The International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino, a 1,600-seat theater, and one of the classic venues in Las Vegas, now has state of the art sound in the form of a RoomMatch system from Bose Professional. Even with the installation of the new system, which was part of a $150 million renovation over the last 2 years, the International Theater retains its historic feel, taking visitors back to the days of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Built by Kirk Kerkorian in 1969, and booking Barbara Streisand as the first act, the theater has hosted everyone from Aretha Franklin to Michael Buble.
Initially installed for Barry Manilow’s new residency, which began on May 24, featuring favorites from his deep songbook of hits, is allowing his longtime front-of-house engineer Ken Newman to keep Barry’s vocal above the audience, especially when they are singing along.
Case Study – Performing Arts | Westgate International Theater
Newman says Manilow shows are surprisingly loud, averaging in the mid to upper 90-dB range and sometimes peaking above 100 dB, thanks largely to his enthusiastic audiences who know every word of every song. “It’s a challenge,” he says.
“But the RoomMatch system has the headroom I need for that. The system is well-suited for this type of environment, the classic Las Vegas showroom.”
Joe Dougherty, Head of Audio for the International Theater, is deeply aware of the venue’s legacy, and of how the RoomMatch system will help keep it alive. Citing the range of artists with upcoming shows in between the engagement’s nights, such as the Alan Parsons Project’s Eye in the Sky 35th Anniversary Tour, a show by legendary prog-rockers Yes in August, and an extended engagement by veteran entertainers Clint Holmes and Earl Turner called Soundtrack: Your Songs. Our Stories, he says RoomMatch will handle all of them well. “It’s a great system for this room and for what the theater needs to accommodate,” says Dougherty, adding that the venue is also used for corporate events and overflow from the hotel’s Sportsbook for events such as NCAA Tournaments and the Super Bowl.
“The theater has its own needs for low frequencies and for articulation, and then each artist has their own requirements, and the RoomMatch so far has met them all. The system has a lot of flexibility built in through the DSP, such as allowing us to adjust the delays for the fills based on what each show demands and letting us manage a lot of zones. But most of all, it sounds very, very good, no matter what we put through it. That’s always the bottom line.”
The system consists of 16 RoomMatch modules configured eight per side in a left-right hang, with eight ShowMatch™ SMS118 subs stacked under the stage, four RoomMatch RMS218 subs and eight RMS215 subs flown above the stage, nine RoomMatch Utility RMU208 loudspeakers for under-balcony fills, and a dozen RMU105 loudspeakers used for front fills. A VIP seating area has its own RoomMatch L-R system. The entire system is powered by 28 PowerMatch® PM8500N amplifiers and managed using fully Dante™-compatible Bose Professional ControlSpace® DSP.
