AliceLast Chance Productions, a touring musical theatre company, has invested in E6 Earset microphones from Countryman Associates, where they are currently in use for Evil Dead: The Musical.
Chance Newman, producer of Last Chance Productions states that the company relies on 12 Countryman E6 Earsets in conjunction with AKG PT450 wireless microphone systems.
“We’re currently staging Evil Dead: The Musical,” Chance reports. “This is a rock musical stage play based on the cult classic film series. Critics have praised the show and one critic for The New York Times said the musical ‘wants to be the next The Rocky Horror Show, and it just may succeed.’ It’s a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun and very entertaining. We’ve also used our E6 mics in other productions such as Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein and Trey Parker’s Cannibal! the Musical as well as original productions. In every case, our Countryman mics have performed exceptionally well under some very challenging circumstances.”
Those challenges include a lot of action, airbrush makeup, and perhaps most daunting, squirting stage blood.
“Through all of this the E6 delivers perfect clarity of sound,” insists Chance. “Voices sound very natural and the ability of the audience to understand the dialogue is excellent. Perhaps even more important is the durability of the Countryman mics. Moisture – of any form – can be the kiss of death to electronic equipment, but our E6 mics have proven to be remarkably robust. The high quality sound and protective mic caps make the E6 essential equipment for us. We simply would never use any other mic.
“We are still using the original nine E6 mics that we purchased back in 2009 and we have since purchased an additional three mics,” he points out. “These mics are durable and high quality. I wouldn’t invest in any other wireless mic besides Countryman.”
Chance also stresses the importance of proper fitting: “Aside from audio quality, there is nothing more important than a secure, comfortable fit. As a theatrical group, we simply can’t have mics that fit poorly and are uncomfortable because the distraction would be intolerable. Our actors need to be able to focus on the creative task at hand and, for this, the E6 microphones are terrific. They’re light, comfortable, and once fitted, they remain securely in place – enabling the talent to focus on the show. The Countryman E6 mics are so subtle that the actors forget they are wearing them and so do the audience, and this, of course, is the goal.”