The community’s response to the closing of the John Harms Center in 2003 was swift and not positive. In fact, citizens from around northern New Jersey joined to let the powers-that-be know that they wanted a local regional arts center to serve the cultural needs of the area.
Frank Huttle III and a team of local activists heard the call, and they collaborated with private donors, foundations and local govern-ment to raise $6 million to reopen the facility as the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) in fall 2004. “What’s special about the Bergen Performing Arts Center is that it’s independent and not-for-profit, but it’s really owned by everyone in northern New Jersey,” Huttle reports. “We reopened this 1,300 seat theatre with little public assistance. The community really wanted it, and we are the cultural hub of both arts and education in the north New Jersey region.”
The theatre originally opened in 1926 as a movie-vaudeville house. Over the years, it has been renovated to be a movie house, concert hall and now a performing arts center.
Of course, being in such close proximity to New York City means that the bergenPAC management team has to make sure that the fa-cility’s acoustics and technology are of high enough quality to attract national headliners. So, in the mid-90s a pair of renovations were undertaken to improve the sound of the hall. The facility continues to go through sonic tweaking and equipment upgrades to make sure it stays on pace with its local competition.
That said, bergenPAC Executive Director David Rodriguez, points out that staying ahead of the curve is not their first concern. “More than anything we’re conscious not of state of the art, but state of the industry. If it doesn’t show up on enough artist riders, the amount of time that it takes to convince an artist that a new technology makes sense from a live sound perspective doesn’t justify the additional cost,” he explains.
So, the facility has just upgraded its FOH consoles from a Yamaha PM4000 to a Yamaha PM5D. “Before people embraced the digital format, the capital expenditure versus the value of renting on a per show basis just wasn’t there,” Rodriguez says. “What we want to make sure is that the venue is sound, the acoustics are what are needed for that particular event, and we will augment our inventory as the market demands reach that threshold.”
Rodriquez is looking to bring in a line array system to replace the existing Meyer Sound Lab assortment of cabinets that works as the facility’s P.A. Currently, six MSL-4s serve as the facility’s main speakers, four 650-P carry the bottom end and six UPA-1Cs are used for balcony fills, along with 11 EAW JF80s that are being used as front fill speakers and under the balcony.
As far as outboard gear located at FOH, Rodriguez reports the facility offers pieces from Klark Teknik, Urei, dbx, Lexicon and Yamaha, but he’s most proud of the pieces from local audio company Pendulum Audio, including a Quartet, ES-8 and OCL-2.
At the monitor position, the facility is installing another PM5D to go along with six Meyer Sound Lab UM1-P stage monitors and a pair of MSL-4 side fills. Outboard gear includes EQs by Klark Teknik, Meyer Sound Lab and dbx, with a Valley Gatex four-channel gate.
Above and beyond gear, Rodriguez has spent some time working on the physical acoustics of the building, especially considering audio was not a major concern when the house was built in the ‘20s. He laughs while agreeing, and then points out, “If anything, we’re more concerned about it now because the old vaudeville houses were really built like speakers. There are different acoustical needs for amplified sound versus acoustic sound.”
In the late ‘90s, a series of acoustic improvements were made to the theatre, including the installation of acoustical panels to the rear of the theatre to reduce slap back reverb. The other thing that was done was the restoration of the front of the balcony and the original artistic friezes. “We extended the balcony by four rows using structural concrete, and the friezes create a diffusing, reflective surface.” The sides of the building also were treated with acoustic panels that can be added or subtracted, depending on the style of the show. Most recently, the facility has turned to New York-based Fisher Dachs Associates for acoustic consulting.
In addition to the venue’s history and improved acoustics, many artists have made the journey to Englewood because of the opportu-nity to record their performances for DVD and live CD releases. In fact, one of the reasons Rodriguez is investigating a line array is be-cause the speakers will be off the stage. “As we do more and more video broadcasts, there’s a desire from a lot of directors to not see those stacks on either side of the stage,” he reports. “So, the more you can fly and maintain the credibility of sound, the better.”
To ensure an audio track full of integrity and ambiance, a 64-channel audio split is sent to nearby Bennett Studios via fiber optic cables that were connected when the facility reopened in 2004. Certainly, the vast assortment of recording gear at Bennett is crucial, but musicians come to bergenPAC for the vibe. So, to capture that, six Neumann U87s have been hung around the room. “Part of the value of being in this hall is to have those audience mics,” Rodriguez states. “If they aren’t there, and you’re going direct into a board, you might as well be in a recording studio. We argue strongly that the house itself is as much a part of the performance as the piano. You miss out on an awful lot by not taking advantage of that chamber.”
Video is also sent to Bennett Studios via the fiber optic cables, and Rodriguez reports that one of the next steps of the ongoing renovation is the installation of more cables to transmit video. That improvement is important since a number of A&E By Request programs have been filmed at the venue.
The venue’s booming popularity among patrons and artists proves to Huttle and Rodriguez that its Englewood location and proximity to New York City has become a benefit. “We’re surrounded by the arts population,” Huttle says. “It’s not like we’re in the middle of Pennsyl-vania where, if we want to get a major act, we have to fly everyone in to nowhere, and the next closest place they have to go to is 500 miles away. Of course there is competition with New York City venues, but we view it as an asset, and it’s been paying off, because since we’ve opened, our ticket sales have been higher than anything the John Harms ever did.”
