MGM Grand and Foxwoods Resort Casino join forces to build a new entertainment venue.
The symbol of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a reflection of the past. A tree perched on a rocky knoll and framed against a clear sky represents Mashantucket, the “much wooded land” where the people hunted and prospered. A statue of a fox stands as a vigilant reminder of the turbulent times when the Pequots adopted the name that still remains today, the “Fox People.”
Fast-forward to May 2008 with the opening of an enormous expansion of Foxwoods Resorts and Casino properties in collaboration with the MGM Grand. “The Tribe was interested in partnering with entertainment companies who would augment our enterprises to expand what we offer to our clientele, such as convention markets, high-level entertainment venues and headliners,” states Lori Potter, spokeswoman for the Tribe. “This is why MGM was selected as a partner opportunity.”
A-List Headliners
The new property includes the 4,000-seat MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods and a fourth luxurious hotel complex. Latin superstar Gloria Estefan opened the theater Memorial Day Weekend, followed by such acts as Larry the Cable Guy, Cyndi Lauper, The Steve Miller Band, Joe Cocker, Sarah Brightman, Carrie Underwood and Sammy Hagar and the Wabos. The Theater will also showcase some of the world’s hottest sporting events and off-Broadway shows including upcoming performances by Cirque de Soleil. An invitation-only event took place a week prior to Estefan’s con-cert with performances by Josh Groban, Alicia Keys and John Mayer, all backed by David Foster and his orchestra.
“MGM and Foxwoods wanted to provide world-class facilities not just for casino customers but also to service the convention market, which was being underserved in Connecticut,” states David Holahan, public relations spokesman for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. “The new theater provides the resort with an additional venue for performances by top flight entertainment. The large venue will offer the opportunity for bigger acts to perform, and more frequently.”
With state-of-the-art acoustics and ergonomically designed seating, this versatile venue’s performance spec was created by PMK Consultants of Dallas, with North American Theatrix (NAT) of Waterbury, Conn., handling installation details and systems coordination for the project as a de-sign/build based on the performance spec from PMK, along with partners Woods Electric and Barbizon Light of New England.
NAT’s role encompassed design, coordination and supervision of the installations of audio, digital signage/media/advertising, video systems, theat-rical lighting, IT systems and security/surveillance systems. It was NAT’s responsibility to assess the owners’ needs and work with the owners and Bertino Associates, the program manager, to coordinate and integrate the systems into a converged system ultimately yielding a mechanism for ad-vanced multimedia environments and marketing capabilities without significant increases in operating staff.
A Complicated Structure
The owners' needs were not much different than any other casino: They needed an exciting environment throughout the property and entertainment venues that would leave a lasting impact on audiences, casino clientele and visiting convention attendees.
“What is different at the MGM Theater at Foxwoods than in most other venues is that the theater is a very complicated structure and required ex-tensive modeling to build in the audio, video and theatrical lighting/rigging elements,” states Jeff Mele, president of North American Theatrix.
The Theater proscenium is flanked by 20- to 60-foot “peel” walls that create an asymmetric, wavy surface that towers over the audience. “The con-cept recommended by Wilson Associates (interior designers) and HKS Dallas (architects) is truly unique,” says Mele. “The NAT team was respon-sible for properly integrating the performance audio system, massive 10- by 18-foot Hi-Definition plasma walls and the theatrical lighting system into the theater. Pook Diemond Ohl (PDO) was contracted to install and coordinate all the stage rigging and draperies. “They also did a remarkable job on this project,” he adds.
“From a technical standpoint, we were looking to build a room with great acoustics and an array of equipment that will meet or exceed 99% of the technical riders out there,” notes Steve Gamelin, lead audio engineer at the MGM at Foxwoods, Foxwoods Resort Casino. “Each piece of gear was evaluated for sound quality, build quality, tour-use longevity and rider acceptance. From initial conversations, we wanted to provide a high-quality environment for both the artist and the audience so that each would leave our facility with the feeling of an exceptional show experience.”
Kicking It Up a Notch
He continues, “Most touring engineers and artists have come to love our 1,400-seat Fox Theater because we have provided this service for many years. Audiences know the Fox is one of the best places to see a show and they continually talk about sound quality. We wanted to kick that up a notch and we feel we have surpassed the Fox Theater. Many touring engineers comment to us that the Fox is one of their favorite sounding rooms in the world, so to achieve what we have in the new theater was not an easy task.”
The joint decision of Foxwoods entertainment and NAT was to base the sound system around a d&b audiotechnik line array system, which includes 24 Main Left/Right J series (flown 12 per side); seven Center Cluster Q Series downfill (flown); 14 J Series Subwoofers (flown seven per side); eight E3 Lip Fills (built into stage lip); nine E8s under balcony; seven E12s for over balcony E12; all powered by d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifiers with remote network. Six B2 subs are in inventory for use when extra sub bass is required. Twenty-four d&b monitors and four d&b side fill stacks round out the entire speaker package.
Two Yamaha PM5D-RHV2 digital sound reinforcement consoles as well as a Yamaha M7CL are the mainstay at the new theater. One console is outfitted with an Aviom16 card and two AuviTran EtherSound cards. The second PM5D-RHV2 includes two AuviTran EtherSound cards.
“The console choices were made primarily by Foxwoods Entertainment based on their experience of what tools they need in their toolbox to sup-port the multitude of visiting acts and in selecting devices they could rely on both electronically and sonically,” Mele says. “The Yamaha PM5D is a popular console and is requested on many riders we deal with, so we bought two,” adds Jeff Nelson, audio supervisor, MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Some of the artists that have used the PM5Ds to date are Gladys Knight, Al Green, Googoosh Mehrdad and Huey Lewis.”
In addition to Nelson and Gamelin, theater crew consists of Production Manager Don Costello, Production Supervisor Jennifer Baker, Production Supervisor Eddie Scuncio, Lighting Supervisor Tom Roach, Lead Audio Technician Bob Cowley and audio techs Chris Arnold, Stan Pace, Mike Farrell and Jim Joseph.
Wired mics consist of Sennheiser, Shure, AKG, Royer, Neumann, Countryman as well as a Shure Uhf-R Wireless System. A pair of MIDAS Heri-tage 3000s, a DigiDesign Venue Profile and Venue D-Show console are also used.
Audio Effects
Audio effects are plentiful and include Klark Teknik Helix Equalizer with Rapide and wireless remote (22 EQ Channels), Klark Teknik DN6000 analyzers, DBX 162SL dual compressors, Summit TLA-50 tube compressors, Drawmer DS-404 quad Gates, tc Electronics M2s, Yamaha REV-500sand Lexicon PCM-81s, Avalon AD2022 dual mic pres, Avalon AD2044 dual compressors, Summit TLA-50 tube compressors, Drawmer DL441 quad compressors, and Drawmer DS-404 quad gates. System EQ is handled by a Dolby Lake Processor with remote tablet for all zones. QSC ceiling speakers and CX amps are used in the back of the house controlled by Peavey Nion processors. Personal monitoring is provided by a Sennheiser G2 system with ACP5000 antennas.
“NAT listened to our specific wants and needs and was totally committed to fulfilling those wants and needs,” adds Lead Audio Engineer Steve Gamelin. “We could not have worked with a better team of people who helped us realize our ultimate goal.”
History of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
The history of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is one of dramatically changing fortunes. Native peoples have continuously occupied Mashantucket in Southeastern Connecticut for over 10,000 years. By the early 17th century, just prior to European contact, the Pequots had ap-proximately 8,000 members and inhabited 250 square miles. However, the Pequot Massacre (1636-1638) — the first attempt of genocide by colo-nists against indigenous people in North America — had a devastating impact on the Tribe.
Land Battles
In the ensuing decades, the Pequots battled to keep their land, while at the same time losing reservation members to outside forces. By 1774, a Co-lonial census indicated that there were 151 tribal members in residence at Mashantucket. By the early 1800s, there were between 30 and 40 as members moved away from the reservation seeking work. Others joined the Brotherton Movement, a Christian-Indian movement that attracted Na-tives from New England to a settlement in upstate New York and later, Wisconsin. As for the remaining land in Connecticut, by 1856, illegal land sales had reduced the 989-acre reservation to 213 acres.
In the early 1970s, tribal members began moving back to the Mashantucket reservation, hoping to restore their land base and community, develop economic self-sufficiency and revitalize tribal culture. By the mid-1970s, tribal members had embarked on a series of economic ventures, in addi-tion to instituting legal action to recover illegally seized land.
Economic Ventures
As the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation sought to settle its land claims, it also actively engaged in a number of economic enterprises, including the sale of cord wood, maple syrup and garden vegetables, a swine project, and the opening of a hydroponic greenhouse. Once the land claims were settled, the Tribe purchased and operated a restaurant and established a sand and gravel business. In 1986, their economic ventures accelerated when the Tribe opened its bingo operation, followed in 1992 by the establishment of the first and successful phase of Foxwoods Resort and Casino.
