In tandem with the UK tour production, Sister Act is also being staged in Milan for the first time – opening just one month later, and keeping the same creative team very busy!

Sound designer Gareth Owen deployed the d&b audiotechnik T-Series line array, explaining:
"I tried the T-Series out recently on Strictly Come Dancing and the Midnight Tango tours, and was really impressed with the sound quality and performance. I tend to use the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton as a benchmark – in the past, I have had to rely heavily on using delays to get the right balance there, but with these two tours, I didn't have to use any at all. Standing at the back of the stalls and the circle, the overall sound achieved with the d&b T-Series line array was the best I had ever achieved at this venue."

Gareth has elected to use an almost exclusively d&b system for both productions, typically configured as two hangs of T-Series aside with Q-Subs, B2 Subs, E8 Front Fills and a mixture of E6 and E0 delays. His choice has also put him in the good books of both the management and set department, thanks to the T-Series very compact, narrow profile. Unlike other speaker systems, it has opened up a number of seats that would normally have been blocked, improving the stage sightlines significantly.

Behind the scenes, the show features the Clear-Com Tempest radio communications system – Gareth is a big fan, commenting:
"It's a fantastic system and represents a big step forward in stage management comms. Its clarity is remarkable – whereas previously the stage crew struggled to whisper due to the very small dynamic range, now everything is crystal clear at very low volumes."

Front of house, Gareth is using a Digidesign Venue mixer which he reckons is being "pushed to the limit" as he explains:
"The show has a huge dynamic, with loud rock'n'roll sections interspersed with soft ballads. We have a huge number of different sources to deal with, including a computer-controlled keyboard system – and the challenge is to make the whole thing sound fully integrated and like a single orchestra, along with the live 15-piece band. Every input and output on the Venue is fully loaded, and we also have a second Venue console located in the pit."

Radio mics are courtesy of the Shure UHR system, with Sister Act representing the third show in a row that Gareth has used them on. For the current UK tour of Top Hat (mixed by Mike Thacker), Gareth spec'd the largest ever UHR theatrical touring system, "It does what I need it to do" he commented. For Sister Act, he is using DPA 4061 mic heads with the system, worn by all the 36-strong cast.

The full sound system line up includes the dual redundant CSC3 Show Control system, which Gareth is using to control all the multitrack click tracks, sound effects, and around 400 desk cues – representing a pretty heavy show from this perspective. FOH there are a pair of TC Electronic Reverb 6000s, and a couple of XTA SiDDs, along with the complete Waves Live package running on the console. In the orchestra pit, there is a second Venue console - driving a set of Aviom mixers – one for each of the orchestra. Band microphones are a combination of DPA 4022s, DPA 4007s, DPA4061s, Neumann KM140s, AKG 414s and Shure Beta98s, along with Gareth's favourite Audix D6 and D4 drum kit mics.

The fit up for the UK tour and the Milan production took place simultaneously, thanks to Orbital Sound's involvement in the sound equipment supply and support for both shows. By specifying an almost identical system for both the UK tour and Milan, Gareth aimed to keep things as simple as feasible, focusing on a slightly different configuration to reflect the requirements for Milan where the show involves an 8-piece orchestra and a clever new German KeyComp sampling/playback Virtual Orchestra system to create a 24-piece virtual orchestra.

Under the supervision of Senior Production Engineer Chris Mace, Orbital essentially simultaneously built the same system twice at its large facility in Brixton. The two systems were separated by a white line drawn down the middle of the build area, enabling Mace to supervise any required changes across both shows straight away. From Gareth's point of view, this approach made the sound team's task a lot easier, to the point of it being almost impossible to have achieved the result in the time otherwise.

Giving Gareth the final word:
"Sister Act is a great show to work on – great story and fantastic music. The T-Series' performance, combined with the awesome workflow of the Digidesign Venue, has allowed us to keep both the client and the audience happy. Add in a happy band, cast, and crew and, well, you can't ask for much more than that."

Alongside Gareth as sound designer, the full sound team for the UK tour comprises Associate sound designer and No1 Russell Godwin with Hazel DeAyr as No 2, Will Jonkler as No 3, and Stew Steely as No.4/Tech Swing In Milan, the team includes Adam McCready as Associate, .William Geroli as No1, Armando Vertullo as No2, Enrico Spadavecchia as No.3 and Vito Di Giovanni as No. 4. The production crew is spread across both shows, with Chris Mace heading the team and Olly Steel acting as his second-in-charge. The rest of the production crew include Dennis Fernandez, Andy Green, Keith Barnes, Earl Barton, Dan Bailey, and Andi Johnson.