Case Study: Dante Takes Center Stage Inside City Springs Theatre’s Spatial Audio Design for The Wizard of Oz

City Springs Theatre Company, based in Sandy Springs, Ga., mounts four large-scale Broadway-style musicals each year. Each production is staged at the Byers Theatre within the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center — a 1,070-seat venue requiring the production team to “build the show house” from the ground up each time.

Concerts, theatrical shows, and other live events demand exceptional performance and steadfast reliability through the entire audio chain, from microphones and instruments to processing and out to the sound reinforcement, monitoring, and recording systems.

Anthony Narciso brings extensive professional experience to his work as a lead sound designer, including his work in theater as a member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE union, and as a board member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association. For The Wizard of Oz, he approached the production “as if we were doing a tour,” given the lack of permanent infrastructure, creating a fully deployable sound system that transformed the static venue into an immersive, story-driven soundscape.

“We deploy a spatial audio system and tracking for the spatial audio system that allows voices to be placed in time and space,” Narciso explains. The large cast, including a child ensemble, demanded precision and clarity across a complex mix of dialogue, music, and effects.

To meet this challenge, the design relied on a Dante-enabled TiMax SoundHub, TiMax TrackerD4 tracking, and a Dante network backbone to connect microphones, consoles, processors, and amplifiers seamlessly.

Clarity in Chaos

Producing The Wizard of Oz posed both artistic and logistical challenges. The load-in period was just over a week, half the normal time. “We normally have about 12 to 14 days to get up a show, and we have about a week to put this up,” Narciso notes.

From a creative standpoint, the show demanded sonic storytelling that could balance orchestral grandeur, environmental effects, and vocal clarity. “The biggest thing for me is providing clarity to cacophonous moments,” Narciso explains. During the tornado sequence, for instance, “we have to be swallowed by this tornado…but we also have to hear the orchestrations clearly.”

Achieving that clarity required precision control of placement, movement, and intelligibility — made possible only through a robust, flexible Dante infrastructure connecting every piece of gear digitally.

Building the Yellow Brick Network

The Wizard of Oz sound design hinged on a TiMax-based spatial audio system. The TiMax SoundHub processor and D4 tracking system create delay-based spatialization — placing each performer’s voice in its physical onstage location with near-millimeter accuracy.

“Without Dante, this is not even a conversation,” Narciso emphasizes. “You need an individual channel for each speaker cabinet… Dante’s the way to go to do spatialized audio.”

The complete signal chain included:

• Shure Axient wireless microphones feeding a DiGiCo console via Dante
• Each microphone sent over Dante to TiMax SoundHub (up to 64 inputs and 38 outputs used)
• DiGiCo Orange Boxes convert Dante to AES3 to feed 17 amplifiers driving 65 loudspeakers
• QLab playback systems running Dante Virtual Soundcard for primary and backup operation
• Wavetool monitoring software leveraging Dante splits for real-time RF and audio analysis
• Clear-Com Arcadia intercom integrated with Dante for crew communication and spotlight monitoring
• Wavetool routes through a Clear-Com Arcardia channel via Dante to key in on specific microphone issues while roaming
• Backstage paging and lobby feeds are distributed across dedicated Dante channels

The Dante infrastructure also enabled virtual soundcheck capability — recording live inputs directly into a laptop and routing them back through the console for mix rehearsal. “If the cast isn’t in for 30 minutes, we can hit the button, play back the show audio, and the A1 can be mixing. It’s invaluable.”

Hearing the Magic

The payoff was immediate. Audience members and colleagues alike noted the crystal-clear intelligibility and spatial realism. “It sounds better than some Broadway shows,” one lighting designer commented. Others praised that they “understood more of the words in your shows there than I do in a Broadway show generally.” This reaction wasn’t just about volume or clarity; it was about how the sound occupied the theater space, enveloping the audience in a fully immersive experience.

In the company’s earlier years, sound was the area that needed the most improvement. Amongst several other improvements, implementing the spatial system led to the audio receiving frequent compliments from longtime patrons and new audience members alike. This feedback highlighted the importance of spatially accurate sound placement, something Dante-enabled networks make seamless.

The success of The Wizard of Oz demonstrated how a Dante-based ecosystem can elevate theatrical sound to cinematic quality: enabling immersive design, rapid deployment, and unmatched clarity. Dante’s high channel count, low latency, and precise synchronization allowed Narciso to place audio cues anywhere in the theater with pinpoint accuracy, creating a fully three-dimensional sound field. This capability is especially valuable in large venues where audience members experience vastly different acoustics depending on their seat location.

As Narciso concludes, “The best thing I can tell you is Dante just works.” For modern theaters seeking immersive spatial audio, the combination of Dante networking and advanced tracking systems isn’t just convenient — it’s transformative, redefining what live theater can sound like.