The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) has migrated its production communications infrastructure to Riedel’s Bolero wireless intercom system.
Replacing an obsolete wired system, Bolero provides clear communications for WAAPA performance crews at both on-campus and off-site venues.
Situated on the Mount Lawley Campus of Edith Cowan University near Perth, WAAPA is recognised nationally and internationally for providing Australia’s most comprehensive range of performing arts training.
“Over the course of our academic year, we stage around 25 key productions of musicals, plays, dance, jazz, and classical concerts. With such a busy production schedule, a dependable communications infrastructure is paramount in the successful delivery of each show,” said Cameron Malacari, production manager at WAAPA. “When our previous systems reached the end of their useful life for supporting multiple productions, we had two choices: reduce our production capabilities — which simply wasn’t an option — or invest in state-of-the-art technology. Bolero is an outstanding choice, giving us newfound flexibility and reliably clear, concise, and portable communications.”
The new Bolero wireless system provides a streamlined communications infrastructure that works for both on-campus and off-campus productions. Because the Bolero installation is designed around a facility-wide backbone, the system is already in place to enable on-the-fly communications between two venues as needed — without additional hardware and with only minimal configuration changes.
“With Bolero, we’ve eliminated several annual hire costs, and we can receive convenient support from Riedel in our own time zone. If we need additional equipment, Riedel can provide it on a rental basis to help us keep our total cost of ownership down,” said Tim Landauer, Venue Services Coordinator at WAAPA. “Riedel’s experience in major performing arts venues, theaters, and universities across Australia was invaluable in helping us optimize the system design.
“Going with Riedel and Bolero has also boosted our educational mission. Since Riedel systems are the industry standard in the broadcast and theater production/event workspace, our production students receive training on technology they will use in the real world. Our instructors can concentrate on the core work of teaching production and performance practice, rather than spending hours troubleshooting faulty systems. In this manner, Bolero supports our ultimate goal of enabling performance and storytelling on stage smoothly and invisibly.”
