The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, near the Suffolk coast, has just completed its first pantomime season with a new sound system, built around d&b audiotechnik T10 loudspeakers, featuring a rock 'n' roll version of Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. Installed in a point-source configuration last year, the new system replaced an older installation that had become unreliable, and features ten d&b audiotechnik T10 enclosures and two d&b audiotechnik B4 subs, and with the system powered by D6 amplifiers.

A 400-seat studio-style theatre, with an open stage and no proscenium arch, the New Wolsey Theatre hosts some 100 productions per year, including many tours, with a heavy musical emphasis. Given the nature of the venue's programming and architecture, the requirement was for a flexible and visually discreet system that would deliver high-quality consistent coverage, with capacity to spare.

Dave Sherman, the theatre's Technical Manager, handled the new system's installation, commenting: .

"Our previous system was some ten years old – installed when the theatre re-opened in 2001 after a refurbishment and change of management. We wanted to specify a replacement that had good flexibility for the future, so we could evolve and adapt its configuration if ever necessary. We first experienced what d&b audiotechnik could offer in our venue a couple of years ago, when we presented the World Premiere of It's a Wonderful Life. This show featured a d&b rig, with the sound handled by Orbital, and it provided us with a good introduction. I've also worked with d&b systems in other venues and, to maintain our edge in rock 'n' roll musicals, we felt they were definitely the way forward.

"The results are great, with a clear, full-rounded sound, and we were pleasantly surprised at how different the T10s sounded compared to our outgoing system. We're achieving very good coverage, and at some stage we might explore a change from the current point-source configuration to a line-array format - the T10s lend themselves easily to either configuration. We have positioned two T10s either side of the stage, with a further two at a lower level, and with the remainder on the lighting gantries. There is one B4 sub located in each balcony on either side of the stage. The T10s are simply tiny, bringing added benefits such as freeing up lighting positions on the gantries, and avoiding line-of-sight conflicts. Installation of our new system was completed in the autumn, in time for our season opener, the World Premiere of 20th Century Boy 
- The Musical, which is a celebration of the life and songs of Marc Bolan. Our next target is to update the sound console, but meanwhile, the d&b audiotechnik system is indeed helping to maintain our edge as an important venue for musicals."

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Given the nature of the venue's programming and architecture, the requirement was for a flexible and visually discreet system that would deliver high-quality consistent coverage, with capability and to spare.