Theaters, Arenas & Outdoor Sites
AV rental & production atSaenger Theatre
House systems get you part of the way. We supplement with audio, lighting and video for corporate takeovers, award shows and ceremonies on the Saenger's stage.
- New Orleans, LA
- Programs up to 2,600 guests
Prefer to talk it through? Call 504-837-1527.
What we know about this room
Production planning built around Saenger Theatre
- Corporate stage takeovers
- Supplemental audio and lighting
- Award show and ceremony packages
Planning an event at Saenger Theatre
Abstract Productions supplies audio visual equipment rental and full event production for concerts, ceremonies, festivals, worship gatherings, pop-up stages and large public events at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, LA. Every quote starts the same way: what the room has to do, how many people are in it, and what the run of show asks of the stage. From there we spec sound, lighting, video, staging and drape as one package instead of six separate rentals that have to be reconciled on site.
With capacity around 2,600, the usual build is a flown or stacked main system with front fills, a stage that reads from the back of the room, and either an LED wall or large-format projection for content and IMAG. We keep the podium and stage wash bright enough for cameras without blinding the presenter, and we run the whole program from one console position so cues do not get lost between operators.
Load-in, power and access in New Orleans
Large and outdoor sites need a plan for the things you cannot control. For Saenger Theatre we confirm rigging points or ground-support, build a power plan with real distro instead of borrowed circuits, and — outdoors — ballast or stake anything standing, weather-protect speakers and dimmers, and agree a wind and rain call with the client before the day. Strike is scheduled with the same care as the build so the site clears on time.
Gear ships from our warehouse at 16101 Lamonte Drive, Hammond, LA 70403, so a truck reaches most New Orleans venues in well under a couple of hours, and a second run for a forgotten cable or a late addition is a phone call rather than a crisis.
What a package for Saenger Theatre usually includes
A typical build here covers a sound system sized to the room with wireless microphones for the podium and any panel, stage wash and podium key lighting plus uplighting in your colors, projection or an LED wall for content, a stage or riser with skirting and safe access, and pipe and drape to mask whatever the room should not show. You can also rent individual pieces — a PA system, a projector and screen, a set of uplights, a run of drape — if you only need to fill a gap.
Delivery, setup, line check and strike are part of every rental, and technicians are quoted as their own line so you can see exactly what labor costs. The tech who preps the rack in the shop is the one who runs your show, which is the main reason problems get caught in rehearsal instead of during the program.
Booking, lead times and quotes
Two to three weeks is a comfortable lead time for a standard package at Saenger Theatre; conference weeks, festival season, Mardi Gras and graduation weekends move faster, and larger builds with rigging or custom scenic want longer. We can usually turn around a written, itemized quote the same day once we have your date, headcount and run of show.
Call 504-837-1527 or 877-597-2595, or email sales@abstractproductions.net, and tell us the room and the date. If it helps, download the one-pager above and pass it to your venue contact or planning committee.
Typical production packages
Starting points for events at Saenger Theatre
Every quote is built for your run of show — these are the packages we most often deploy in this room.
Concert & Festival
Indoor stages and outdoor sites
- Line array with subs and monitor world
- Truss, moving lights and haze
- Stage decks, ramps and barricade layout
- Generator-fed distro and weather covers
- FOH, monitor engineer and lighting designer
Ceremony & Rally
Large-format speech and IMAG
- Distributed PA for wide seating bowls
- LED wall and camera package
- Podium lighting matched for broadcast
- Press mult and assisted listening
Touring Support
Local supplement to a road package
- Fill audio, backline power and cabling
- Additional fixtures, truss and rigging
- Stage decks, risers and soft goods
- Local crew for load-in and load-out
Photo gallery
Work from rooms like this one
Case study
Corporate award show takeover on a historic stage
A regional company took over the Saenger for its annual award show: 2,100 guests, 34 award presentations, live IMAG and a headline performance to close the night.
Timeline
5 weeks out
House plot reviewed with theater staff; supplemental rigging and power confirmed.
Day before, 8:00 AM
Load-in of video, supplemental audio and lighting; screen and camera positions set.
Day before, 6:00 PM
Content QC on all 34 award packages and playback rehearsal.
Show day, 9:00 AM
Presenter rehearsals with comms, teleprompter and stage-manager calls.
Show day, 7:30 PM
Live show: three-camera IMAG, cued lighting and band changeover in under four minutes.
Show day, 11:30 PM
Overnight strike; house restored for the theater's next performance.
Equipment deployed
- Supplemental line array and front fills to extend house coverage
- Three-camera IMAG package with switcher and record feeds
- Center 24' widescreen with side IMAG projection
- Moving-head key and wash lighting plus followspots
- Teleprompter, comms and stage-manager call system
- Redundant playback with show-caller cue integration
The show ran nine minutes ahead of schedule with zero missed cues, and the client has used the same package structure for three seasons.
Nearby & similar
Other venues we serve
Producing at Saenger Theatre?
Send us the date and your run of show. We will spec the audio, lighting, video and staging package that fits the room and get you a written quote.