The American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) announced that Keith Friedlander, Kascey Haslanger and Paul Whitaker have been approved for membership in the organization. The Board of Directors admitted the new members at the ASTC annual meeting which occurred during the 2024 USITT Conference in Seattle. All three are experienced theatre consultants and meet the qualifications for membership.

Keith Friedlander
Before joining Schuler Shook Theatre Planners in 2015, Keith Friedlander spent 15 years working as a lighting/video supervisor and master electrician at major regional theatres in addition to technical direction at the college level. As a theatre consultant, he has planned and developed theatre systems for venues ranging from significant major performing arts centers and amphitheatres to a wide variety of university and high school theatres. Keith has also been responsible for renovating and upgrading numerous rigging and lighting systems during his time at Schuler Shook.

 

 

Kascey Haslanger
With experience ranging from developing lighting consoles with a major manufacturer, to a field service technician, to an ongoing relationship as lighting designer with the Arizona Cardinals, Kascey Haslanger’s background prepared her for a position as Senior Consultant at Charcoal Blue. Prior to joining Charcoalblue, Kascey was a Senior Theatre Design Specialist and Senior Associate at DLR Group. Over the course of her 11 years as a full time theatre consultant, she has worked on numerous types of theatres and performing arts buildings around the United States including Sacramento’s SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.

 

Paul Whitaker
Recently Paul Whitaker became a partner at Schuler Shook where he has been working since 1997. Besides his theatre consulting work where he handles all aspects of the project from concept to completion, Paul also designs the architectural lighting for many of those theatres. He is an accomplished freelance theatre lighting designer and has designed for major regional theatres around the country and in New York. Among his many theatre consulting projects, the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center at Macalester College was awarded the USITT Architecture Merit Award.

By Kent Conrad, ASTC