Spring 2024

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Greetings from ASTC

Welcome to the Spring 2024 issue of ASTC:Notes. If your business is like mine, spring has been a whirlwind of project work. I hope you are getting on well.

First, I must thank the outgoing president of the ASTC Board, Heather McAvoy. Her service to the organization and the board has been long and noteworthy. We’ve been lucky to have her lead us for the past three years, and I’m thrilled she will remain on the board for a while longer. I must also thank Peter Rosenbaum and Grace Gavin Rhodes for their service on the board. Grace worked on a lot of our recent board projects and most recently served as vice president. Peter Rosenbaum has been a stalwart on the board, and preceded Heather as president. We would not have made so many recent strides without them.

It's also time to acknowledge three of our members have moved to emeritus status with their retirements from active consulting. Jim Tetlow and Jay Panzer have had long and interesting careers in our industry. We wish them happy retirements. Stay in touch gentlemen! Finally, we must acknowledge Len Auerbach, an ASTC Fellow and Founding Member of ASTC who has retired from active consulting. His involvement at the beginning of ASTC was important to setting the stage (ahem….) for what we have become. Bravo Len.

ASTC members have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. This summer many of us will descend upon Brooklyn for the NATEAC conference in July, with many members participating in panels. ASTC is pleased to be a sponsor and hope to see you there. This fall we are planning our Forum in Lubbock, TX where we will visit and discuss performing arts and how they have become a part of that community. Next spring we will have another installment of the ASTC/USITT Renovation Challenge in Columbus at the USITT conference. In between I expect all our members will be busy with their work in the performing arts.

Enjoy the articles in this issue. 

Paul Sanow ASTC

President



Adjustable Acoustics by Michael Parrella, ASTC

Universal Design in the Performing Arts by Raymond Kent, ASTC

Did You Know - Top Ten Reasons a Dealer is not a Theatre Consultant

Paul Sanow, ASTC

ASTC Accepts Three New Members by Kent Conrad, ASTC

ASTC New Board & Officers 2024 by Kent Conrad, ASTC

ASTC Remembers Tony Diemont by Ted Ohl, ASTC

ASTC Remembers Richard Pilbrow by Robert Long, FASTC

ASTC Remembers Dr. Joel Rubin by D. Andrew Gibbs, PhD, ASTC

Adjustable absorption panels at Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, Canada. (Photo courtesy of Arup)

Theatre Consulting and Acoustical Design are generally two separate disciplines, yet the consultants performing the design work do so hand in hand. The architect will be interested in the appearance of these features, and often all other design consultants will be involved in developing a successful design. Here is a survey of what may be involved. 

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Accommodating the needs of all who use a performing arts center should mean more than just providing wheelchair spaces for the audience or ensuring a performer can use a restroom. There are others who live and work in these spaces who also deserve a well-designed and efficient facility. Universal Design can and should be considered throughout performing arts spaces.  

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Sometimes there is confusion in the marketplace about the roles of theatre consultants and dealers. Some owners or architects elect to work with a dealer, thinking they will receive the same level of service as they would from a dedicated theatre consultant, and possibly for free. Theatre consultants and dealers may each be considered “theatre experts”, but they have very different roles and agendas in the construction process.  

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Keith Friedlander, ASTC

Kascey Haslanger, ASTC

Paul Whitaker, ASTC

ASTC has accepted three new members at the annual meeting held in Seattle, in conjunction with the 2024 USITT Conference.  

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The American Society of Theatre Consultants has held elections and announces its new Board of Directors. The Board has also selected new officers.  

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New ASTC President, Paul Sanow

The rigging industry lost a significant equipment designer whose work has graced many stages and concert halls. Tony Diemont of the New York firm Pook Diemont & Ohl (PDO) and acouStaCorp died in October 2023.  Associate ASTC Member Ted Ohl offers some thoughts on behalf of ASTC. 

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Richard Pilbrow is a well-known name in the circles of theatre design and consulting. While he was never a member of ASTC, Richard’s influence can be seen in many theatres designed around the world, and in many consulting firms.

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The performing arts industry has lost another influential and well known practitioner. Dr. Joel Rubin died in March 2024 at the age of 95. ASTC Member Andrew Gibbs, felt Dr. Rubin’s influence at a young age after a visit to the Kliegl Bros. Lighting factory, and that influence continued for decades.  

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