Intelligibility Inspires
On the Road with the
WE Day Movement
By Andrew King. Photos by Connor Sharpe.
P
Prince Harry, Archbishop Des-
mond Tutu, Edward Norton, Nelly
Furtado.
If a friend told you they were
going to see even one of these
internationally-recognized fi gures
speak at an invitation-only event,
you’d likely picture an elegant
ballroom full of social elites –
prominent businesspeople, politi-
cians, and celebrities – schmooz-
ing in formal attire; however,
an increasingly sizable group of
34 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND
GETTING READY FOR WE DAY, WITH AVID PROFILE “PERFORMANCE”
CONSOLE LEFT & YAMAHA CL5 “TRAFFIC” CONSOLE AT FOH.
impassioned and empowered
young people across Canada, the
U.S., and the U.K. are given the
opportunity to hear from such
global luminaries in between
performances by major stars sur-
rounded by tens of thousands of
their peers at WE Day.
For the uninitiated, WE Day is
a product of WE, an organization
founded by Canadian activists
and philanthropists Craig and
Marc Kielburger. WE aims to
empower young people to aff ect
positive change in their local and
global communities by adopting
an inclusive, communal “we” men-
tality. WE Day is a physical mani-
festation of that mission, combin-
ing the energy and excitement
of a live concert with education
and inspiration delivered through
shared stories of leadership and
change.
Sometimes, these stories
come from globally recognized
infl uencers; other times, they
come from participating students
themselves. In either case, it’s
paramount that the arena full
of ambitious, amped-up youth
can clearly hear every word, and
thanks to a dedicated team of live
sound professionals and an audio
package chosen by Lina Beaudin
of Toronto’s Nordest Studio and
provided by Cleveland, OH’s
Eighth Day Sound, that’s been the
case for WE Day’s 2016/17 season.