Entertainment Design
and Lighting Dimensions will pay tribute to the American Society of Theatre Consultants in honor of the organization's 20th anniversary at a cocktail reception on Thursday, March 18 from 4:00-5:00pm at the USITT stage expo and conference in Long Beach, CA. Members of the society represents the country's leading theatre consulting firms and are responsible for excellence and safety in theatre design and planning. Their work ranges from opera houses and concert halls to performing arts centers and high school auditoria.
"Since our inception in 1983 ASTC has grown from eight to 45 members. The membership meets twice yearly to conference with fellow professionals involved in the fields of architectural design and planning, production design, promotion, direction, choreography, music, higher education and management," says Michael McMackin, the current ASTC president, and principal at Auerbach Pollock Friedlander in San Francisco for Design/Planning of Performing Arts and Media Facilities. "Our committees are in active engagement with USITT, IAAM, AIA, ESTA, NFPA, ANSI and educational institutions among others. We sincerely thank Entertainment Design and Lighting Dimensions for hosting a celebration of our 20 years of contribution to the field of theatre design and to kick off the future of ASTC. Please join us in celebration at booth #550. We hope to see you there."
Robert Shook, principal partner at Schuler and Shook, adds "the ASTC has accomplished a great deal, including most prominently exerting a great deal of influence in the writing of building codes relating to performing arts facilities." In a past issue of the ASTC newsletter, Shook wrote: "Two decades ago, thirteen founding members gathered in Jules Fisher’s conference room in New York City and laid the groundwork for the organization. Today, the American Society of Theatre Consultants has forty-one members representing the majority of theatre consulting firms practicing throughout the United States."
The ASTC has ties with allied organizations including the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the International Association of Auditorium Managers (IAAM), the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), and the International Institute for Theatre Technology (OISTAT). For further outreach, in 1999 the ASTC established an Internship Program that invites qualified theatre and architectural students to participate in its annual Forum activities.
Congratulations to the ASTC as the organization enters its third decade!