On 25 September 2007 the Wyvern, a busy receiving venue, reopened after nearly a year in the dark following the discovery of asbestos in the auditorium roof (see Lighting&Sound International magazine November 2007). Stage Electrics was contracted by Swindon Borough Council to design, install and supply technical infrastructure and equipment to the venue.
The Wyvern Theatre is a truly multifunctional venue hosting everything from Shakespeare to ballet, live music to comedy and conferences to cinema. With a reasonably small team of staff and a particularly gruelling schedule - the artistic programme is predominantly one nighters - the technical infrastructure needs to be as flexible and easy to reset as possible.
The Wyvern is one of the first venues in the UK to have the Roland Digital Sound Snake as a fully installed system. A digital audio transmission system running on Cat 5, it features high quality remote controllable microphone preamps, configurable inputs and outputs and immunity to RF and electrical interference. The system also offers built-in cable redundancy and will automatically switch to a backup cable should the main cable be compromised.
For incoming companies touring with their own systems, they can basically plug and play, using as much or as little of the in house rig as they like, including the venue's brand new PA and digital console.
The Venue Technology Day will commence at 10.30 and consists of a programme of presentations throughout the day from leading equipment manufacturers including Strand, ETC and Sennheiser together with guided tours and the opportunity to 'have a go' in the mini studio. A special student session has been scheduled at 4.00pm and the day will include a concert at 7.30pm with an evening of live music from Ben Drummond and Bob Heath and friends. A full schedule will shortly be available from Stage Electrics.
(Jim Evans)
