Orbital's "Sound Fundamentals for Theatre" training course took place between 2nd and 4th April, representing the 12th consecutive year that the Easter training week has been staged.

Across the four activity-packed days, students were tutored in a wide cross-section of essential skills for theatre sound, with Orbital's Richard Carter and Bill Addison at the helm. Orbital estimates that it has now helped prepare more than 300 theatre sound and technical theatre students for careers in live entertainment – with students drawn from across the UK's leading drama schools, as well as many freelancers and the corporate sector.

The training week was held at Orbital's purpose-built Brixton training facility, with the course covering the following core modules:
• Theatre fundamentals, key concepts and system elements
• Audio processing, transmission and digital audio basics
• Communication and video workshop
• Sound design and production engineering for musicals
• Radio microphone systems
• Radio microphone fitting
• Safety and rigging fundamentals
• Electroacoustics
• Speaker choice and venue calculations
• Computer systems and controlling the show
• MIDI and show control
• Digital mixing
• Networking and wireless control systems

Gareth Fry from the Association of Sound Designers gave a guest presentation on "Approach to sound design for plays", and manufacturers d&b audiotechnik, Shure and Yamaha provided hands-on tutorials within the relevant course modules. The students were also treated to a West End site visit to two shows – Let it Be and Top Hat – where they had the chance to go backstage, chat with the sound teams and see for themselves what it takes to put the sound together for a major production.

Overall the verdict is that the 2013 Sound Fundamentals for Theatre training week was another resounding success!