The Broadway musical Hadestown won a Tony award for Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz’s sound design, which features 28 Alcons Audio V-series pro-ribbon monitors. The Tony was the icing on the cake for Nevin and Jessica, who also won a Drama Desk Award for the Hadestown sound design, as well as being nominated in the Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Steinberg is a longtime user of Alcons pro-ribbon loudspeakers, including them in the sound design for Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton: An American Musical, both of which continue to attract sell-out audiences.
“Alcons pro-ribbon loudspeakers have proven to be an excellent tool for my Broadway productions,” says Steinberg. “Hadestown, in its intimate home at the Walter Kerr Theatre, seemed a great fit for the Alcons sound.”
This was Paz’s’s first time using Alcons products, but she already had a very favorable impression of them. “I heard Alcons speakers for the first time on Dear Evan Hansen and I found them impressive in the high frequency range, with a very smooth response,” she said.
For Hadestown, Steinberg and Paz specified 10 VR5 mini versatile monitors, 16 VR8 compact versatile monitors and a pair of VR12 mid-size versatile monitors. It was the first time Nevin had used the VR5 and he was just as impressed as he has been with other Alcons pro-ribbon speakers.
“We used the Alcons components for rear orchestra, and side / rear mezzanine fills,” he said. “We needed two sets of under balcony speakers and the addition of the VR5 to the Alcons VR line-up gave us a great option for a very compact system, which shared all of the excellent attributes of its larger siblings for the edge of the balcony rail and the remote areas of the mezzanine.”
Paz concurred, saying: “The size, smooth frequency response and power made them a great option for fill and under-balcony positions. The VR12 is great at providing both clarity and punch right where you need it. As a mezzanine far-fill at the Walter Kerr Theatre it helped us achieve a full sound to the farthest corners.”
Due to the compression-less principle of Alcons’ pro-ribbon transducer technology, V-series monitors deliver a fully linear response at any SPL, while a rotatable waveguide delivers wide and consistent coverage up to the highest frequencies. These qualities helped to ensure that every seat in the Walter Kerr Theatre enjoyed the best possible audio experience.
“I love the ’near-field’ quality of the VR series. The whole line sounds great up close and at medium distance in the fill positions,” said Steinberg.
“Would I consider Alcons V-series speakers for other productions? Absolutely, I think the sound quality is top notch!” added Paz.
