Houston’s Hobby Center Upgrades for Broadway Shows

Houston, TX (December 2, 2025)—The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, TX, which has hosted some of Broadway’s biggest hit shows, has integrated a new L-Acoustics P.A. system into its 2,650-seat Sarofim Hall.

The Hobby Center wanted a system that would meetthe sonic demands of current Broadway shows and other touring productions. Since its curtain first went up in 2002, the venue has hosted shows such as Wicked, Hamilton, Les Misérables, The Lion King and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. To design a suitable replacement system, the Hobby Center worked with Charcoalblue, a global theatre, acoustics and experience design consultancy.

“Their familiarity with L-Acoustics products helped their decision to move forward with this design,” says Texas-based Nick Correa, associate director with Charcoalblue, who led the design. “We modeled a lot of options and ultimately felt that K3 was the right product with the right size for the space, and it fit their budget.”

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The new system incorporates 12 flown K3 enclosures per side with a center hang of 14 Kara II. Six KS21 subwoofers are flown to either side of the center array in a 2:1 cardioid configuration. Suspending the KS21 subs behind the K3 would have meant moving the two main hangs forward, blocking sightlines from the box seats, Correa notes.

Flanking the center hang was the most effective way to provide uniform coverage throughout the room, he says, and mimics many L-ISA designs. “We also gave them some KS28 subs that they can roll out on the deck when they need additional low end.” There is also a sizable complement of speakers for onstage monitoring, including X12 and SB15 subs with Kara II enclosures for sidefills.

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To provide coverage to every seat in the house, Correa designed a fill system of L-Acoustics loudspeakers that expanded the venue’s previous speaker layout. “It’s easy to attempt to cover as much as we can with the main arrays. But it’s also important to acknowledge that this is a touring house, and often Broadway shows bring in their own P.A. systems while relying on the house fill system,” he says

The new system was integrated by LD Systems, a Clair Global company.