Canada’s Wonderland, one of the largest theme parks in North America, has completely modernized the audio experience at its 1,200-seat Canterbury Theatre, deploying a d&b audiotechnik sound system that combined A-Series Augmented Arrays and B22-SUB Subwoofers. The new installation, completed by Apex Sound & Light, replaces a three-decades-old legacy system, and now provides impactful audio reproduction and greater intelligibility for the venue's diverse programming, which includes the popular Cirque Ambiente performance.
[AV/IT Team 2025: Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ]
Canterbury Theatre, a soft-seat, sloped-floor proscenium theater located in the Medieval Faire section of the park, operates like a roadhouse, hosting Cirque-style shows primarily during the summer, as well as performances for Halloween Haunt and Christmas events.
The park’s objectives for the upgrade were clear: “They not only wanted to get their audio system into the 21st century, but they wanted it to sound amazing,” commented Elizabeth Woods, sales manager for Apex Sound & Light. “They wanted full coverage at every seat. They wanted crystal clear voice intelligibility. And they wanted every performance to deliver an impact. That’s where d&b audiotechnik came in.”
“We also wanted something we could turn on and have it work consistently. A system that summer interns could run without needing to play around with settings,” emphasized Peter Howell, area manager-technical services for Canada’s Wonderland. “And integrating the new system with the park’s existing infrastructure was key. d&b was a nice fit because it was tailored towards the Canterbury entertainment venue but still integrates nicely into the Q-SYS ecosystem that we use throughout the park.”
Apex chose the d&b A-Series Augmented Array system to match the venue size and architectural constraints, and to solve its coverage challenges. “A-Series was ideal. It sits in this hybrid space, where it can work like a point source, but give you the surgical acoustic control of a line array,” said Woods.
“With the design worked up in ArrayCalc, we knew exactly where to hang the boxes and at what angles to focus the sound where we wanted it, on the audience,” shared Woods. “Those designs paired with d&b’s efficient rigging hardware meant the install went fast, and the fact that the A-series are lightweight meant that there weren’t serious structural concerns.”
The results of the upgrade have exceeded Canada’s Wonderland’s expectations. “Internally, performers, directors, producers on the shows, everybody's feedback has been fantastic. They love it,” said Howell. “I can walk in, play music, and feel it in my chest now. That is the type of theater I want.”
