NEW YORK, DECEMBER 14, 2015 – When Ragtime, the two-time Tony Award(r)-winning musical embarked on its all-new national tour, Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, was along for the ride with a custom audio equipment package for the highly anticipated revival.

Set in turn-of-the-century New York, Ragtime tells the extraordinary tale of an upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician as they confront America’s timeless contradictions of freedom and prejudice, wealth and poverty, hope and despair, and what it means to be an American. All three are united by their desire and belief in a brighter tomorrow.

Sound Designer Craig Cassidy has collaborated with Masque Sound on many touring productions over the past two decades. During that time, the two have worked hard to create a touring package that provides ease of operation and movement.

“One of the major considerations for this tour is the abundance of one night stops,” says Cassidy. “It was imperative that we came up with a concept that would work in multiple size venues, enabling the sound engineer to get in and out of the building with minimal help in a short amount of time. I’ve done many tours with Masque Sound and we have been refining the system to where my engineers are now loading in, for about five hours and loading out in two. The tour only has two trucks for lighting, sound and set, so packaging and deciding the must-haves was very important. Masque Sound was instrumental in providing the equipment needed to be successful.”

In order to deliver the pristine audio Cassidy was looking for, Masque Sound provided a DiGiCo SD10 digital console. According to Cassidy, “The SD10 gives the amount of inputs I need along with a lot of flexibility in programming and onboard processing. It has worked with fantastic results and I was very happy Masque Sound was able to provide it.”

As part of the custom-designed audio system, Masque Sound also supplied an array of d&b audiotechnik Q1-Series speakers in towers for the left and right orchestra, as well as the balcony. Cassidy chose the Q1-Series because “they have a nice neutral tone and are a really easy speaker to make sound great.” Masque Sound also provided Q-Series subs as well as DPA microphones and a wireless package from Sennheiser, featuring SK 5012s for the 28 channels of wireless.

“Masque Sound once again did a great job,” says Cassidy. “Whether it’s fabrication, technical or frequency coordination, they are always quick to respond and provide solutions, if necessary. They continue to be my vendor of choice and are a top notch organization. In addition, my mixer and man of many talents, Mike Skladel has done an absolutely fantastic job as well and should be acknowledged for his hard work night-in and night-out.”
Produced by Phoenix Entertainment, Ragtime is directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and features a Tony Award-winning score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a Tony-winning book by Terrence McNally. The original production opened in January 1998 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.ragtimeontour.com.