Schuler Shook’s Jack Hagler is this year’s recipient of IAVM’s Joseph J. Anzivino Award. (Courtesy Schuler Shook)
Jack Hagler is considered the sommelier of the performing arts industry. His astute knowledge of the intricacies that go into creating world-renowned theaters is comparable to a wine steward’s ability to pair fine wine with the right food.
Hagler, a partner at the Dallas office of theater planning and lighting design company Schuler Shook, enjoys a good red wine himself. But more than that, he enjoys designing theaters that become parts of a variety of venues, including auditoriums, amphitheaters, concert halls, theme parks, performing arts complexes and churches. The scale and size of projects range from a 50-seat theater up to large arenas, and each venue he has worked on holds a special place in his heart.
“They’re like my kids. I love each one of them dearly. I love each one of them in their own way,” he said.
That love that he pours into each project resulted in his being selected as this year’s recipient of the Joseph J. Anzivino Distinguished Allied Award, given by IAVM. The annual award, recognizing allied members of the organization “who have made extraordinary contributions to the sports, entertainment, convention and exhibition industry,” will be presented to Hagler at the IAVM conference in Toronto this month.
When Hagler starts a project, whether it be a theater renovation or new construction, he always has the audience’s experience in mind.
“The parking experience, the lobby experience, the line at the women’s restroom,” he said. “We don’t have lines at the women’s restrooms that we design.”
He’s not the architect, but instead works with them, helping them understand the subtle nuances of theaters.
“What our profession does is make buildings work well for theater,” he said. “We are the liaison between the artists and the architect.”
Early in his career, most architects didn’t understand how to design a theater, but in recent years there’s been an explosion of live theater, and architects now specialize in such projects, Hagler said.
His company biography has pages and pages of his projects, highlighting the hundreds of buildings he has worked on throughout his 30-year career as a designer. Projects he has worked on include Moody Performance Hall in Dallas; Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville; the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Academic Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg, Texas; Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University; and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio.
Of the award, Hagler said: “I’m very excited. I’ve been involved with IAVM for over 25 years.”
The organization asked Hagler to choose who would give him the award at this month’s conference. Among them was his longtime friend Robyn Williams, executive director for Portland’5 Center for the Arts in Portland, Ore.
“It’s just fantastic to see a performing arts person get this award and to have it be Jack, who has done so much behind the scenes, stuff that people don’t get noticed for,” Williams said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
The pair went to college together at Texas Tech University, and to this day talk on the phone and work together through IAVM and the American Society of Theater Consultants.
“He’s the person I call if I have a theatrical problem,” Williams said. “He’s got the classic good-natured southern Texas sense of humor that makes him so likable. He’s also super smart and thoughtful about things. When he says something, people sit up and pay attention.”
Hagler fell in love with designing lights for theater after going to work for theater consulting firm Variable Acoustics Corp., and his career grew from there. “I’ve seen his career bloom, said Steve Surratt, another college friend who now works as the general manager and chief operating officer for Texas Scenic Co.
“I’ve seen him grow and his knowledge of spaces has grown over the last 20 years,” Surratt said. “He’s one of the top guys in the country now. He’s mild-mannered but tough. When he’s got to come down hard on a project, he will.”
“Congratulations to him,” Surratt said. “It couldn’t happen to a nicer, hard-working guy.”
When Hagler isn’t working, he loves to spend time with his family. He has two grown daughters, and his first grandchild was born this January.
He lives in Dallas with wife Carol Hagler.
“I’ve had a great career, and it’s not over by any means,” he said. “There’s been a lot of great people that have been along my journey. It’s always a team effort. If it’s our design team, it’s always ‘we.’ One person can’t do it alone.”