The Gang TV

When the 88-year-old Murat Theatre in downtown Indianapolis was renovated and restored recently, sound designer and installer Mid-America Corp. provided a high-level sound reinforcement system that was big on versatility.

Seating 2,681, the theatre is the largest in Indianapolis , as well as the oldest surviving downtown stage. The Murat hosts a mix of concerts, touring theatrical productions, and comedy acts. The auditorium is a relatively square room, with a 60' ceiling and a large balcony that wraps toward the stage on each side, and luxury wing seats 50' away from the stage. Center balcony seats are about 80' away from the stage. In the restoration, architectural firm Fred Simmons & Associates of Indianapolis completely gutted the theatre, all the way to the four interior walls, and rebuilt the Egyptian-influenced interior.

The stage proscenium was enlarged 16' to a width of 52' as well. "During the sound system design process, our biggest concern was that although the Murat regularly hosts Broadway-type shows, the system needed to be adaptable for concerts," says Kerry Darrenkamp, partner (with Rob King) in Mid-America. "Most live theatrical productions tend to have a large center cluster generating 85% of the sound reinforcement, with little or nothing from the sides of the stage. Obviously, this wouldn't be effective for a rock, country, or alternative band." The sound design team decided to strike the optimum balance between the venue's two needs. Primary reinforcement would be provided by two clusters, flown to each side of the proscenium, with the addition of a smaller center cluster primarily to enhance the spoken word and anchor it more to the performers onstage during theatrical productions.

Because the theatre and the stage are both so wide, spreading the main clusters far apart, the design team implemented a front-fill system to cover the first seating rows, particularly those in the center. Four EAW JF60 compact loudspeakers in custom rectangular cabinets were installed in special cut-out sections beneath the front lip of the stage.