Robert Davis, FASTC, (RD) is a founding member. He remembers that it all began as a call from Leonard Auerbach, FASTC,
“It was all his idea…He said, basically, that we theatre planners should be able to talk amongst ourselves, away from clients, away from manufacturers, away from salesmen, in a place we could bring our families, relax and really share what’s on our minds, whatever that is. For me, Len’s idea would be an opportunity to catch up with everybody all at once, both the old friends and the consultants I hadn’t met yet…There were a very few who felt they shouldn’t meet with competitors because it might be bad for business.  There were a very few who had conflicts in the Summers when the long meetings were held.  But most of us showed up.”

Duane Wilson, ASTC, (DW) reflected on the impact,
“Until the mid-nineties, it was rare for a high school or small theater project to have a consultant.  Architects got by with sales reps and the local drama teacher.  Thankfully that is no longer true, there is an expectation that a theatre consultant is needed, and theaters are better and more usable, and money is more wisely spent, because consultants are involved.”

Robert Long, ASTC (RL): One of the most profound changes in our theatre building design industry, compared to 35 years ago, is that ASTC members are working on a wider variety of performance venue types.  In addition to theatres and music spaces, members are involved with Cirque-like entertainment spaces, large worship centers, cruise ships, museums and art galleries, and other non-traditional performance spaces.

Robert Shook, FASTC (RS): Many of the founding members of the Society encouraged us to wield more authority in the early stages of project development.  As a result, we began seeing ASTC members becoming regularly involved in writing feasibility studies and concept reports prior to the hiring of architects, and this has provided a more solidly realistic foundation for projects to be initiated and funded.

As Jim Read, ASTC, (JR) put it,
“ASTC is an organization with a mission and the manpower to accomplish that mission. ASTC has gained recognition as an effective agent; it has, indeed, put Theatre Consulting on the map.”

William (Bill) Conner, FASTC, (BC) initiated this effort,
“When the Society gave me the go ahead to take on the BCMC (Board for the Coordination of Model Codes) project, which resulted in the most significant code changes, I also had to raise money. A dozen letters and I had $21,000 in days. Made me rethink my career choice wondering if I could do better as a televangelist.”

BD: I’m a code cynic.  Without guidance the code-writing committees pass horrible rules that make no sense at all in the entertainment industry.  Lobbying the code meetings is expensive, tough work, but is essential.

DW echoed this sentiment,
“The maturing of ASTC and the combining of the 3 US building codes in the 1990s allowed ASTC to influence the codes and eliminate a lot of bad code for theaters.”

RS described how ASTC’s work with the Code panels is much like our work on a project,
“Bill Conner has led this effort from the beginning, working with the model code organizations to help them understand the special requirements associated [with] performance facilities, and to loosen the grip of manufacturers’ self-interests in many areas.”

RL: I became a member of the ASTC in 1988 and have been an active now for 30 years. The presumptuous title of my 1976 graduate school thesis was “Theatre Consulting”, so I was a kid in the candy shop when I joined the organization and was able to spend time with many of the ASTC founding members.

DW: I joined in 1988. George Izenour was a founding member and was after Jim Read and me to join. By 1988 I had the requisite 5 projects completed.

BC: I was the first associate member and kind of spurred the development of that [membership level].

JR: When ASTC was first formed, I was solicited to join–and should have–but [didn’t for a variety of reasons]. I did join in 1987, at the recommendation of George Izenour, at that time a member. My first Forum was Block Island, 1987.

RL: In the early days, the big get-together was the Forum which was held in late July and was a “can’t miss” event for the roughly 30 ASTC members. Block Island or Bar Harbor or Orcas Island were typical conference locations. While often organized around a topic such as Acousticians or Dance Theatres, the long weekend was a wonderful time to socialize as well as to listen and learn.

BC: [I remember] my first meeting, in Vancouver, in connection with the Worlds Fair. I think 7 or 8 members total – which was a healthy percentage then in those days. Just very magical and special. I can’t help but recall Orcas Island forum – 50-60 people – maybe more. One dinner was with Ron and Lynda Jerit; Teddy Boys; David Nibbelin and wife and son; and [my wife] Kim and myself. We ordered dessert at a small, family run inn and, apparently, they lost power and the pie was unbaked – which Teddy referred to as “very rare.

DW: The meeting at Orcas Island: great guests and detailed study into dance requirements and dance lighting.  That one meeting was worth all the money for ASTC dues over the years.

RL: Our ASTC Forum meetings 30 years later are now scheduled in early Fall as our growing membership found that there were too many conflicts with summer family vacation schedules. We still socialize, and we still organize our events around venue tours and topics of interest. Our locations aren’t quite as exotic, though.

JR: From less than a dozen found[ers] to over seventy members is a significant change. It is no longer a few guys sitting around puffing about “Theatre Consulting.

DW: Also, in the beginning about half of the membership were named Robert. “All Bob Consulting” was what I called it.

RD: Growth was the big change. Initially and for a few years the organization consisted of a few outspoken old guys because the profession itself then was made up of a few outspoken old guys.  But the [foundational] plan was to grow and include everyone who met the criteria of being primarily a generalist principal theatre consultant not associated with any product, vendor or manufacturer.

The change I felt most strongly was the inclusion of younger members who, because their time was less under their own control due to work and family obligations, influenced the summer meetings to be shorter, less a vacation destination, more work-like, and somewhat less family-oriented. I miss the old grand resort meetings where I could meet everybody’s wives and kids but I understand the need for efficiency… I hope we, as a Society, will preserve the initial concept, which is to provide an opportunity to sit down with our friends, peers, associates and competitors, face to face, and have a long chat.

RS: The basic mission and tenets of the Society remain unchanged, happily.

RL: In the early days of the organization, members were more cautious in sharing design information, perhaps being hesitant to give away supposed trade secrets. Now, all these years later, one of the great strengths of the organization is that members are much more willing to ask for and receive advice from fellow members on critical and timely issues. This sharing of information is perhaps the most important aspect of the organization today.

RD: The ability to sit down individually and as a group and have long chats with people in the same business [is essential]. ASTC members share ideas from the most general questions like, “Why do people build theaters at all?” to details like why stairs should have a 7:11 riser: tread ratio or exactly how to apply table B.310-15(B)(2)(11). The meetings allow us to be in a room with the greatest theatre consultants who have ever lived with nothing else to do but listen for a couple of days.  It’s very useful.

JR: The Society has become far less secretive. When I joined in 1987 no one would talk about what or how or why they worked. There was little sharing of ideas or asking, “Has anyone encountered…?” Now we talk about how we solved a problem. Is there a code issue? How do you get around that? Anyone had experience with this contractor? As well as generalized theatre topics and where the industry is headed. I would like to see the sharing increased and improved.

BC: I guess I stay involved for the fellowship and comrades in arms aspect. I’d also like to preserve some of what I think are positive changes in the codes and standards area, which have been significant. But I miss the more intellectual and esoteric topics of discussions, now put aside by more tours and specific project discussion. We have lost the theoretical aspects in favor of the practical.

RS: My current involvement, in addition to attending meetings whenever I can, is with the Publications Committee. I think it’s important to keep the architectural and theatrical industries appraised of the positive influence ASTC members can have on the final outcomes of performance facility design.

BC: I think a lot of the memories are around the banquets. To some degree, it is an eating and drinking society, bound by common objectives and experience.

RD: When George Izenour loudly proclaimed, “I started it all!” and Leonard Auerbach replied,” Harold Burris-Meyer sends his regards.

JR: None of us can forget that at every Annual Meeting or Forum, somewhere near the end of the session Ned Lustig’s (FASTC) explosions chiding us that we “were doing it all wrong!” became a meeting standard. Ned was the sea anchor that kept us from racing ahead too quickly.

BC: Many funny moments with Ron Jerit’s (FASTC) state of the Society address each business meeting.

JR: The minutes do not show it this way, but I clearly remember, somewhere around 1989, holding up my hand and asking then President Ron Jerit, “Does ASTC have an Ethics policy?” Without hesitation, Ron answered, “No. You’re the Ethics Committee, write us one!” Leadership!

RS: Soon after I joined, I attended a meeting of the Society in which one of the activities was to show slides of some of our recently completed projects. After several of us had presented, Robert Long got up and started showing slides and proudly describing the attributes of several truly horrendous theatres. We all politely nodded in disbelief until finally someone (I don’t remember who) said, “This is a joke, right?” To which Robert exhaled loudly and said, “I can’t believe you guys took that long to recognize it!”. It was a great prank! Bravo, Robert!