Minneapolis MN, The Guthrie Theatre

The fairly new complex at The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis was stunning.  I got to tour the whole place with Ross, the FOH sound tech.  There's a proscenium theatre (where we played), a thrust stage (a re-creation of the original Guthrie Theatre), and a black box space, all in one complex.  They have a production schedule that keeps them very busy, rotating productions with two spaces always running shows while the third space builds the next show.  We set up on the apron of the stage where the set was already built for a production of Shadowlands, the set reflecting the library with the famous wardrobe in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe".

The tech crew is very proud of what they've accomplished at the Guthrie, and well they should be.  The system consists of L'Acoustic ARCS and EAW KF730 speakers, with various fills everywhere, all run over fiber networks, and mixed on the Stagetec Aurus.

Never heard of the Stagetec Aurus?  Me neither until now.  A German product that hasn't gained much traction here in the US, the Aurus is a digital mixer with an impressive interface.  The Guthrie has two, a larger one at FOH, and a smaller one at Monitors.  The surfaces are merely large remote controls for the brains that are centrally installed with the digital snakes and system networking downstairs (right next to the on-site professional recording studio).

I have to say, it's pretty cool.  Ross was an excellent teacher, and I got the basic mixing procedures down in just a few minutes.  The only peculiarity of this system is that Stagetec does not include any on-board effects.  I guess the approach is that rather than try to create effects for every user, they would rather the user select the outboard gear they want to use, and patch it like an analog board, reducing latency and increasing choices.

Honorable mention to Paul on monitors, and Gary the stagehand, and many thanks to Mitch, the TD.  What a great crew, and what a great space.  If you get the chance to visit the Guthrie, make sure you take in the view at the top lobby at night.  Amazing.  And try the restaurant.  Yum.

Reports back from the talent indicate there's somewhat of an aural disconnect for the performers on stage, in that it's hard to hear the house from the stage.  So they felt oddly distanced from the audience, but that's the only down side here.  The sound in the house was incredible, so the audience was very happy.

The next morning, I got to visit my friend Ben Geffen at the Walker Art Center.  It was great to see him and get the tour there too.  Minneapolis is obviously a great place for the arts.  Thanks Ben!