EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, APRIL 3, 2014 — When Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s enduringly popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat embarked on its 2014 U.S. tour on March 4, Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supported Co-Sound Designers David Patridge and John Shivers in their quest to bring this new, contemporary production of the 1968 hit to the stage.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the irresistible family musical about the trials and triumphs of Joseph, Israel’s favorite son. Retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colors, this magical musical is full of unforgettable songs including Those Canaan Days, Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door. Directed and choreographed by Tony® Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehler, this new production features Broadway stars Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray, Hair) as the Narrator and Ace Young (Grease, Hair) as Joseph.
Since Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is scheduled to tour through spring of 2015, Patridge and Shivers wanted to make sure that in designing the sound system it would be capable of easily moving and fitting into a small footprint on the truck. “We wanted to provide the best audio experience that we could, in working within the confines of a traveling production’s space limitations,” says Patridge. “In order to maximize the power and efficiency for the system, and get the most ‘bang for the buck,’ we once again showed no hesitance in turning to Masque Sound.”
With space at a premium, the designers opted to utilize the smaller-footprint Yamaha CL5 Mixing Console, along with a Yamaha CL3 for monitoring, both of which worked quite well for the show. The Yamaha Console was ideal for the production not only for its compactness, as it could be picked up and lifted into position by two people, but also because its comprehensive feature set addressed all of the production crew’s needs. In addition, connecting the console together is a fairly straightforward process and can be done with Cat 5 cabling, which is ideal on a show that needs to move quickly and efficiently.
For the PA, Masque Sound provided an L-Acoustics dV-DOSC array, a tried and true speaker design that sounds great. The dV-DOSC line array was integrated into existing speaker towers from Masque Sound’s inventory, which gives the show a PA that is quite spectacular. The flexible system that Masque Sound provided is ample enough to fit, but also compact enough for smaller venues, which was particularly ideal for this production tour, as it features various venues of different sizes.
“Fortunately Masque Sound has a very deep shelf of available gear, and we were able to put together an excellent audio package with its equipment that stayed within our budget and did not compromise on the quality of the sound at all,” adds Patridge. “In addition, Masque Sound’s modification of existing inventory speaker towers to fit with the L-Acoustics PA was a large cost savings to us. Masque Sound is always great about trying to repurpose available structural items. The talented crew in the metal shop is able to piece together these sorts of things relatively easy, which is a huge benefit and just one of many reasons we like working with them.”
Masque Sound also provided its expert frequency coordination services for the tour. The wireless package consisted of Sennheiser SK5012 wireless mini bodypack transmitters and Sennheiser EM1046 receivers. “Masque Sound’s RF department is top notch at keeping equipment range tested and ready to go,” concludes Patridge. “Masque Sound is wonderful at listening to us and providing us with the equipment and services we need to be successful, and once again did a great job.”
The new tour launched at Playhouse Square in Cleveland on March 4, 2014 and is scheduled tour through spring of 2015. For more information, visit www.josephthemusical.com/ustour.
About Masque Sound
Founded in 1936 by a trio of Broadway stagehands, Masque Sound evolved into one of NYC’s most successful theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design companies specializing in theatrical, house of worship, sporting, corporate, TV broadcast and live concert events. Celebrating more than 75 years in the industry, the company is lead by Geoff Shearing, the firm’s 3rd generation owner, and Vice President and General Manager Stephanie Hansen. The company also operates Florida-based Professional Wireless Systems, a leader in the development and implementation of wireless technology. Credits range from major Broadway shows and tours including “Phantom of the Opera,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Lion King,” “Jersey Boys,” “Memphis,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Newsies,” “Once” and “Kinky Boots” to yearly Super Bowl broadcasts and installations of varying sizes, including New York’s New Victory Theater and historic St. Bartholomew’s Church. Masque Sound’s 70,000 sq. ft. corporate headquarters and main assembly facility is located at 21 East Union Ave., East Rutherford, NJ, 20 minutes from midtown Manhattan. For more information, call (201) 939-8666 or visit www.MasqueSound.com.
