Pentacle Theatre needs new sound equipment, and we’re hoping you can help.
Picture this. It’s the 1990s. I was the Technical Director of Sound at Warner Bros. Studios on three movies, Big, Beetlejuice and The Bodyguard. I carried a pager and a flip phone and right about that time, the latest sound equipment had just been installed at Pentacle Theatre. Some of that equipment is still there today, and we need your help to replace it.
Since moving from Hollywood to Salem in 2014, I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve seen at Pentacle. The quality of the talent and productions could compete with nearly anything on Broadway. However, the Pentacle’s sound quality has gone the way of the pager and flip phone. The stereo speakers that used to be the best available are now crackling and complaining, as are some of you – our loyal patrons – who have grown accustomed to the higher end sound quality that’s available in your home theater systems. And, a new generation of theater goers have grown to expect a more immersive experience.
I’m writing to ask for your financial support to improve the audio, acoustical and sound equipment that will take us into the next decade and beyond. Your donation will:
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Improve the quality of sound in the theater by giving the sound designer the ability to provide a surround sound experience, placing sounds in exactly the spot they should be coming from.
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Provide wireless headsets for more actors, making spoken lines and lyrics clearer and more easily heard.
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Add sound dampening in the musicians’ area, a drum kit enclosure, along with acoustic treatment of the walls and ceilings of the theater itself. This will dramatically improve the quality of the overall sound while eliminating feedback.