Stages Consultants

06/06/2025

Congrats and thank you to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance for their wildly successful Ovation Gala last night!

An excellent event honoring NJ's Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy for their commitment to the arts and making sure they reach every corner of NJ -

Photos: Meredith Bzdak

With: Meredith Bzdak, Michael R. Schnoering, FAIA, Michael Bzdak, Amy Mladjen, IIDA, NCIDQ

06/04/2025

It's summer intern season, and we're excited to welcome Andrew McCracken to the team here in Highland Park!

Andrew is in his third year at Oberlin College and Conservatory, pursuing a double major in Theatre and French. He brings a wide range of skills and experiences to Stages, including lighting, sound, scenic and video design, stage electrics, live lighting and audio, scenic construction, and technical direction.

Andrew has participated in the -USITT Venue Renovation Challenge twice, where he and his Oberlin teammates won the USITT Director's Award in 2023 and the top prize, the 2025 Edgar L. Lustig Award.

We're looking forward to learning from Andrew’s creative perspective and supporting his continued growth in the world of performance and design.

05/13/2025

Going up! The Z is reaching new heights with a towering system of scaffolding, rising from floor to ceiling and filling every corner of the auditorium. These structures will allow historic paint experts to carefully restore the iconic ceiling mural, original plasterwork, and intricate details, all with an eye toward reviving the theater’s original 1923 color scheme.

Keep up with all of The Z's renovation updates at zeiterion.org/renovation/updates

04/30/2025

A fond farewell and best of luck to our colleague Eli Thomas, who is leaving Stages Consultants to follow his passion for lighting design full-time.

Eli's next adventure takes him to the Spoleto Festival USA, assisting on an opera at the stunning Charleston Gaillard Center. From there, he’ll head to El Salvador to design a show with Macholah, Escuela de Danza.

During his time at Stages, Eli contributed to a wide range of projects, from early design studies to fully detailed drafting sets.

We’re grateful for his strong work ethic, commitment to learning, and subtly wry sense of humor. We can’t wait to see his name in more Playbills and programs soon.

04/22/2025

Exciting things are happening in New Castle!

Hodgson Vocational Technical High School will boast a new 430-seat auditorium to host assemblies, lectures, video presentations, and classes. The multi-use space will be equipped with a divider wall to separate the seating into three independent rooms - fixed seating on a sloped floor will accommodate 260 seats, and two banks of retractable seating. Stages’ scope includes theatre planning and audio-visual design for the school’s auditorium and its support spaces.

04/18/2025

Earlier this week, we unveiled the conceptual designs for our Music Center. These initial designs provide an early look at our vision, while serving as a foundation for further refinement and development.

“A sculptor working in bronze does not simply pour metal into a mold. They begin with clay. In much the same way, we are currently in the ‘clay stage’ of this process, where the forms are starting to take shape, the scale is becoming clearer and more layers of detail are emerging,” describes Douglas Johnston, Principal at William Rawn Associates.

This lyrical space is being imagined not only for the music it will hold, but for the community it will serve. From performances that move us to programs that connect us, the Music Center will be a gathering place where people from all walks of life come together through the shared language of music.

To learn more about the Music Center concept designs, visit our website: www.sarasotaorchestra.org/musiccenter

03/11/2025

When you're an office pup, and it's your birthday, it means you get extra belly rubs.

02/27/2025

Stages' Eli Thomas and his sister Brittany followed different artistic paths—music and lighting design—but their time at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and their encouragement of each other have helped them thrive in their respective fields.

Their story (link in comments) highlights how collaboration, connection, and a strong educational foundation can lead to fulfilling and successful careers in the arts.

Photo: Wayne Reich

02/25/2025

Very proud to be a part of this historic transformation!

Construction is moving right along! Find out more about the renovation and restoration of the Zeiterion at zeiterion.org/beyond100