Prelude: Project Background 
 
ENCORE MELAKA is the 10th show of Impression • Encore Series by Director Wang Chaoge and the first abroad Encore Show created by Wang Chaoge’s Team, which is aimed to be perfection.
 
Located in the heart of the Impression City, covering a total area of 15 acres and with a seating capacity of 2,000 people, the ENCORE MELAKA theatre is the first world-class indoor theatre with 360-degree rotating auditorium in Malaysia, expecting to attract 1.2 million visitors a year. The Show will be performed by more than 200 actors, taking advantage of lighting, audio, video projection, large stage machinery, large-scale choreography, exquisite clothing props, water mist effects and other means to enhance the dramatic and visual effects of the performance.
 
In the ENCORE MELAKA show, historical and realistic scenes are subtly presented in the performance venues, and Malacca’s local historical stories, practices and folk customs are used as art materials. Accompanied by the unique modern music, this visual feast on stage is unparalleled and non-reproducible. Malacca’s inclusiveness is reflected in the contemporary style dances containing traditional culture. The feature of this cultural fusion is not one culture assimilating into another culture, but multiple cultures merging into each other. In only 70 minutes, ENCORE MELAKA leads the audience across more than 700 years history to savor the spirit and essence of Malacca - harmonious coexistence of diversified cultures.

Chief Director: Wang Chaoge

Director Wang Chaoge is one of the most creative and innovative directors in China. As the Chief Director and the Head Writer of Impression and Encore Series Show, she is a leading figure in today's cultural industry, and one of the founders of real-life scenery performance. 

Being acclaimed as one of the most creative and innovative directors in China, Wang Chaoge, with Zhang Yimou and Fan Yue, created the Chinese live-action performing art and made a great commercial successful internationally with “Impression” and “Encore” Series shows. In so many invitations from countries and regions all over the world, Director Wang wisely chose to give her first international flagship show in Malacca. She said modestly, “It’s not that I chose Malacca, but Malacca chose me.”

As the Chief Director of ENCORE MELAKA show, Director Wang perceives that Malacca and its people are "peaceful, harmony, lucky and contented". She looks on Malacca as an ideal home, as well as a paradise of racial harmony. She is proud of the natives who respected and adapted to cultural differences. And she is strongly touched by seeing that Chinese civilization is still prosperous on this foreign land after Zheng He's Voyages to the West spread the seeds 700 years ago. In her view, the past, present and future of Malacca will be no big difference, and the city will be a cultural cradle with social harmony forever.

Wang Chaoge takes Zheng He's diplomatic mission legacy as her own mission, promising to produce a very different work from other shows of ENCORE series in China. ENCORE MELAKA embodies a society embracing pluralism and harmony without any quintessence of "Chinese style" performing. She hopes, through this innovative show, to produce a series of works reflecting social realities, and have Malacca rise again into the international spotlight.  
 

CEO of Yong Tai Bhd: Boo Kuang Loon

Mr. Boo is the mastermind behind introducing the ENCORE MELAKA into Southeast Asian market. By his actively promoting, Malacca becomes the first city in where the Chinese Impression • Encore Series shows perform abroad.

Mr. Boo has lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur for more than 20 years, and Malacca is very important to him. He has been expecting to optimize the country’s economic growth with his own efforts. To reshape and enhance the tourism industry in his hometown, it needs a catalyst to attract the worldwide attentions, and ENCORE MELAKA is the best choose. ENCORE MELAKA is expected to attract 1.2 million visitors a year, and to bring additional income of $788 million for Malaysia's gross domestic product.

Under Mr. Boo’s leadership, PTS Development Company Ltd. established a subsidiary PTS Impression Company Ltd. After winning in the intense competition, it has been authorized by the famous Impression Wonders Arts Development Co., Ltd. for exclusive agency in 5 countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines. The company plans to promote the Impression project in Malacca by developing integrated tourism villages, such as introducing local cuisines and traditional crafts; but also attracting international hotels to invest in Malacca to meet the increasing demand for tourist accommodation. For giving back to the community, the ENCORE MELAKA show tickets will be priced affordably to have as many as possible people from all walks of life enjoying the spectacular audio-visual feast.
 

Lighting Design: Wang Yugang

Wang Yugang is an associate professor at Stage Fine Arts Department of the Central Academy of Drama, a member of China Dramatists Association and China Stage Artists Association. He has published many papers in national professional journals, and participated in the stage design and lighting design of many dramas and galas. Professor Wang Yugang and Director Wang Chaoge have accumulated a wealth of cooperation experiences for many years. Professor Wang has been contributing to the Impression Series all the way. No matter in early real-life scenery performances, or later indoor scene performances, he can always provide some unique perspectives, and is an expert in applying visual lighting in large spaces.
 
Award-winning Stage Works:
The King of Waist Drum – 1996;
The Woman in the Black Gate – 1999;
Red Crag Soul – 1999;
Tears of Hong Kong – 1999;
Where the deer turn head back - 2000
Darling – 2000;
Fenghuang Mountain – 2001;
Let it Go - 2003

His works include lighting designs of large-scale real-life scenery performances, such as Impression Series and Encore Series show; lighting designs of Nanning Folk Song Festival and Southeast Asian Culture Night, New Year Galas on CCTV and Beijing TV, Spring Festival Galas on Inner Mongolia TV and Shenyang TV. He also participated in stage designs and productions of International Fashion Weeks in 2000 to 2004, and of China Model Star Contests. Other drama-stage works: Brand, Twelfth Night, The Last Judgment, I Have a Date with Spring, Circus World, Thunderstorm, Xishi, The Great Man Mao Zedong, Hamlet, Flying Butterfly, Heavenly Maiden and God of War, Kite Workshop etc. His published works: a book named STAGE LIGHTING DESIGN.
 

Music Production: Wu Jun

Wu Jun graduated from Composing Faculty of the Central Music Academy of China in 1996. He engages in writing lyrics, composing music, music production and arts planning, across popular, film and television, dance, stage drama, large-scale cultural gala, domestic and foreign top large-scale cultural tourism projects, real-life scenery performances and many other fields.
 
He was one of creative staff in Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games, adapted the song Ode to the motherland and conducted music composition and production of The Silk Road and Nature-Tai Chi for Opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games. In 2009-2012, he acted as the Composer in large-scale real-life scenery performances Impression Series - Impression HaiNan, Impression Wulong and Impression Putuo by Director Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue. In 2012-2016, he acted as the Composer in Encore Series - Encore Pingyao, Encore Mount Wutai, Encore Dunhuang and Encore Melaka by Director Wang Chaoge. In 2015, he served as the Composer, Music Producer and Project Planner in large-scale outdoor real-life scenery performance Dream of Tao at Mount Longhu Scenic Area in Jiangxi Province cooperated with Director Chen Weiya and Yang Lan’s Sun Media Group.
 
In 2013-2018, he acted as the Composer and Project Planner in large-scale real-life scenery performance Dream Back One Thousand and One Nights by Director Lin Shusen, a project of Shenzhen OCT International Performance Media Group; the Music Director in Huanglongxi Grand Circus in Sichuan Province, a project of Shenzhen OCT International Performance Media Group; the Music Director and Composer in large-scale culture tourism project Encountering Lijiang launched by Cedar Culture and Tourism Development Company and Starlighting Group; the Project Planner and Music Director in large-scale red classics culture tourism project Recalling the Dabie Mountains in Liuan, Anhui province; the Music Consultant and Composer in the red classics culture tourism project Recalling the Red Flag Canal in Henan province; the Project Planner and Music Director in large-scale culture tourism project Huanglongxi Shu Embroidery in Sichuan province launched by Shenzhen OCT International Performance Media Group; the Composer in Hanzhong Han Yuefu by Sha Xiaolan of Beijing Feng Shang International Media.

He has been the music assistant of Composer Chen Qigang, and participated in music production of Under the Hawthorn Tree, The Flowers of War, Coming Home by Director Zhang Yimou. And in 2017, he served as the Composer in artistic performance Enduring Memories of Hangzhou in Opening Ceremony of G20 Hangzhou International Summit. He acted as the Composer and Music Producer in more than 20 movies and TV dramas, such as The Road of Exploring, Ballet of Two Dancers, Blood Brothers, You Forget All I Remember and so on. And he was the Music Director in the New Year Concerts of CCTV Film Channel for many years. In 2006-2012, he served as the Music Director of China Golden Rooster Awards, Hundred Flowers Awards and Huabiao Film Awards Ceremonies.
 

Lighting Execution Design: Di Shuo
Master Candidate, the Central Academy of Drama
  

Lighting Execution Design: An Na
Master Candidate, the Central Academy of Drama

   
Stage and Performing Areas

With an area over 10,000 square meters, the theatre is divided into four main performing areas to meet the director's artistic creativity requirements: Zone A is a pool, Zone B is a lifting stage, Zone C is a two-floor platform area, Zone D is an elevating dwelling area. Each area has its unique style presenting different attributes and humanistic feelings of Malacca. The audience enters into the theatre from the main entrance Zone E, then step in the auditorium Zone S along the ring passageway Zone R. 
   
Series #1: A Look into Our Audio System
 
The auditorium of the ENCORE MELAKA theatre (Zone S) is designed to rotate freely 360-degree. Nearly 50 meters in diameter, it is able to accommodate 2,000 spectators with the side wall at 14 meters high. In the overall design of audio system, we focused on the stable transition of the sound  keeping acoustic transmission smooth without any acoustic image outbursts during the giant auditorium rotating, and ensuring acoustic sound image localizations are correct when the auditorium is positioned facing each main performing area.
 

Audio System Design: ACE
 
Considered the Director's creative ideas, onsite environment and multi-channel live performance requirements, we plotted a two-floor “Upper and Lower” speaker layout design.
“Upper”: In the catwalk floor above the auditorium, we placed 12 sets of main speakers along the circular auditorium, and selectd the most suitable right speakers groups as left, middle and right channels based on the auditorium rotation positions and different performing areas. A set of subwoofers and 7 fill speakers were hung above the center of the auditorium, and the parameters of each speaker were also set individually depending on the auditorium rotation positions.

“Lower”: Several speakers were hidden in the auditorium side wall acting as surround speakers of multi-channel sound system, providing more possibilities for the artistic creative activities of director and audio design. In addition, we placed a few compact speakers facing important front and central seats in the auditorium for sound filling.

For the VIP area at the rear of auditorium, we specifically designed sound filling speakers to ensure the VIP audience can get the best sound effect even though they are in the rear area.

To get good multi-channel sound effect and accurate soundcorrect acoustic image with so many speakers, a strong systempowerful processing and accurate system debugging precise tunning were indispensable. Furthermore, the sophisticated equipment selection and reasonable system design strongly supported the effect of 360-degree rotating auditorium and multi-platform stages. For the audio system, we selected 2 Soundcraft Vi2000 digital mixers as the main/standby backup mixers, 15 BSS London digital processors, 4 sets of Shure ULXD series wireless handheld and headset microphones, and a large audio signal exchange and management system consisting several of multiple fiber switches, and realizinged a full digitalized and networked signal transmission and monitoring. The whole system can respond to the different scenes of the performances with the accurate soundacoustic imaginge localization. Meanwhile the system has several backups means to ensure its safe and stable operation.

As for the system engineering project, construction safety is the top priority. Many factors need to be considered to ensure the speakers are installed and hung safely and stably. In addition, given the programs of Encore shows in various forms, the equipment needs to be flexible and easy to adjust to meet the Director's performance requirements. Our engineering staff have fully considered the features of equipment and systems in the construction process, and successfully completed the on-site installation works in the most convenient and reasonable safe way.

Providing the best protection for the equipment throughout the installing and constructing of the sound reinforcement system, is the fundamental to ensure the future performances go well.

The connection lines of the system are quite clear, concise and flexible, making it easier for the sound engineers to manage and diagnose the sound reinforcement system.

Content:
ENCORE MELAKA (I)
➢ Prelude: Project Background
➢ Series #1: A Look into Our Audio System
 
ENCORE MELAKA (II)
➢ Series #2: A Look into Our Lighting System
➢ Series #3: A Look into Our Video System
 
ENCORE MELAKA (III)
➢ Series #4: Post Production
➢ Peroration