Riksteatret, Oslo

The acoustical realtionship between actor and listener is indissolubly connected.

I often tell my customers that the noise generated by human behavior in an office, lecture hall, or concert  is primarily related to the acoustic properties of the space itself—how the room is perceived by each person.

When we installed the AAS (Active Acoustic System) or RAES (Room Acoustic Enhancement System) at the Riksteatret in Oslo 10 years ago, the technical director, Lars Årdal, noticed a significant change in the audience’s behavior. The room was originally designed as a TV studio with low acoustic energy and a complete lack of early reflections (ER). When the audience entered the theatre, the unnaturally dry acoustic environment had a psychological impact on both the listeners and the actors. Before the play started, the audience whispered to each other due to the lack of acoustic response in the room. This whispering was even noticed backstage, where the actors struggled to remain calm in the unsettlingly quiet atmosphere.

The reverberation time (RT) was measured at 0.47 seconds. We used the RAES to add ER both on stage and in the audience area. This completely changed the behavior of the audience. The added acoustic energy in the space, caused by the RAES, seemed to transform anxious whispering into cheerful conversation among the waiting audience. This, in turn, somewhat reduced the “pre-show stress factor” for the actors. Additionally, the new acoustics of the hall allowed the actors to express themselves in broader and richer ways, often eliminating the need for microphones. This helped to create a more intimate live connection between the stage and the audience. Finally the the stage and hall was unitetd in one acoustical ralm.