Famous for ‘erupting’ volcanoes of light on each side of its screen signalling the start of a movie, the Hawaii Theater once epitomised the Golden Age of Hollywood. Now enjoying a new lease of life and a new purpose, the theatre was acquired by the Hollywood Corps of the Salvation Army Hollywood in 1963 and converted into a multi-use community centre. After serving as a worship space for a number of years, it subsequently closed for remodelling, returning in 2015 as Ejercito de Salvacion, a Spanish-language church group under the Salvation Army banner.
Today, faced with the growth of homelessness in Hollywood, the organisation sought new ways to generate more resources and provide hope within the neighbourhood. Local performer, music composer and Emmy-nominated TV show creator Sammy Oriti visited the centre and had an inspiration.
‘The bones of the building have excellent potential for concerts, musicals and other live performances,’ Oriti says. ‘Working with the team at Salvation Army Hollywood we finalised a vision for the space and knew that Renkus-Heinz would bring the sound solution it needed. I called Renkus-Heinz, told them of the plan, and there was no hesitation to come aboard.’
Garrison Parkin, Western Regional Sales Manager for Renkus-Heinz, worked with Oriti and the team to specify a sound system with the quality, flexibility and control needed to produce almost any presentation or performance in the newly renovated venue. The stage would need to accommodate everything from spoken word ministering to full musical productions with multiple singers, full bands and a wide range of instrumentation.
‘It’s a great looking stage and theatre, so the producers didn’t want to hang big, bulky arrays that would spoil the ambiance and intimacy of the space,’ Parkin says. ‘But at the same time, the space is wide with a curved ceiling, and they needed good coverage and fidelity for every seat, and for that, the ICLX is the perfect fit.’
After evaluating the acoustics of the space and considering the supporting equipment in use, Renkus-Heinz recommended a set of eight ICLive X loudspeaker modules for creating two beam-steering tower arrays, supported by a matching set of eight ICLX-118S subwoofers. Renkus-Heinz also deployed a set of eight P2-10 floor monitors for on-stage use.
‘The first thing I noticed with this system is that we have plenty of power. Sometimes small column arrays don’t cut it, but these have plenty of headroom – more than we will need for the 350 seats – which is fantastic,’ says Sean Massey, A/V integrator for Able Productions in Los Angeles, who worked with Oriti on the renovation. ‘After white and pink noising the room, we worked with Garrison to set the beams and dial in all the specifics; it sounds amazing. It’s a warm, full-range sound with a lot of dynamics and fidelity, and the coverage is perfect. Every seat in the house is set to have an excellent experience.’
The Salvation Army Hollywood will begin selling tickets for a range of concerts and shows with the proceeds directly helping the Hollywood neighbourhood. Currently, the Salvation Army Hollywood serves 200 hot meals a night to those on the street, and nearly 1,000 families visit the Hollywood facility three days a week to pick up boxed foods.
‘I’ve been a big Renkus-Heinz fan since the 1980s; the systems are always super reliable and sound amazing,’ Oriti says. ‘I’m proud of this project, and I’m so happy to be working with Renkus-Heinz – the company’s people and products are great to work with, and together we’re building something very special here. I hope we can replicate this in more cities and help touch even more lives.’
More: www.renkus-heinz.com
