Koka Booth Benefits Leesville Theater

Above is a photo of tech-theatre hard setting up for the spring musical, Bring It On. The new sound system -- including the stacked speakers on the side of the stage -- will greatly benefit the quality of this demanding production. (Photo courtesy Will Hollerung)

A generous contribution made by Koka Booth has brought much-needed equipment to the LRHS Auditorium.

As Koka Booth Ampitheatre — a premier venue for concerts and outdoor festivals located in the Cary area — has gone under recent renovation and updates in technology, there has been quality equipment in need of a good home.

That’s where the Leesville Road Theatre Department comes in. The sound system in the school auditorium was around 25 years old and had suffered recent technical difficulties (such as shorting out during a rehearsal before students were released for spring break).With a demanding spring musical like Bring It On quickly approaching, it became apparent that the sound system was in dire need of replacement.

The Pride Production Board — the booster club of the theatre department — met and agreed that a considerable amount of funds would be allocated for purchasing the sound system. But even with the booster club’s funds, and a contribution from Wake County, it seemed the beneficial update was still out of reach.

“This has been a LONG process”, said Leesville’s Technical Director Ms. Wrayno. “[Koka Booth Ampitheatre] told Steve Bass of Bass Music that they were willing to sell the speaker system at a VERY reduced rate and take a tax write off if the speakers went to a good home.”

That “good home” was Leesville. Over the summer, Ms. Wrayno, Mr. Bass and administrators with Wake County worked on funding and designing a new system for our auditorium. “To my knowledge [this] is the first upgrade in speakers since the school opened,” Ms. Wrayno said. “They have been repaired and ‘nursed back to health’ over the years, but at least in my 14 years at Leesville, this is the biggest improvement.”

Periodically, the county helps update lights and some aspects of sound; such as an update to body mics for the 2006 LRHS production of Beauty and Beast — which was the last “major” improvement.

The public-private partnership between Koka Booth and LRHS proves to be beneficial for both parties. Without the help of Koka Booth, the revamping of the sound system would not be possible. With the new loud-and-system in place, the school is ready with high quality sound in future productions, concerts and ceremonies held in the LRHS auditorium.

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