The Mask and Wig Club

September 22, 2010
the theater retains its historic charm
The sound system needed to be powerful enough for dance parties while remaining visually unobtrusive.
preserving its historically significant interior
Renkus-Heinz PNX-82 passive loudspeakers cover the room with quality audio while not concealing the artwork.
The Mask and Wig Club is a venerable institution
The Renkus-Heinz speakers provided the needed intelligibility despite the reverberance caused by all of the hard reflective surfaces.

Founded in 1888 by a small group of aspiring actors at the University of Pennsylvania, The Mask and Wig Club is a venerable institution dedicated to theatrical comedy.  The group founded its headquarters in a former stable in 1894, hiring prominent Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre to convert the historic property, and bringing in Maxfield Parrish to decorate the theater. 

Today, the club continues to perform in this magnificent venue, and remains dedicated to preserving its historically significant interior.  That’s why, in 2009, the group hired Clear Sound to update the theater’s sound system.  Knowing our reputation for sensitive installations in historic properties, The Mask and Wig Club tasked our designers with mounting loudspeakers in a way that would not obscure the beautiful artwork on the proscenium arch.  Clear Sound chose inconspicuous white speakers that could be painted to match the historic palette of the auditorium and  would provide outstanding performance from a side position.  Today, the theater retains its historic charm, while enjoying cutting edge sound quality during all types of theatrical productions.