La Comédie-Française chooses the Bolero intercom system by Riedel

The Riedel Bolero intercom system has been integrated into the headquarters of the Comédie-Française, the world’s oldest active theatre company.

The theatre group approached the change of its intercom technology with the aim of overcoming three challenges. On the one hand, every day, in the 860-seat Salle Richelieu, the Comédie-Française (also known as La Maison de Molière) makes up to three set changes for rehearsals and the evening show, which subjects its intercom system to eight to ten hours of use, making its robustness and reliability crucial. On the other hand, its rotation of 160 technicians requires easy configuration changes between the different users on each beltpack. Finally, the Salle Richelieu is more than 230 years old, which required that any new technology to be installed would not alter or damage the building’s architectural heritage.

To meet all these criteria, the Comédie-Française chose Riedel’s Bolero system. The Bolero Standalone application, a licensed upgrade to the system, offers a plug and play model that allows up to 100 antennas and beltpacks to be easily installed and configured via a web browser without the need for an intercom matrix. Currently, the Comédie-Française uses 30 Bolero wireless beltpacks, powered by five antennas that are deployed throughout the Salle Richelieu.

Patrick Moch, deputy technical director of the Comédie-Française, is pleased to have chosen Riedel’s intercom solution: “Bolero was the perfect choice for our operations. Not only has the system proven to be extremely reliable, but as a decentralized solution, installing it in our historic building was a breeze. All we had to do was place antennas where we needed them for complete coverage — no matrix required. And with the ability to connect up to 10 beltpacks to each one, we were able to cut the number of antennas needed by more than half compared to other solutions. Furthermore, our technicians love the customizable configuration profiles, which make it simple to switch settings between different users.”

On the other hand, Sébastien Gryspeert, Sales Director for France and Africa at Riedel Communications, highlights the main benefits that Bolero will bring to the theatre company’s regular workflow: “The Comédie-Française is a French cultural institution, and it is an honor to have our Bolero system playing a crucial role behind the scenes to deliver amazing experiences for audiences every day. In addition, the modularity of the system will allow the theater company to add more beltpacks, an Artist matrix, or SmartPanels over time, providing a future-proof solution as its needs evolve.”