New Members Admitted to ASTC at Forum 2026 Meeting At this fall's Forum meeting held September 26 and 27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) board of directors admitted four new members: Brandon Creel, Eric Furbish, Robert Jenista, and Zachary Thonen. These consultants have met the qualifications to join ASTC. Creel is welcomed into regular membership after three years as an active associate member. He has over 15 years of professional experience working in various roles across project management, design engineering, and consulting. A few of his diverse projects include an auditorium renovation at Joint Base McQuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Fort Dix, New Jersey; Friends of Israel broadcast studio, control room, and editing suites in Deptford, New Jersey; auditorium renovations for Palmyra High School and Deptford High School in Palmyra and Deptford, New Jersey, respectively; and a variety of new and renovation high school projects. Creel is a partner at Hewshott and leads the US operation. Furbish's career spans theatre, broadcast, experiential environments, and live events. He champions accessibility, inclusion, and sustainability in the performing arts. Work among his various projects includes Perelman Performing Arts Center in NYC; Court Theatre in Christchurch, New Zealand; Ensemble Theatre for Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago; and the Duane L. Jones Recital Hall at SUNY Old Westbury, New York. Eric is a Senior Consultant at Stages Consultants. Jenista moves from an associate member to regular membership. He has a long list of theatre projects for which he has managed or designed rigging systems. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he teaches Revit software with a focus on theatre consulting tools. Significant projects include the 10,000-seat Freedom Mobile Arch / PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, --more-- Sandra and Malcolm Berman Family Performing Arts Center at Stevenson University, Owings Mills, Maryland; Don Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale, Arkansas; and the JP Stevens High School Auditorium renovation in Edison, New Jersey. Jenista leads BIM initiatives for Stages Consultants and is a senior theatre consultant. Thonen has a strong reputation as a consultant for coordinating stakeholders' needs and translating performance technologies into new and renovated venues. His experience working as a theatre manager and technical director directly benefits the many school projects he has completed. Those projects include a 1,000-seat auditorium for McCamey, Texas Independent School District (ISD) High School; San Antonio ISD Lanier High School Auditorium renovation; Northside ISD Sotomayor High School and Northside ISD John Jay High School, both in San Antonio; and Judson ISD Performing Art Center renovation in Converse, Texas. Thonen is an associate at WJHW in San Antonio. The full membership roster can be found here: theatreconsultants.org/members/astcmembership-roster/. 
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