Lyric Theatre Belfast Makes L-ISA Immersive Audio Permanent as It Marks 75 Years Lyric Theatre Belfast Makes L-ISA Immersive Audio Permanent as It Marks 75 Years...

Forfey delivers landmark deployment as Lyric becomes the first theatre on the island of Ireland to use L-ISA

Belfast, Northern Ireland – April 2026 – As the Lyric Theatre marks its 75th anniversary, it has announced that its L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive audio system will become a permanent fixture within the theatre’s Main Stage auditorium. First introduced in late 2025 during the world premiere of Denouement by John Morton, directed by Jimmy Fay, it was the first deployment of L-ISA in a live theatrical production on the island of Ireland.

The Lyric Theatre, Northern Ireland’s only full-time, self-producing theatre, stages at least six full-scale productions each year. For Denouement, the venue collaborated with L-Acoustics Certified Provider Forfey and Application Engineer Oli Crump to harness immersive sound, heightening the production’s thematic themes, creating a tense, atmosphere.

The positive response from the director, management, technical teams, and audiences made a permanent installation a clear choice.

“As the theatre’s run of Denouement drew to a close, the conversation naturally turned to what came next, Jimmy Fay (Executive Producer at the Lyric Theatre and Director of Denouement) saw first-hand what spatial audio could bring to the stage. It enhanced the production’s emotionally charged narrative so profoundly that removing the system was simply not an option” says Lyric Theatre Deputy Technical Manager, Ian Vennard.

Sound That Reaches Everyone

While L-ISA’s impact was clear to the in-house teams, audiences felt it most. Many had never experienced a stage production with such clarity, and those with reduced hearing called Denouement their most meaningful live theatre experience. They could follow dialogue easily and perceive location-based sound effects that had previously been lost.

After Denouement, the Lyric retained the L-ISA setup for its Christmas production of A Christmas Carol by Marie Jones – a seasonal adaptation reimagined for spatial audio. Vennard adds: “During the Christmas show, our Sound Designer remarked that the depth and quality achieved through L-ISA was unlike anything they had worked with before. With our 75th anniversary on the horizon, it was clear the time was right to make a bold statement. Every production from 2026 onwards would be built around L-ISA from the ground up”.

A New Immersive Chapter

The permanent installation will reshape how the Lyric Theatre approaches sound. The in-house team is developing expertise in L-ISA, ensuring every future production is conceived with spatial audio in mind.

This installation will be showcased for the first time when Belfast Ensemble, in association with the Lyric Theatre, presents its spring musical from 20 March to 4 April. Featuring a 12-piece band on stage, the production provides an ideal platform for L-ISA to demonstrate its full capabilities.

Written by Conor Mitchell – Artistic Director of Belfast Ensemble and Associate Artist at the Southbank Centre in London – the production positions the Lyric’s 75th anniversary season at the forefront of new creative work in the region.

A Permanent A Series and L-ISA System

The Lyric’s Main Stage auditorium seats 380 across a single end-stage rake, with no overhangs or balcony obstructions – perfect for a precise L-ISA deployment. Forfey used L-Acoustics Soundvision to model coverage across the seating area, optimising the system before installation.

The system features a Scene setup with A10 arrays, A10 extensions, KS21 subwoofers, five 5XT front-fill speakers, and X6i balcony fills, delivering an even, immersive sound field. It is powered by two LA7.16i and one LA1.16i amplified controllers, two LA2Xi units, and runs on a Milan-AVB network.

L-Acoustics Application Engineer Sergey Becker travelled to Belfast for on-site calibration.

Vennard added “It’s been invaluable to have that depth of support from design through to completion, knowing the people behind the technology are invested in how we use it gives us real confidence that we’re making the right decisions for the right product”.

Leading the Way at 75

For a theatre that has championed creative and technical excellence since 1951, the L-ISA installation aligns perfectly with the Lyric Theatre’s values. The theatre aims to lead the island of Ireland’s venues in immersive audio technology, building in-house expertise for years to come.

For Forfey’s Matt Minford, the project reflects the value of long-term partnerships; “This outcome is what happens when a venue truly commits to its creative vision. The Lyric wanted to rethink what theatre sound could be, and it’s been a privilege to help make that happen”.

Vennard concluded: “Our goal has always been to lead. With every production from here onwards based on L-ISA, we’ll be actively bringing this vision to life. That’s a genuinely thrilling place to be as we head into our 75th year”.

For more information on the Lyric Theatre Belfast, please visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk. More information on Forfey can be found at www.forfey.com.

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