New York, NY (June 5, 2026)—In-ear monitoring has become commonplace for concerts, but in the theatrical world, it’s still rare to see IEMs used. And a show where the entire ensemble uses them? Unheard of—which is just one of the unusual aspects about New York Theatre Workshop’s (NYTW) recent production of My Joy Is Heavy, by Obie-winning writing and acting duo The Bengsons.
The 80-minute musical garnered rave reviews during its extended two-month run at NYTW’s theater on the lower east side. Throughout the run, the six-member cast of actor/musicians sang and played guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, trombone, reeds, accordion and various other instruments, all while wearing IEMs tied to a KLANG immersive in-ear monitor mixing solution.
Sound designer Nick Kourtides put together a setup comprised of seven KLANG:kontrollers up on the stage, fed by a DMI-KLANG card plugged into a DiGiCo Quantum7T mixing console at front of house.
“The show was definitely challenging for monitoring, but KLANG helped us bring all elements together,” said Kourtides, adding that colleague vendors Masque Sound and Autograph A2D were “instrumental in supporting the KLANG deployment.”
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Atypically, the full-stage audio environment was built during studio rehearsals, so all performers adapted to the system as the show evolved, growing comfortable with hearing a natural, localized soundscape in their in-ears. “KLANG’s intuitive design and spatial audio mixing improved clarity, reduced cognitive load and allowed performers to make better musical decisions in real time,” says Kourtides. “The musicians very quickly adapted to the logic of the :kontroller interfaces. And I made almost no adjustments to their mixes after seating—a first for me.”
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“KLANG really unlocked their ability to play a dense mix, against vocalists who are singing at various volumes,” he adds. “This is modern music—rock drums, electronics, synths—there’s a lot going on, so anything that removes barriers puts the musicians in a position to make good creative decisions.”
