When Broadway casts need a place to rehearse, many of them turn to The New 42nd Street Studios. A state-of-the-art rehearsal studio, office and theater complex, the building has provided rehearsal space for more than 236 Broadway shows since it opened in 2000. It’s no surprise, then, that David Jensen, Director of Production, needed to be discriminating when considering speaker upgrades for eight studios this year. After a thorough search, he chose FBT’s Archon 112’s and 115’s to support the work of some of New York City’s most talented performers.
The complex, which has typically operated at a 95% occupancy rate since its opening, boasts ten floors and 80,000 square feet including large, column-free rehearsal spaces. Each studio contains an audio rack, amplifier, power mixer and speakers.
“We’ve been open for 15 years,” said Jensen, “and it was getting to a point where we needed to replace some of those audio racks and speakers. We went on a shoot out to start looking for replacements that were cost effective, but big enough to carry the rooms. Sometimes a show will have 30 or 40 performers dancing at the same time. We needed something to carry over the top of all that without killing every other room that’s in the building.”
Jensen turned to Simon Nathan, owner of Audio Production Services and long-time associate, for assistance. Nathan recommended the Archon 112’s and 115’s without reservation.
“Simon’s been very supportive of our work for a very long time, and I trust him in his recommendations implicitly,” said Jenson. “We needed a high SPL, but a quality SPL; the Archon definitely had it – the quality we were looking for at a strong price point. He definitely recommended a great box.”
A project of The New 42nd Street, the nonprofit organization charged with the continuous cultural revival of 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, the studios, according to Jensen, have been “enormously successful.”
“The studios fit a niche within the performing community in New York City that was desperately needed. Prior to the opening of our studios, many organizations were rehearsing in spaces that were fairly dirty and unsafe, badly lit and badly air-conditioned. Now, they come to us to have clean facilities that are always highly maintained… It’s nice that we get a chance to improve the experience of our artists that work with us – from the overall environment to the sound we can provide. They’re creating an artistic product. We’re always delighted to keep that going.”
