Another Design and Installation story …
Having the opportunity to work directly with prestigious Independent Schools in Brisbane to assist them develop and deliver state of the art theatrical outcomes for their Performing Arts Centres is the kind of project our experienced PLS team relishes.
Such was the case with Wavell State High School on Brisbane’s Inner North Side, who offer Schools of Excellence in Music, Drama and Dance. Our team worked closely with School Staff, the Design Consultancy Team and Builder to deliver exceptional AV outcomes for the school.
Intelligent sharing of projectors, screens and speakers for both performance and classroom use make this venue a truly flexible teaching and performance space.
Infrastructure …
Having the opportunity to develop infrastructure from the ground up is a massive “plus”. At Wavell, key AV infrastructure items included …
Custom Over-stage Grid
A custom over-stage 40nb Pipe Grid was designed by PLS, facilitating use of standard entertainment industry clamps and fittings to make the AV fitout flexible and simple.
Planned rigging points in the front of house forestage area allowed for a very neat and streamlined infrastructure installation, including two powered stage lighting bars, left and right projectors & screens, FOH speakers, PTZ cameras and more.
Flexible Stage Lighting Power & Patching
To enable both LED and more traditional Hot-Light fixtures, a Jands Hub distribution system was installed, providing maximal flexibility going forward. Both traditional DMX and e-DMX cabling infrastructure future-proofs the lighting infrastructure.
Integrated Venue-wide Communications & Control
To embrace the special requirements of a dedicated performance space, AV design included data cabling, vision, audio and comms to the various annexed dressing rooms, classrooms and preparation areas, to maximise outcomes for major productions. This includes audience recall and music playback, fully controllable from the Bio Box. A PTZ camera in the auditorium space sends images and audio to backstage monitors or may be streamed or recorded. So very flexible.
A push-button Kramer control Systems enables incredibly simple sharing of equipment across the performance and teaching spaces, including a stand-alone “lecture theatre” style of use for the teaching space & retractable seating at the rear of the auditorium.
Elevated Control Space
The elevated mezzanine Control Room boasts excellent audio penetration and sight lines by way of a full-faced opening across the width of the space, sealed by a lockable roller shutter. Two Follow-spotlight positions are also accommodated on the mezzanine.
Stage Layout
Design accommodated a back-stage hallway and performer crossover. So the back wall of the stage has been utilised as a cyclorama and projection surface, providing a matt white surface that is maintenance friendly for the school environment.
Dance mirrors, which might normally be installed against the back-stage wall, were instead installed on the inside surface of the operable wall which can be deployed along the front of the stage to create a versatile classroom space.
Large (high & wide) backstage doors and a loading dock enable easy access for props and instruments.
Five custom Dip Traps (floor boxes) positioned along the front and rear extremities of the stage, provide a multitude of on-stage patching options.
Equitable access has been provided by way of ramps to the back-stage doors.
A post-fitout extension stage designed and installed by PLS provides ready access between the stage and auditorium seating area, so that audiences can be truly engaged and involved during performances.
Multi-functional spaces
Whilst the stage is its own enclosed dance rehearsal space / classroom area, the main auditorium area also divides in half by way of a mirrored operable wall to provide a dance studio / classroom in the forestage, with shared use of the FOH projectors and screens.
The rear section boasts motorised tiered retractable seating, so has been fitted for use as a stand-alone lecture theatre complete with its own AV, including push-button control system, projector & screen, wireless microphones and use of rear delay speakers for high quality audio for lecture mode.
This fully fitted out lecture space has added amazing versatility for the school in how the spaces can be used.
Budget -vs- Equipment
It cannot be stated strongly enough that good planning and a generous AV budget work together to deliver great outcomes. At Wavell, an excellent balance between quality and quantity was possible to deliver outcomes the school required.
Installed pro equipment includes …
- PLS Custom Stage Drape Design
- Jands Curtain Track & Hardware
- JBL CBT Line Array, AC Series Side-fill & Sub Speakers
- JBL PRX Foldback Speakers
- Crown CDi Amplifiers
- BSS BLU Audio Processing, Zone Control & Paging
- Shure SLX Wireless & Antenna Management
- Soundcraft Si Impact Digital Console & Stage Box
- Kramer Master Processor, Matrix Switcher, Touch Screens & Control
- Panasonic FOH & On-stage Projectors
- Jands Ezicom Talkback
- Jands Hub Dimming & Distribution
- PLS Custom Powered Lighting Bars
- Robe Parfect Keylights & Moving Head Wash Beams
- Martin Rush Moving Head Profiles
- ShowPro Dual Head Cyclorama Floods & LED Static Floods
- Robert Juliat 3000k LED Roxie Followspotlight
- LSC DMX Distribution & PC-based Clarity Control System
- PTZ Optics Streaming Camera & Joystick Controller
- Sony Camcorders
- Global Truss to Black-Box Drama Theatre
- Hikvision Rehearsal Room Security System
- JBL Commercial Pendants, Ceiling Speakers & Amplification
- Epson Ultra Short-throw Interactive Classroom Projectors
To sum up …
This exceptional performance space has been fitted out with everything that ticks to provide a truly functional and practical performance auditorium with dressing room facilities, elevated control, rehearsal spaces, supporting classrooms, ticket office and enviable facilities for patrons.
Post-installation extension staging by our PLS team allows excellent interaction between performers and audience.
And it doesn’t hurt that the building is beautifully presented and a pleasure to look at. All in all, a job well-done.
Wavell State High School – Dickinson Constructions