The John Madejski Academy in Reading is the latest to raise the level of achievement in England‘s inner cities by introducing a distinctive approach to school leadership. Specializing in sports, the Academy will have capacity for approximately 1,100 students with a state of the art auditorium and separate dance/drama studio, provided by Leicester-based Hawthorn Theatrical.

Hawthorn has again turned to Martin Audio sound reinforcement components as part of its audio-visual design model–extending its reach with the flexible AQ series.

According to Hawthorn‘s installation manager Simon Ling, the versatility of the AQ series meets the many requirements of a general-purpose assembly hall, while the textured light grey factory finish also provides a remarkable environmental color match.

“The AQ series is a great sounding product which fits within budget and does not require a vast amount of processing,” he says. “On top of that the AQ boxes are relatively compact, quick to install — and the muted grey finish is just perfect in this context.”

What little processing is required is stored digitally in an Allen & Heath iDR8 DSP, while the different AV playback presets are accessed via an AMX remote hand-held touch screen.
On the front bar above the stage are also clamped a pair of AQ15‘s (using Hawthorn‘s bespoke flying frames), reinforced on each side by a pair of the matching AQ212 subs. These are in-filled on the second truss with four AQ10‘s.

Hawthorn have also made provision for live mixing in the form of an Allen & Heath MixWizard 16:2, and rigged a mobile rack (including radio mics) which can either be plugged into the control room or wheeled down to the front of the assembly hall.

Finally, Hawthorn Theatrical have equipped the Drama Studio — where a single Martin Audio AQ12 is flown in each of the four corners — as well as a recording studio, which will also be used as part of the Academy‘s curriculum.

In addition to Reading and Paddington, the theatrical specialists have so far provided full staging and scenic solutions to Academies in Lambeth, Ramsgate and Northampton. They are scheduled to deliver three more during the course of the year.