Angela McMahon

I am a theatre design consultant specializing in auditorium design and planning, seating, sightlines, and accessibility.I approach my work with a technically artistic mind– I am always trying to figure out the “how” at the same time as the “what and why?” As I’ve spent over half of my life as a theatre making and audience member, I aim to design spaces where I, personally, want to both create theatre and experience it. I believe a theatre’s form should follow its function. I want to create a space where artists have all the tools they need to be able to do their best work. Simultaneously, I want to work with an incredibly creative design team to make the building a beautiful, efficient, comfortable, accessible place for this art to take place.

What Brought You to Charcoalblue

During my theatre days, I was working as a technical director at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and they were starting the process of building a new theatre with Charcoalblue. Through the construction and opening process, I learned a lot about charcoalblue and theatre consulting in general, and I realized that was what I wanted to be doing. I started with another theatre consulting firm, Schuler Shook, in 2019, and grew to love the process of designing theatre spaces. I am thrilled to now be at Charcoalblue, where my interest in this career began.

Coffee, Travel, or Creative Ritual

My husband and I are avid baseball fans, and we also love beer. When we find ourselves in small-midsize cities, we love to take in a minor league baseball team and find a local brewery for a drink before the game!

Other (Free Write)

I have been loving needlepointing, and I am currently working on needlepointing Christmas stocking for my family. I love the process where I concentrate on each and every stitch, then at the end of the day, I can step back and see how those individual stitches are creating a beautiful picture.

Cultural Value That Inspires You to Go the Extra Mile

I never loved group projects as a kid, but doing what I do now, I believe deeply in collaboration and will go the extra mile to maintain a collaborative environment. I always tell my friends that I don’t need to understand their interests, but if they are passionate about something, I can listen to them talk about it for hours. The same concept applies to our collaborators and colleagues. I truly believe a collaborative design team is greater than the sum of its parts, and I want to do my best work so others can do theirs. Together, we can create something wonderful.