Situated on the Kent State University campus in Kent, Ohio, the Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to creative excellence and delivering an exceptional learning environment for students. After struggling with a single-channel communications system and walkie-talkies for some time, the School of Theater and Dance evolved its production communication with its recent installation of Clear-Com’s Arcadia Centr
The new Arcadia system has been “seamlessly” integrated with the school’s Clear-Com FreeSpeak II digital wireless and HelixNet digital wired party line intercom user stations. This set-up now combines all the functionality Kent State University requires to have the constant clear communications it needs for every stage of the production – from pre-production tech set-up, including in-class education, to the actual performances.
“With three venues, including our Porthouse Theatre outdoor stage, we’re producing ten theatre, dance, and musical productions a year, all student-designed and produced,” said Jeff Polunas, assistant professor of sound & projection design. “With such a busy production schedule, we were looking to get our shows up and running more efficiently and boost our educational value for the students. I knew that a dependable and coordinated communications infrastructure and workflow was imperative for our and our students’ success. Our entire production communication system is now Clear-Com, so everything is interconnected and seamless.”
The intercom system needed to be used between three theatres at Kent State, so the team looked for a portable and racked intercom solution that didn’t require any additional hardware and only minimal configuration changes. Having the Arcadia, FreeSpeak II, and HelixNet products in-house also evolved the Sound Design curriculum at Kent State, providing students with real-life hands-on professional AV communications experience. “From pre-production to the actual performance, it’s an intensive practicum for our students and gives us the portable and flexible production capabilities that we needed. It’s helped to boost the educational experience for our students,” explained Polunas.
