Musiktheater im Revier (MiR), Gelsenkirchen

In February 2024, the VIVACE system in the main auditorium of the Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) was equipped with new hardware and software and recalibrated from scratch.

In the 1950s already, back when it was still known as the Städtische Bühnen Gelsenkirchen, MiR was one of the most important stages in the German-speaking countries. Today, headed by General Director Michael Schulz, the MiR is North Rhine-Westphalia’s largest cultural institution. It has its own opera ensemble, a choir, the dance ensemble “MiR Dance Company,” which has been led by Italian dancer and choreographer Giuseppe Spota since the 2019/2020 season, and the MiR Puppet Theatre.

The orchestra in residence, led by its General Music Director Rasmus Baumann, is the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, which emerged in 1996 from the merger of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Gelsenkirchen and the Westphalian Symphony Orchestra of Recklinghausen.

MiR shows up to 20 productions a year with a lively and varied program that includes works from the classical opera and operetta repertoire, as well as premieres of experimental formats and musicals, thus serving all genres that are possible for people making music, dancing and singing.

In order to ensure optimal acoustic support at all times for this versatile event program, the main auditorium of the MiR, with approximately 1,000 seats, has been equipped with the electronic room acoustic system VIVACE since 2011. This system was updated with new hardware and software and fully recalibrated in early 2024.

With VIVACE, the auditorium, whose natural room acoustics are more suited to electro-acoustically amplified formats such as musicals and operettas, is transformed into a vibrant “concert hall” for classical orchestra concerts at the touch of a button.

In addition to the new acoustic “presets,” the theatre has many more options at its disposal with the latest VIVACE control software. The comprehensive matrix functions and full access to all the speakers of the system enable the theatre to provide directional acoustic support for complex stage situations as well as scenic design with spatial and immersive acoustic effects and soundscapes.

With the new VIVACE system, the MiR is well equipped for the coming years to meet the constantly growing acoustic and electroacoustic needs of a modern theatre company.