The GDST is a group of 28 independent schools operating in England and Wales and Blackheath High School was founded in 1880 as part of the Trust.
The school's business manager Tony Sutherland says the project appeared on the radar soon after the Senior Department relocated to its new premises in 1994, and by 1999 a decision to build a £1.5 million, 345-seat auditorium - principally to be used for performing arts, ballet and school assembly - was rubber stamped.
Clarity's approach had been a masterpiece of timing, says Mr. Sutherland, contacting the school speculatively at a time when they were actively seeking tenders, to win their biggest contract to date in this sector.
The company's successful bid for the sound, vision and staging elements was floated on an elegant Martin Audio solution, using four of their architectural passive 2-way AQ12 loudspeakers (12in + 1in), on adjustable wall-mounts for the front and rear fills, and a pair of custom-coloured AQ8's (8in + 1in) directed up to the balcony.
"To say I'm pleased with the sound quality is an understatement - to provide such a high quality sound in such an unusual shaped theatre is an outstanding achievement," says Tony Sutherland.
Martin Audio is generally the first port of call for Stuart Graham, particularly when specifying school facilities. "They have an amazing versatility, delivering speech transparently and music across the full frequency range, while their rotatable horns provide us with a lot of mounting options. On top of that the AQ series is elegantly designed and can be custom coloured to fit the general aesthetic."
Clarity supplied the sound system complete with a talkback system. They also installed a theatrical lighting grid with digital dimming and control, a lantern package (with followspot), stage drapes and high-power projector with electric screen. They have also supplied a portable sound trolley to allow control from the stage position (via a wrap-around lectern) - and the main auditorium is serviced by an induction loop system.
The theatre itself has been constructed on a brownfield site by main contractors, Mansells following the demolition of three 1960's council-type dwellings which were not in keeping with the area.
The first fix took place in June and according to the school's business manager "there was an enormous amount of communication and co-operation on site, not only between the contractors but also the staff.
"A school will always get out of a project what it puts in; some school auditoriums end up being bland but this has immense character and will enable the school to offer better facilities for the same curriculum."
The new theatre was formally opened by Elisabeth Elias MA DL, chairman of the council of the GDST, at the end of November.
(Chris Henry)
