In Broadcast - July 2017 - 31

31

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 6

InTech

Clear-Com Flies High On
Broadway Show
C

lear-Com Cirque du Soleil's
intercom provider of choice for
the company's Broadway musical
Paramour.
The show, which closed out recently
after a year-long run, used ClearCom's HelixNet wired and FreeSpeak
II wireless intercoms to provide
complete coverage throughout the
1,932 seat, 24,000 square foot Lyric
Theater.
In addition to coordinating the fast
scenery, prop, and athletic equipment
changes in the musical, the Paramour
stage crew monitored the real-time
safety of Cirque du Soleil's aerial
performers; all of whom were working

The cast of Cirque du Soleil's Paramour
Photo: Richard Termine

without a net.
The Clear-Com intercom
equipment was rented by
Cirque du Soleil from Masque Sound
of East Rutherford, NJ; which has also
supported the systems during the
show's Broadway run.
"Paramour was one of those projects
which took Broadway in a new and
different direction: It had a story and
songs like a musical, but also had a
strong component of Cirque du Soleil
acrobatics interspersed throughout the
piece," said David Patridge, Associate
Sound Designer on Paramour. "To
stay on top of the action, the show's
production crew needed a reliable,
robust, and flexible intercom system
that would keep everyone connected
without any gaps or dropouts. This is
why we selected Clear-Com's HelixNet
wired and FreeSpeak II wireless
intercom systems to do the job."
Cirque du Soleil rented three
HelixNet Digital Partyline Main Stations

for Paramour. With the assistance of
Masque Sound, they integrated the
three HelixNet systems into what may
have been the largest intercom system
of this type on Broadway. The audio
design also called for 18 HPB beltpacks
and 18 HRM remote stations to connect
the stage crew to the HelixNet system.
For
wireless
communications,
Paramour
rented
Clear-Com's
FreeSpeak II 1.9 GHz intercom system
with wireless beltpacks/headsets for
15 users, plus nine antennas to extend
the reach of the FreeSpeak II footprint
throughout the entire Lyric Theater.
FreeSpeak II is designed to integrate
easily with HelixNet and other ClearCom wired intercom platforms.
Noting that most Broadway theatres
suffer from some degree of difficulty in
achieving complete coverage, Patridge
said: "We were able to cover every inch

Clear-Com HelixNet
Digital Partyline system

of the building through the placement
of these antennas; all connected with
lightweight CAT5 cabling. This kind of
full coverage is simply not achievable
with previous versions of wireless
communications - at least, not without
a lot of expensive coaxial cable,
antenna splitter/combiners, and RF
trial and error."
Patridge added: "I can state without
reservation that Clear-Com's HelixNet
and FreeSpeak II performed flawlessly
for us," he said. "They made sure the
show always went on."

FreeSpeak II wireless beltpack

http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.clearcom.com/product/digital-network-partyline/helixnet-partyline https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blueshape-granite-link/id1091256996?mt=8 http://www.blueshape.net http://www.blueshape.net https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=livelink.battery.blueshape.net.granitelink

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