USA - Casa Mañana Theatre is both a landmark and an engine of creativity for Fort Worth’s cultural landscape. For resident sound designer and engineer Allan Branson, Casa Mañana is a place where ‘precision audio and heartfelt storytelling intersect’.
Branson first joined the company in 2021, after years of designing sound for Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Pioneer Theatre Company. “We stay busy pretty much year-round,” he says regarding Casa Mañana’s schedule. “Between our Broadway season, the Theatre for Youth series, cabarets and summer camps, there’s always something happening here. Our mission is to bring professional-level theatre to Fort Worth. For many of the kids who come through our doors, our shows are their very first experience with live performance. It’s amazing to watch their faces when the lights go down and the music swells. That first gasp of awe is why I do this work.”
Behind the curtain, Branson’s toolkit includes DPA Microphones’ new 2061 Omnidirectional Miniature Microphones. He debuted the mic during the theatre’s production of Cats, fitting one on Broadway veteran Jackie Burns, famed for her record-breaking run as Elphaba in Wicked. “She’s discerning; she notices every nuance and could actually hear the difference that DPA made,” Branson explains. “When she tried the 2061, she told me it felt effortless, like her voice was coming through completely uncoloured. She even said it gave her the freedom to focus entirely on the performance, instead of worrying about whether her vocals were cutting through.”
The 2061 offers DPA’s premium capsule technology at a more accessible price point than the flagship 4061, making it ideal for regional theatres like Casa Mañana. Built to resist moisture, the 2061 has IP57-rated construction, which proved itself during the theatre’s youth production of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, where a particularly energetic actor never managed to sweat it out. “I was anticipating a sweat-out on that show,” Branson admits. “That kid was running, dancing and leaping across the stage - you name it. I double-miked him just in case, but the 2061 never flinched. We didn’t have to touch the backup; that reliability under those conditions really earned my respect for the mic.”
Branson also leans on DPA’s 4099 CORE Instrument Microphones for everything from violins and congas to Yamaha recording kits in the cabaret space. “I’ll put a 4099 on the snare, high-pass it, and that’s it - the 4099 is perfect every time,” he says. “I don’t even touch the EQ because the sound is already so detailed and true to the instrument. When you’re working in a small room with a great PA, that accuracy makes a huge difference. It allows the musicians’ dynamics and subtleties to shine through without me having to shape or correct anything.”
He also keeps a pair of DPA 4091 Condenser Microphones handy, using them as dependable measurement mics for tuning the venue’s PA system and, on occasion, for creative percussion miking.
“With DPA, we can deliver Broadway-calibre clarity to all our audiences, even the 4,000 schoolchildren who stream through Casa Mañana each week,” says Branson. “For many of them, this is the moment they fall in love with theatre. If their first experience of live performance is distorted or underwhelming, you might lose that spark forever. But when the sound is right, when it feels like magic, that spark catches, and maybe it changes their lives. That’s the power of what we do here.”
