March 2009 marks the debut ofPlanning Stages LLC, a theatre consulting practice specializing in pre-design phase architectural programming, as well as planning and design for all types of performing arts spaces. Additionally, the firm provides planning, design and specification of performance equipment to outfit these spaces.
Excellence is the key word for every aspect of the firm's work. Led by twenty year veteran in the field William B. Allison III, ASTC,
Planning Stages LLC provides expert advice in the planning and design of facilities that beautifully and efficiently accommodate both artists and audiences, administrative staff and technical staff. The foundation of the firm's service lies in experience acquired over years of collaboration with some of the most outstanding theatre architects of our day, among them: Tarek El-Khatib & Mike Nelson – Zeidler Partnership Architects, Bernardo Fort Brescia – Arquitectonica, Scott Smith – Sasaki Associates, Keith Loffler – Keith Loffler McAlpine Architects, Marshall Strabala – Gensler Architects and Tom Payne – KPMB Architects. The firm has a significant body of experience with this building type, ranging from Speech Theatres to Concert Theatres, from Flexible Space Theatres to Opera Houses, from Concert Halls to Recital Halls, from Film Scoring Stages to Rehearsal Halls, from Amphitheatres to Conference Halls. Venues that exemplify this experience can be found throughout the US and Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, France, Finland and South Korea. Whether a project is new construction, renovation or adaptive re-use, commercial, civic or academic, the process always begins with thoughtful questions and much careful listening so as to ensure that the needs and priorities of the project stakeholders are well understood and properly addressed.
Planning Stages LLC always follows the rules of the good carpenter, “Measure twice. Cut once.” Prior to forming
Planning Stages LLC, Bill Allison was Principal Consultant with ARTEC Consultants Inc, having spent 17 years in various leadership roles with the firm, and with Jones & Phillips Associates, Inc. for the past four years. Bill remains current with the latest production techniques and practices, having periodically practiced his craft on Broadway and in the Opera, complementing his experience touring with Broadway productions, numerous production design commissions and production management appointments. Bill Allison holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Design / Technical Theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Following undergraduate school, he was granted a fellowship at the Virginia Museum Theatre in Stage Lighting, and is MFA (ABT) in Scenography and Theatre Consulting at Purdue University. He is a member of the American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC), the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes (IATSE Local 125) and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). For more, visit our website at:
http://www.planning-stages.com/ # # #