the ASTC letter The Newsletter of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF THEATRE CONSULTANTS NATEAC Conference exceeds expectations This article is reprinted with permission from the Fall 2008 issue of Protocol, the journal of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association, www.esta.org. All rights reserved.

It was the evening of Saturday, July drank, and visited. We danced (well at Richard, who was seemingly every- 19, and my wife, Diana, and I had just least Diana and I did) and were treated to where during the conference, stressed the arrived at Pier 16 at the South Street Sea- a surprise fireworks display as we headed need for training, knowledge, understand- port, for the kick off of the inaugural to the dock at the end of the cruise. ing, and, above all, experience in the de- North American Theatre Engineering and Through it all, the buzz never ceased. It sign and execution of performance Architects Conference (NATEAC). We was the perfect kickoff event. spaces. His golden nugget for all atten- had arrived an hour early as the “meet, dees was, “Companies don’t succeed, greet, and herd the cats” team in prepara- The conference began Sunday morn- people do.” tion for a three hour cruise of New York ing at Pace University with breakfast and harbor on the Circle Line flagship, the registration. It was all pretty standard fare Hugh did a brief but amusing recap Zephyr. for a conference, except that there were of the evolution of theatres, and how that no lone individuals perusing their pro- evolution led us to the current state of the In the months leading up to the con- grams trying to figure out if there would art. Pointing out the diversity of perform- ference there was, as might be expected, be any interesting panels to attend. The ance spaces we now enjoy, but emphasiz- a bit of trepidation and anxiety about the buzz from Saturday night picked up ing the common purpose of them all, to conference. Would anybody show up? where it left off, a theme that continued help tell a story. Would the people who compete for business behave in a civil There were three one hour manner toward each other? [Richard Brett’s] golden nugget for all and twenty minute panel slots Would conference director, Bill attendees was, each day, with three concur- Sapsis, have to sell his home to rent panels in each slot. It was pay for the whole thing? No one “Companies don’t succeed, people do.” difficult to choose between knew for sure. the panels offered, but the throughout the conference. People talked distribution of attendees seemed surpris- People started arriving soon after we to each other all the time; they talked in ingly even. got to the pier. It became obvious imme- the panel rooms with the panelists, they diately that this was going to be a special talked in the rooms after the panels, they The first panel I attended was event. By the time the registration team talked in the hallways, and they talked in “Structural Issues in a Motorized World” began to sign in the guests, well over 100 the beautiful if not muggy courtyard. It moderated by Shawn Nolan, President of people had appeared and there was a buzz seemed as though people were meeting Nolan Engineering Services; with panel- that could be heard above the roar of the old friends and making new ones with ists William Gorlin, P.E., S.E., SECB, shark boat engines on the adjacent pier. every opportunity. Vice President of the Entertainment Divi- People were greeting long lost colleagues sion at McLaren Engineering Group; and introducing them to new acquaintan- The conference began at 9:30 a.m. Steve Rust, Director of Technical Ser- ces, creating a crowd in which no one with a keynote address by Richard Brett, vices at Sachs Morgan Studio; and Scott was more than three degrees separated founder of the Theatre Engineering and Fisher, President of Fisher Technical Ser- from anyone else. Architects Conferences in London in vices. They spoke about the demands that 2002 and 2006, and , founder new machinery and technical expecta- The cruise was a complete success. of H3 Collaborative Architecture. The tions place on a building’s structure, par- We toured the harbor and enjoyed a close address was given in the main theatre at ticularly older and historic buildings. up view of the waterfalls (the lighting Pace, in front of the set for Inside the Emphasizing that the load factors are not designers among us had a lot to say about Actor’s Studio; all that was missing was only bigger, but also increasingly three how they should have been lit). We ate, James Lipton. (NATEAC—Continued on page 3)

ASTC Winter 2009 Closing the Gap between Program and Budget

There are relatively few projects The task of achieving a middle The second way is to “reduce pro- where money is no object. In the over- course between program and budget ulti- gram” -- to cut spaces and equipment. If whelming majority of projects, the mately relies on our ability to manage the this second option is the only way to go, budget is a continuing matter of debate various expectations which have been set the difference between a good project and between those on the team who insist that up. a not so good project is how and when “we gotta have it” and those who say “we the cuts are done. Early in the process, the owner may can’t afford it.” As noted earlier, making cuts late in have publicly described the project in Negotiating the proper balance be- rather grand terms accompanied by se- the process is never a good idea. On the tween programmatic needs and the pro- ductive renderings and a confident decla- other hand, continual refinement of the ject budget is something that all members ration that this visionary project will be program through detailed examination of of the project team accept as a fact of life built for “X” dollars. All too often, these the quality and quantity of program com- and part of their professional responsibil- announcements occur well in advance of ponents starting very early in the process ity in getting the best final product. is always a good idea. any real thought being given to the scope The tension which exists between the and details of the project. Program refinement can include re- needs of the program and the limits of the Having made this commitment, the ducing all program areas by a small per- budget can, however, have dramatic im- owner’s expectation is that it will simply centage for a large overall saving and it plications if it is allowed to rise to crisis happen as prescribed. This expectation can include a careful look at how the fa- proportions; for example, when tender and the expectations which the owner has cility is scheduled so that room utilization documents are nearly complete and sig- raised in the mind of the public and the is optimized. nificant cuts must be made. users about the scale of project in relation The trade-off here – and it is a posi- In these last minute situations, there to capital cost may not be at all congru- tive one – is to spend planning time (at are no winners and the decisions which ent. this stage, a miniscule percentage of the are made to cut space and equipment will Is such a disparity a problem for the project cost) to achieve capital savings always compromise the project to the project team? Not if we make its resolu- (which may be a considerable percentage detriment of the end users. of the project cost) without compromis- tion our first priority. Is it a challenge for As Theatre Consultants, we can play the team to resolve it? Absolutely. In this ing the quality and functionality of the project. a significant role in harmonizing the pro- context, what is our responsibility as gram vs budget debate by encouraging Theatre Consultants? Keep the team’s If the timetable is tight, there will be the team to address the alignment be- attention on the program. pressure on the planning phase and this tween program and budget right from the In the end, there are only two ways critical time can be compromised in the outset. attempt to meet real or perceived dead- to look at resolving the program vs In our office, we encourage clients to budget debate: increase revenues or re- lines. The project manager or owner’s keep their focus on the fundamental con- duce costs. representative can play an important role cepts before authorizing the team to go in this phase by managing the work of the It is not, for example, beyond the architectural team to focus on the most full speed ahead with design. Our advice realm of possibility that the owner can is always, “Get the fundamentals right positive outcomes. find ways to increase the revenue side of and the details will look after themselves.” The goal of every project is to go to the budget and it is appropriate for the Initially, the debate is usually framed team to suggest this as an option. tender with a contract package that meets by the questions “are we building the the expectations within the budget. The But if the owner has made a public means of achieving this goal is through a program; or are we building the budget?” statement about the project’s cost and this These are valid initial questions which programming phase which leaves no cost is now to be changed, the team will stone unturned. should not be seen as setting up adversar- need to provide the owner with a plausi- ial positions. Rather, they should be seen ble case for budgetary increase to avoid as the frame of reference for our collec- the appearance of the project being “over tive goal of delivering the best product Brian Arnott budget.” Novita Consultants for the available dollars.

Editor’s Note: As of this 2008 edition of the ASTC Newsletter Robert Shook has bestowed the Editorship on Rose Steele, principal consultant of Landry & Bogan, Inc. On behalf of the ASTC I want to thank Bob for his years of service and his confidence in me. I will endeavor to live up to that confidence.

2 ASTC Winter 2009 (NATEAC—Continued from page 1) dimensional, they spoke about construc- tion difficulties and some strategies to address those ever increasing load fac- tors. Their slides and DVD’s were fasci- nating and demonstrative of the points they were making and the time flew by.

Immediately following the session lunch was served in the courtyard, and the buzz continued. Attendees gathered in groups large and small to talk about the sessions they had just attended. The 245 attendees and the more than 60 panelists mixed seamlessly, and it became appar- ent that people had come from every- where to attend the conference. Among them were 48 attendees from 8 countries ASTC member Robert Shook, left, moderates “The Role of the Architect in Theatre Facility Design”. (Canada, the UK, France, New Zealand, Panel members include (from left) Shook, Leigh Breslau, Rick Pfannenstiel, Mark Holden, Joe Perryman Brazil, Singapore, and Korea) who and ASTC member Joe Mobilia seemed excited to mingle with their US counterparts. Rick Pfannenstiel, Pfocus, owner’s repre- and where the architect fits into that sentative. The panel spoke about the chain of command. After lunch I chose the panel explor- changing environment of performance ing the “Architect’s Role in Theatre Fa- spaces and the need for the architect to The third and final slot for me was cility Design,” moderated by Robert understand the intended use and pro- the panel I was to moderate on Shook, ASTC, of Schuler Shook Theatre gramming of a space in order to be true “Designing a Safe Work Space.” My Planners. The panelists included Leigh to each building’s intent. They addressed stellar panel consisted of Monona Rossol, Breslau, SOM, architect; Mark Holden, the artful marriage of form and function Founder, ACTS (Arts, Crafts, Theatre FASA, JaffeHolden, acoustics consultant; and the ways in which all performance and Safety); Drew Landmesser, Produc- Joe Mobilia, ASTC, Fisher Dachs Asso- spaces are similar, and yet unique to their tion Director, San Francisco Opera; and ciates, theatre planning consultant; Joe end users. The panel also discussed the Darrell Ziegler, ASTC, Associate, Thea- Perryman, MRICS MAPM LEED AP, complicated hierarchy of a theatre project tre Specialist, Westlake Reed Leskosky. Donnell Consultants, cost consultant; and The goal was to point out the world as we find it today, and to suggest things to consider as we move forward with an ever increasing awareness of the safety of theatre technicians. Judging from the spirited Q&A at the end and the fact that no one wanted to leave at our appointed hour, I believe we can judge the panel a success.

That evening people were free to enjoy New York, and Conference Coor- dinator Donna Frankel had arranged for group rate tickets to either Spamalot or Blue Man Group for attendees. It was a beautiful summer night in the Big Apple.

Monday morning again began with breakfast in the Student Union building to get out of the heat and to provide bet- ter seating—and the energy was still there. If only we could have bottled that electricity and passed it out to the atten- dees to use when they needed a boost back home—that would have been the Member Len Auerbach with Marie-Flore Gignac of Cirque du Soleil, Steve Ehrenberg and David Rockwell before the “Single Purpose Theatres” presentation. best swag ever!

3 ASTC Winter 2009 The first panel I attended Monday berg, President of Technical Production sultant, Donnell Consultants Incorpo- was “Inspections and Maintenance,” at BASE Entertainment; with panelists rated; and Josephine Márquez, J. moderated by conference director Bill Len Auerbach, Founder and President of Márquez Consultants, Inc. Sapsis, President, Sapsis Rigging, Inc., Auerbach Pollock Friedlander and Auer- with Tom Young, Vice President at J.R. bach Glasow French; David Rockwell, The wrap up before we departed to Clancy, Inc.; and Charles Swift, Graham, Founder, Rockwell Group; and Marie- dinner (more on that in a bit) was the Swift & Company, LLC as panelists. Flore Gignac, Head of Architecture and plenary session led by Steven Ehrenberg Their approach was to describe the thea- Design for the Theatre Projects depart- and David Taylor. Standing at lecterns on tre as a factory of ever increasing com- ment at Cirque du Soleil. They discussed either side of the main stage, they remi- plexity and precision that, like any ma- and demonstrated the process of design- nisced about the conference in a casual chine (say your automobile), needs a ing and building a space intended to be and humorous way; at times debating regular and documented prescription of the home of a single production. Exam- their points of view on the state of the maintenance. They talked about the need ples of such spaces as KÀ, Cirque du theatre and how it reflects the state of our in both new designs and refits to account Soleil’s show at the MGM, Phantom of culture. At times they called on and inter- for accessibility to areas that have main- the Opera at the Venetian, both in Las acted with members of the audience, pan- tenance needs, and that all stage machin- Vegas were used to discuss the scope of elists, and attendees alike, asking for ery needs maintenance. Also emphasized such projects, the expectations of new clarification of points made and reactions was the requirement of ongoing educa- audiences, the partnerships required to to the sessions. It was a delightful sum- tion and communication about mainte- successfully complete such a project, and mary of two intense days of panels. nance schedules and procedures in the the philosophy behind such undertakings. forms of training, documents, and sign- The farewell dinner for the confer- age. My only regret in all of this was that ence was held at Sardi’s Restaurant in the I had to choose between sessions. The heart of the Manhattan Theatre District. The next session was “The Greener twelve others were equally compelling, As it was a Monday, the restaurant was Theatre,” a subject nearer and dearer to but there are just so many slots available closed to the public, so this family of us all in these environmentally uncertain in two days. While it is probably unfair to diners had the run of this 82 year old times. David Taylor of Arup was the exclude any of the panels from mention, theatre business icon. Surrounded by car- moderator, with panelists Andy Hales, two were widely talked about. These in- toon images of famous Broadway celeb- Managing Director of Charcoalblue Ltd, cluded “Educational Facilities,” pre- rities, the guests spoke animatedly about a leading UK theatre consultancy; Scott sented by Robin Crews, Wrightson, John- their experiences of the last two days and Geogeson, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP and son, Haddon & Williams, Inc.; and Scott enjoyed being in each other’s glow. award-winning architect; and Juhi Butler, Wilson Butler Architects; and Shareef, a member of Arup’s Sustainable Tom Young, J.R. Clancy, serving as The dinner speaker was Ron Austin, Business Management team in London moderator, and “Value Engineering,” the Executive Director of the who helped develop the British Standard process of getting the most for your dol- Development Project. He began his enter- on Sustainable Event Management (BS lar, led by Robert Hamilton, Douglas taining address by pointing out that if 8901). They spoke about sustainability Welch Design Associates; with present- something happened to the collected au- and how a building as unique as a theatre ers Dr. Joel Rubin, Joel E. Rubin & As- dience, there wouldn’t be a theatre pro- can address issues such as the avoidance sociates; Joe Perryman, Senior Cost Con- ject built for years, such was the pedigree of energy use, the reduction of energy use that “must be,” and the use of renewable energy. Examples of LEED certified theatres were illustrated as were the op- portunities to explore these energy use subjects in future buildings. The UK standard for sustainable events, BS 8901, was discussed as a model for managing large events with a reduced environ- mental impact.

Lunch was served back in the Stu- dent Union Building. Not to sound like a broken record, but…buzz, buzz, buzz; high energy, and warm collegiality.

The final session I attended was “Single Purpose Theatres—Vegas and Beyond,” moderated by Steven Ehren- Members Bill Conner, Mike McMackin, and Jim Read between sessions

4 ASTC Winter 2009 of the attendees. His delivery was crisp and natural; clearly at home in front of a Valuing Arts Education microphone. Ron could have been ac- cused of being a stand-up comic, dressed It’s that time again; money is tight group had caught up to their fellow stu- up for the role and used as a ringer to and the value of arts education in schools dents in reading and surpassed their class- guarantee a good send off for the crowd. has to be justified once more. Again we mates in math by 22 percent. In the sec- are hearing that the arts are a frill, we ond year of the project, the arts students The dinner ended around 11:00 can’t afford the arts, the arts aren’t neces- widened this margin even further. Stu- p.m., but no one wanted to leave, so the sary to a basic education, though both the dents were also evaluated on attitude and party carried on at various establish- California State University system and behavior. Classroom teachers noted im- ments around the theatre district. It con- the University of California system (for provement in these areas also. Source: tinued into the wee hours of the morn- example) include one year of visual or Nature May 23, 1996 ing, and only those with reservations for performing arts class as a basic require- ment for admission. Arts education is no Many of the benefits of arts educa- the Tuesday morning tours of the New tion are like those of athletics, which can York State Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Cen- longer an elective or strictly an extra- curricular activity. It is in integral part of be a potent comparison when cuts are ter, and left be- contemplated, because the arts often com- fore 1:00 a.m. education and of life. pete - ineffectively - for the same fund- As arts professionals we must be able ing. What can be said about the confer- to effectively and convincingly communi- ence is that it met its mission statement cate the real, documented, demonstrable Those not actively involved may not goal to “promote communication be- benefits of arts education to the student, regard performing arts as requiring team- tween the architects, engineers, consult- now and in the future, to the school, and work and promoting discipline, but the ants, and manufacturers responsible for to the community. dedication, cooperation, and memoriza- designing and building new theatres and tion it takes to be a member of the march- renovating existing facilities in North The benefits of the arts are not just ing band, choir, orchestra, or to produce a America” and, “to promote a higher squishy stuff like confidence and self- musical comedy or a dance recital is level of interaction between these profes- esteem. There are educational, social, surely equivalent to that required to be an sionals and the end users of their facili- and economic benefits that are studied, effective member of an athletics team. ties.” I believe they hit the nail squarely proven and documented, and a bunch of And I submit that “the show must go on” on the head. them are quoted below. is the equivalent of “win one for the Gip- per.” Students who participate in the arts For more information and pictures have higher test scores and lower dropout The arts are inclusive; they don’t go to www.nateac.org. rates than students who do not, according require a certain amount of strength, a to studies conducted by the Colorado certain body type or level of agility to Board of Education and the Colorado participate, and in general, participants Council for the Arts, in addition to studies fully participate; there are no benchwarm- from Georgia, Texas, Florida and others. ers in dance class. Studies also show that arts education, like athletics, keeps at risk kids at school. The arts are gender neutral and teach skills useful to all – from using a sewing The connection between music study machine to running a computer lighting and academic achievement is so strong console to basic electricity and carpentry - that the American Music Conference in a coeducational way. “Stage manager” website cites 15 separate studies or arti- carries no inherent gender identity. cles with results of research into areas of testing, graduate school admissions, and The arts are not as expensive as they business. The full list can be found here: appear – theatres are expensive buildings http://www.amc-music.org/ but one theatre can support many events Edward L. Raymond is Vice President of and can be shared with or rented to other IATSE Local 16 in San Francisco. In research_briefs.htm. I’ll quote only one: groups in the community. Athletics are 2006 Ed was a recipient of the Frank Music training helps under-achievers. expensive too, yet we seldom have to Stewart Volunteer of the Year Award for In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight justify the cost of a football field, a base- his work developing the ETCP Rigging public school first grade classes. Half of ball diamond, a pool and a soccer field. I Certifications, serving as a tri-chair of the classes became "test arts" groups, don’t wish to promote arts against athlet- the Rigging Skills Working Group, lead- receiving ongoing music and visual arts ics, merely remind us that we can easily ership as a subject matter expert, and training. In kindergarten, this group had justify the cost when we understand the service on the ETCP Council. Ed is also lagged behind in scholastic performance. value, as we already do for athletics. (It a member of the ESTA Board of Direc- After seven months, the students were is important to note that athletics pro- tors. given a standardized test. The "test arts" (Arts Education—Continued on page 7)

5 ASTC Winter 2009 ASTC MEMBER NEWS Lawrence Graham of Graham, Swift based architecture firm of Thompson, and Co. has written, “Peculiar Clothing: Ventulett, Stainback & Associates Episcopal Church Vestments” (ISBN (TV&S) as the lead firm for design of 9781440429958). It includes many illus- Nashville's new Music City Center con- trations, a special chapter for stage and vention facility. This estimated $340 to screen designers, reduced-size patterns $650 million project will cover nearly 1.2 and fabrication instructions. It is avail- mil sqft of convention center spaces, and able through Amazon will include two theatre performance

Charles Swift participated in two panels rooms. Groundbreaking for the Music at LDI (Lighting Dimensions Interna- City Center is scheduled for mid-2009 with opening in 2012. tional, Oct 22-26 in Las Vegas) this year. The Pearl at Palms Hotel Casino They are, “Catwalks for Technicians not J. B. Chambers Performing Arts Center - Photo by Tim Griffith Models” and “Rising Above it All: Pros Wheeling, WV Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, Nevada and Cons.” Jones & Phillips Associates, Inc. has TEA 14th Annual THEA Awards, Award just been selected by the The Ohio for Outstanding Achievement, 2008 Jim Tetlow of Nautilius Entertainment County Board of Education to be Theatre Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Design in San Diego served as lighting Planner for a new Performing Arts Center Virginia Beach, Virginia designer for all of the Presidential de- at Wheeling Park High School. Wheel- bates and the Vice-Presidential debate ing-based McKinley and Associates is this year. Jim is not new to these occa- the architect for this new facility, which sions and he had this to say about them, is intended to enhance fine arts education “This is the third cycle of debates that and serve the entire Wheeling and nearby I've done and by far the most interest- Eastern Ohio communities, as well. The ing. Because the CPD (Commission of center is scheduled to be completed dur- Presidential Debates) is non-profit, this is ing the 2010-11 school year. not a well-paid project, but you do have some very close contact with the candi- Kansas City Convention Center Ballroom dates, which makes it worthwhile. On Expansion / Bartle Hall - Kansas City, MO each debate day, each candidate has a Jones & Phillips Associates, Inc. were the Lighting Control Systems designers Sandler Center for the Performing Arts private hour onstage when we look at the Photo by Steve Budman camera shots, make-up, etc, and they for this LEED® Silver project. Archi- familiarize themselves with the staging tects were HNTB + BNIM, with Derek AIA Hampton Roads Chapter, Award for and camera locations. The debate hall is Porter Studios as the Architectural Light- Design Excellence, 2008 closed to everybody but the core team ing Designer. This outstanding 46,500 The Historic Salt Lake Tabernacle of The and the candidate's campaign personnel sqft expansion project, ingeniously span- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day (and of course the ubiquitous secret ser- ning Interstate 670, has also garnered the Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah vice), so you get to see the candidates in 2008 IALD Award of Excellence in the AIA Utah, Honor Award 2007 a more relaxed setting. Technically, the Hospitality category. At the heart of the AIA Utah, Peoples Choice, 2007 big difference for this cycle is that it was design criteria for the lighting control Associated General Contractors, Building the first time that we have done the de- system was illuminating the stretch fabric Project of the Year $25+ million, 2008 bates in Hi-Def. The different networks ceilings, which are backlit by a complex Intermountain Contractor, Best Renova- share the pool responsibilities, so nor- LED fixture package. The controls are tion/Restoration Project, 2007 mally we have a different crew and video programmed to provide a richly flexible truck for each debate. We were fortunate event-specific palette of lighting scenes Theatre Projects Consultants an- to illuminate the ceilings, the walls and nounces personnel Updates: this year to have CBS providing pool services for two of the debates, so we had the spaces within. Millie Dixon – promoted to Principal more consistency than usual, and also a Gene Leitermann – promoted to Manag- Auerbach Pollock Friedlander projects great camera and video crew.” ing Director received the following awards and recog- David Rosenburg – promoted to Principal nition: Bill Allison at Jones & Phillips sent John Runia – promoted to Senior Associate these descriptions of some of their cur- The Pearl at the Palms Hotel Casino, Las rent notable projects: Vegas, Nevada Landry & Bogan, Inc. is pleased to an-

Music City Center - Nashville, TN Live Design Excellence Awards, Venues nounce that the Paul Shaogian Concert J&P's most recent new commission teams Category, 2006-2007 Hall in Clovis, California has been the consultant again with the Atlanta- MGM Hotel and Casino, KÀ™ for awarded an Impact on Learning award

6 ASTC Winter 2009 New Members from the CEFPI (Council of Educta- The ASTC is pleased to welcome three new members tional Facility Planners Institute) and was displayed at the convention in San Robert McVay, ASTC, is a Project Con- John Runia, Senior Associate at Theatre Diego in October. sultant with the Dallas office of Schuler Projects Consultants, has contributed to

This an excerpt from the architect’s de- Shook. Bob has over 30 years of experi- hundreds of projects in his career. With scription for the October 2008 “CMU ence as designer, technician, contractor, over 30 years experience, his expertise Profiles in Architecture” arts administrator and consultant. Bob ranges from facility planning and design has provided consulting and design ser- to computer analysis and modeling. John On the interior of the 750-seat Concert vices for a variety of performing arts fa- began his career working with the Cana- Hall, the masonry units have been ex- cilities, worship and entertainment ven- dian theatre architect Fred Lebensold. posed to create the hard, massive interior ues. Projects of note include MGM Grand Since 1988 he has been involved with surfaces of the reverberation chambers. at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT; Texas TPC on every type of live performance Precision masonry units make an excel- A&M University at Commerce; Reach venue. John received a Bachelor of Tech- lent sound reflecting wall when exposed Media Studio for the Tom Joyner Morn- nology from Ryerson University in To- to the interior of the Concert Hall. The ing Show, Dallas, TX; and East Central ronto. In addition to ASTC, he is a mem- reverberation time of the room can be University, Ada, OK. Bob remains active ber of USITT (United States Institute of changed from one second to a full two as a production lighting designer and is a Theatre Technology), ICC (International seconds by retracting the acoustic drap- member of Board of Directors for Project Code Council, International Building ery and exposing the sound to the rever- X: TheatreDanceMusicFilm in Dallas. Code), associate of the AIA (American beration chambers that surround the Institute of Architects and ASA room. These masonry unit reverberation Rene Garza, ASTC WJH&W, Inc. Rene (American Acoustical Society). John is chambers make possible the presentation has been with WJHW for more than eight also LEED-AP (Leadership in Energy and of a wide variety of musical styles. years working as a theatre consultant and Environmental Design - Accredited Pro-

We are especially pleased that project project manager. His dad was in the fessional). His current work includes ma- architects Marty Dietz of Darden Archi- military and Rene grew up in Texas and jor projects such as Dallas Winspear Op- tects in Fresno, CA credits Jack Bogan Germany, and attended Incarnate Word era House, New World Symphony, and and Landry & Bogan, Inc. as Associate University in San Antonio. He is an ac- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Architects. The acoustician was Bill tive volunteer for March of Dimes and at Center. Dohn of Dohn & Associates, Cambria, his church. A notable quote is “I enjoy the CA. challenge of a new theatre and meeting the owner’s expectations.”

(Arts Education—Continued from page 5) omy. Are the arts being connected to The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts grams, again like arts programs, generate creativity? “Ready to Innovate,” a new and Culture Organizations and Their Au- a great deal of individual and corporate study conducted by the the Conference diences, 2007. support in addition to their institutional Board, Americans for the Arts, and the funding. American Association of School Admin- Please note it’s billion with a B and istrators, “provides the first research- that’s only the non-profit sector, and that The arts are safe; there are very, very based evidence that shows the answer is translates to 5.7 million full-time posi- few career-ending injuries in high school “yes.” Business leaders identified “arts- tions. That doesn’t include Broadway, or college music or drama programs. related study in college” and “self- professional touring attractions, the mo- (OK, that was a little slap at athletics, but employed work” as the top two indicators tion picture industry, the concert industry I’m tired of explaining that catwalks are of creativity, while school superinten- or permanent installations like Vegas safe – much safer than a football field.) dents ranked arts degree study as the shows, shows in Nashville, Branson, Or- lando, etc. all of whom employee actors, The arts can provide a life-long ca- highest indicator of creativity.” Ameri- cans for the Arts Monthly Wire, Novem- dancers, technicians, designers, stage- reer or avocation for far more participants hands, administrators, accountants, hu- than the few who will ever become pro- ber 2008 man resource professionals….. fessional athletes, and those who do not Arts supporters and participants have choose arts careers can still be patrons, a large and ongoing positive effect on the Afford to support the arts? The an- providing the economic activity referred economy – swer is the same as it ever was, but more to below. so: We can’t afford not to. Now go out America's nonprofit arts industry there and win one for Willy! Shake- Arts education promotes creativity – generates $166.2 billion in economic speare, that is. one of the key skills employers look for activity every year, resulting in $29.6 Rose Steele and a major driver of the new non- billion in federal, state, and local tax Landry & Bogan, Inc. manufacturing-based US economy, com- revenues. Source: Americans for the monly referred to as the Creative Econ- Arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity III:

7 ASTC Winter 2009 THEATRE PROJECTS IN PROGRESS The following theatre and assembly projects are in various stages of design and construction in ASTC members’ offices

AUERBACH POLLOCK FRIEDLANDER, San Francisco, CA NAUTILUS ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN, INC., La Jolla, CA Boston Conservatory of Music, Boston, Massachusetts Carnival Dream- 1,100 seat theatre and 24 other entertainment Cyprus Cultural Centre, Nicosia, Cyprus venues including an interactive photo gallery MGM City Center Convention Center and Elvis Theatre for Cirque Phoenician Resort Ballroom expansion - A/V and rigging consultants du Soleil, Las Vegas, Nevada Intrepid Air, Sea, and Space Museum - A/V show control and exhibit lighting design BILL CONNER ASSOCIATES, Oak Park, IL Faith Lutheran Performing Arts Center, Las Vegas, NV NOVITA TECHNE LIMITED, Toronto, Ontario Houston First Baptist Church, Houston, TX Talbot Theatre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario Centennial Chapel, Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, IL Redeemer College Auditorium, Ancaster, Ontario University of Winnipeg Theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba FACILITY STRATEGIES LIMITED, Columbus, OH Shadowbox Cabaret, Columbus, OH SCHULER SHOOK, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas The Columbus Foundation, Columbus, OH Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, Dallas, TX First Community Church, Columbus, OH Logan Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL GEORGE C. IZENOUR ASSOCIATES, East Hampton, CT Burnsville Performing Arts Center, Burnsville, MN Lenape Regional High School District, NJ Two high school theater additions. THEATRE CONSULTANTS COLLABORATIVE, LLC, Center for the Arts, Charleston County School District, SC Chapel Hill, NC King & Low Heywood Thomas School Performance theater, Universal Studios Dubailand Theatre, Dubai, UAE Stamford, CT Duke University: Baldwin Auditorium Renovation, Durham, NC Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Performing Arts Center, GRAHAM, SWIFT & COMPANY, Atlanta, GA Geneva, NY Mortimer Jordan High School Performing Arts Theatre, Birmingham, Alabama THEATRE PROJECTS CONSULTANTS, Norwalk, CT The Gem Theatre, Calhoun, Georgia São Paulo Dance Theatre, São Paulo, Brazil The Newton County Civic Center, Covington, Georgia Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens, Greece Virginia Tech Center for the Arts, Blacksburg, Virginia JK DESIGN GROUP, Van Nuys, CA Vision Theatre - Los Angeles, California. TSG DESIGN SOLUTIONS, INC. Carrie Hamilton Theater, Pasadena Playhouse - Pasadena California South Florida Community College Fine Arts Auditorium Performing Arts Magnet High School - Simi Valley (California) (Renovation) – Avon Park, Florida Unified School District. G-Star School of the Arts Motion Picture Sound Stage – West Palm Beach, Florida J&M LIGHTING DESIGN INC., Kennebunkport, ME Ave Maria University Black Box Theatre – Fort Myers, Florida Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, Fryeburg, ME West Brook Middle School Auditorium, Westbrook, ME WESTLAKE REED LESKOSKY, Phoenix, AZ Ogontz Hall, Lyman, NH Sacramento Community Center Theatre, Sacramento CA Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler AZ JONES & PHILLIPS, INC, Lafayette, IN Hanna Theatre/Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cleveland OH Music City Center, convention & theatre facility, Nashville, TN J. B. Chambers Performing Arts Center, Wheeling WV WRIGHTSON, JOHNSON, HADDON & WILLIAMS, INC, Kansas City Convention Center Ballroom Expansion/Bartle Hall, San Antonio, TX Kansas City, MO Beacon Theatre , New York, New York Del Mar College Fine Arts Building, Corpus Christi, Texas LANDRY & BOGAN, INC., Mountain View, CA Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York Livermore Regional Performing Arts Center, Livermore, CA University of Redlands black box theatre, Redlands, CA Herberger Theatre Center renovation, Phoenix, AZ the ASTC letter is published annually by the ROBERT LORELLI ASSOCIATES, Speonk, NY American Society of Theatre Consultants Chipola College Center for the Arts -Marianna, FL Rose Steele, Editor Studebaker Theater – Chicago, IL New York University – Provincetown Theater – New York, NY 12226 Mentz Hill Road St. Louis, Missouri 63128 LUSTIG & ASSOCIATES, St. Louis, MO Ph: 314 843-9218 Fax: 314 843-4955 Bonhomme Presbyterian Church, Chesterfield, MO Cherokee Nation Casino Theatre, Catoosa, OK To learn more about the ASTC, visit our website: Hempstead Auditorium, Hope, AR www.theatreconsultants.org

8 ASTC Winter 2009