Seat filling and comps are usually given out via agencies or to the staff of the theatre/producers/friends and family of actors etc. It would be difficult to choose from an audience who gets the upgrade and who doesn't. If you've paid £20 for a restricted view and get moved down next to someone who has paid £150 it can create an awkward situation. What often happens when shows are quieter, is that the top level of the theatre, the grand or balcony, are closed, and patrons are sent to the box office where they are moved to the dress or stalls, but usually not to premium seats.
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Post by Dawnstar on Oct 21, 2021 18:59:37 GMT
Question about opera and mics. I've always heard that opera singers are not miced and just project their voice. But is this true? It's amazing if they can project their voice but can they really project to an audience of 2000 like at the ENO. I could hear perfectly at a recent performance even with a large orchestra so amazed if true. I've been to musicals before when the mic has dropped out and the singer carries on but you can't hear a word. Les Dennis was on TV this morning talking about HMS Pinafore which he is in later this month and said he won't have a mic.
Yes, it's true. It's a matter of training for the singers & suitable acoustic design of the theatres. The conductor also needs to be mindful of the singers & not let the orchestra overpower them, so you wouldn't have the orchestra playing at forte while the singer is singing a phrase piano. The audience may also need to adjust their expectations if they're not used to hearing unamplified music. On many occasions (pre-covid) I've been to an amplified musical in the afternoon & an unamplified opera in the evening & I can feel my ears adjusting to the difference in sound quality at the start of the opera. I generally prefer hearing unamplified singing & find many musicals painfully over-amplified by comparison.
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Post by TallPaul on Oct 23, 2021 8:50:41 GMT
I'm reminded of what I think was the 80th anniversary of Sheffield City Hall, with Sir Mark Elder, the Halle Orchestra and Lesley Garrett.
Although our Lesley was singing unamplified, she was using a mic on a stand for the bits in between, which must have been left 'up'. After two songs and three talky bits, this voice shouted down from the gods: "Can you turn microphone off. It's buzzing."
Apapros of nothing, but it was quite funny. Only in Yorkshire!
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Post by forevercolours on Oct 25, 2021 16:06:22 GMT
Not really sure if this fits in with the usual questions here but I didn’t want to start a whole new thread for this so I’m just gonna ask it here!
Are there any websites out there who post all upcoming WE performer concerts? (Either solo or in groups) I really want to go to move while I live in London but I always find out about them too late. Is it always just the case of checking out their social media or is there anywhere I can find a list? Or is this not possible because performers use different venues/ticketing websites so getting them all in one place is hard?
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Post by alece10 on Oct 25, 2021 17:42:56 GMT
Not really sure if this fits in with the usual questions here but I didn’t want to start a whole new thread for this so I’m just gonna ask it here! Are there any websites out there who post all upcoming WE performer concerts? (Either solo or in groups) I really want to go to move while I live in London but I always find out about them too late. Is it always just the case of checking out their social media or is there anywhere I can find a list? Or is this not possible because performers use different venues/ticketing websites so getting them all in one place is hard? Lots of WE performers choose Cadogan Hall for their concerts so it's worth signing up to their e mails, likewise with Crazy Coqs.
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Post by hannechalk on Jun 24, 2022 7:22:58 GMT
I would just like to ask, as it seems to be the buzzword for any new play or musical opening - what exactly is immersive theatre?
Is it just that they use the whole theatre as the stage, so they play around and amongst the audience?
Is it always with audience participation?
If I pay upwards of £30, I just want to sit back and enjoy the show, to be honest.
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Post by The Matthew on Jun 24, 2022 9:48:53 GMT
what exactly is immersive theatre? The cynic in me suggests "We only have half a script, half a cast and half a theatre, and the audience gets to fill in the gaps".
Not my thing. I don't want to be involved. Often I don't even want to be seen. If there was such a thing as an electric dark bulb that could plunge the auditorium into impenetrable gloom I'd be totally up for that.
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Post by inthenose on Jun 24, 2022 16:22:10 GMT
I would just like to ask, as it seems to be the buzzword for any new play or musical opening - what exactly is immersive theatre? Is it just that they use the whole theatre as the stage, so they play around and amongst the audience? Is it always with audience participation? If I pay upwards of £30, I just want to sit back and enjoy the show, to be honest. In short, it has become a buzzword. It has no real meaning any more, in that it can be a walk-through experience (like Secret Cinema) or a regular sit down book musical, with a token "audience interaction" moment lasting a few seconds. It is something to put in PR copy which is in vogue, because it sounds good and doesn't really mean anything. It is up to interpretation what makes a show "immersive", so it can never really be wrong. Other popular meaningless buzzwords include "dynamic staging" and "reflective of modern society" which pop up constantly.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2022 17:55:42 GMT
I always think of immersive is the cast sometimes greeting you in character when you walk into the auditorium, I know the preshow music works well in shows like One Man Two Govenors, Cabaret and many years ago in the Lenny Bruce play with Eddie Izzard.
I was once at a play which had the cast greeting you as you walked into a studio theatre and they were well known actors who were TV regulars and people were actually asking them "Are you in character or not?". They weren't actually and I was chatting to one of the cast about the first time she had performed in the city some 20 years earlier.
I think this type of performance works well when done right but it has to be carefully judged.
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Post by Steffi on Jun 24, 2022 18:07:09 GMT
I would just like to ask, as it seems to be the buzzword for any new play or musical opening - what exactly is immersive theatre? The word immersive is used for every show that has a slightly less traditional staging or one bit of audience interaction these days. In truth a lot of these “immersive shows” are not even promenade productions. Truly immersive theatre is rare. Punchdrunk are the ones that do it best in my opinion. But I’ve seen some really good immersive productions by other companies: Then She Fell in New York is one example. Secret Cinema is immersive in its own way but has more of an interactive event character so I wouldn’t class it as immersive theatre. Basically for me immersive theatre is a show that completely draws me into the experience. I don’t just watch a show from an assigned seat, I walk around in a different world and in a way become part of this world (as an observer with sometimes carefully crafted interactions with the cast).
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Post by sph on Jun 24, 2022 22:39:14 GMT
Yes, I didn't find Cabaret at the Playhouse immersive really. Sure, it had a few token immersive elements but there wasn't much to suggest you were in a seedy Berlin club in the 30s, and the further away from the stalls you were, the less immersive it got.
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Post by richey on Aug 2, 2022 13:04:36 GMT
So I'm currently sat in the Duke of Wellington pub behind the Sondheim Stage Door and noticed members of the orchestra going in with less than half an hour to curtain up. Is this customary? I always assumed they had to be there much earlier to warm up.
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Post by og on Aug 2, 2022 13:38:43 GMT
So I'm currently sat in the Duke of Wellington pub behind the Sondheim Stage Door and noticed members of the orchestra going in with less than half an hour to curtain up. Is this customary? I always assumed they had to be there much earlier to warm up. 30mins and all that time to spare! It doesnt take nearly as long to warm up as vocal and physical warm ups. There was a time members of the pit would be propping up the closest bar til beginners! Spose they could be dropping off their instruments now and heading for a swift half.
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