Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) goes wireless with Riedel Bolero intercom

Bolero provides crystal-clear, efficient, and easy-to-manage communications for WAAPA teams, both on campus and beyond.

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) has migrated its production communications infrastructure to wireless intercom system bolero Riedel. Replacing an outdated wired system, Bolero provides crystal-clear, efficient and easy-to-manage communications for WAAPA teams, both on campus and beyond.

Located on the Mount Lawley campus of Edith Cowan University, near Perth, WAAPA is recognized nationally and internationally for providing the most comprehensive range of training in performing arts from Australia.

Cameron Malacari, WAAPA Production Director, comments that "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 reliable communications infrastructure is paramount to the success of each show."

"When our previous systems reached the end of their useful life to support multiple productions, we had two options: reduce our production capacities, which simply was not an option, or invest in cutting-edge technology. Bolero is an exceptional option, giving us new flexibility and reliable, clear, concise and portable communications," he adds.

With the previous cabling system for production communication between technical crew such as lighting, sound, stage managers and mechanics, WAAPA was experiencing around 50 hours of downtime per year. Downtime, coupled with maintenance delays, was hampering the school's ability to stage modern productions; In addition, students' learning hours were affected, as staff were responsible for resolving communication breakdowns. The previous communications setup was also expensive, supported by two discrete rental systems that accrued considerable annual equipment costs and additional fees for associated support.

Modular design

In contrast, the new Bolero wireless system provides a Streamlined and reliable communications infrastructure which works equally well for both on and off campus productions. The modular, integrated design allows for fast installation times and cost-effectiveness, and wireless operation eliminates the risk of cables becoming tangled with machinery such as airlines and large moving trucks. Because the Bolero facility is designed around a backbone network spanning the entire facility, the system is already in place to enable on-the-fly communications between two sites as needed, without the need for additional hardware and with only minimal configuration changes.

Tim Landauer, Venue Services Coordinator at WAAPA, highlights that "with Bolero, we have eliminated several annual rental costs, and can receive convenient support from Riedel in our own time zone. If we need additional equipment, Riedel can provide it to us on a rental basis to help us keep the total cost of ownership low. 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 fueled our educational mission. Because Riedel systems are the industry standard in the broadcast and theater/event production workspace, our production students receive training on the technology they will use in the real world. Our instructors can focus on the core work of teaching production and acting practice, rather than spending hours troubleshooting faulty systems. In this way, Bolero supports our ultimate goal of enabling acting and storytelling. stories on stage softly and invisibly,” concludes Landauer.