“Behind the Screens” is a series developed by AIA Chicago’s Editorial Advisory Committee to highlight the members of the chapter. Throughout the year, the series will showcase Fellows, Architects, Associates, and Affiliate members.
Name: Todd Hensley
Affiliations/Credentials: Affil. AIA Chicago
Title: Partner
Company: Schuler Shook
Degree: MFA, Theatre Design, University of Minnesota; AB, Communications, Morehead State University
AIA Chicago involvement: Designight Host Committee (2025); Third Thursdays Host Committee (2024-2025)
You started your career working at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What is it like to have returned to this space years later in your new capacity at Schuler Shook?
The Lyric Opera – both the company and its building – are incredibly meaningful to me and to Schuler Shook. I began here as an assistant to Duane Schuler, who was Lyric’s Resident Lighting Designer. Duane met Bob Shook for the first time in this building and they soon afterward formed Schuler Shook. I joined them as a Theatre Planner and Architectural Lighting Designer. Through the years, we designed major building renovations at the Lyric with SOM and have recently returned to reimagine the audience seating and lobby spaces with Goettsch Partners.
Designing performances is thrilling, but the performances always come to an end. Designing the places where the performances happen is enduring. I’m so grateful to come back here as a theatre planner – the Lyric gave me opportunities I never dreamed of. It feels like a wonderful return to where I started many years ago. I love making spaces where art happens. We get to create projects where performance moments are remembered, discussed, even cherished, for years and years. It’s an exciting career!
Considering the energy demands of theatrical lighting and systems, what is the most effective step you’ve taken in your design work toward a more sustainable performance environment?
Ah! The happy “secret” is that solid-state stage lighting (LED lighting) is remarkably less power hungry. An all-LED light plot can represent about one-third of the connected electrical load of incandescent sources. That allows us to use much less dimming and wiring throughout the theatre, which reduces the demand for miles of copper wire. The dollar investment is now in the lighting instrument itself and far less in the wiring plant. And the heat loads are vastly reduced. Now the hottest thing driving the HVAC design is the people in the audience.
LEDs use a lot less power, but it also takes real resources to create those chips and precision fixtures. We are pushing the stage lighting manufacturers to include cradle-to-cradle design for their products. Manufacturers must step up and consider the full life cycle for those LEDs when they eventually fade out and lose their brightness. We can’t just throw away those fixtures.
What does equity mean to you when designing a space meant to host diverse stories and diverse audiences?
I’m working on this every day. Everyone at Schuler Shook is trained and practiced in asking the question “Who isn’t coming to this space, and why?” We advocate for designs that reduce threshold anxiety, making spaces feel expressly created for each person who walks in. We also lead the way by recommending accessibility features that go beyond the code minimums, making a venue truly welcoming for everyone. Our lighting designs strive for light equity, ensuring that all projects have good visual acuity, warm revelation of space, and safe lighting levels in every community.
I’m proud that we’ve gotten to design theatres throughout the city. I’m particularly excited that we’ve designed stage lighting and rigging systems for some Chicago Park District fieldhouse theatres, ensuring that they are accessible and flexible for neighborhood artists. Everyone deserves to tell their story and to have their time in the spotlight.
What has been a large challenge or obstacle as a theatre consultant—perhaps related to bridging the needs of creative production teams with the constraints of architecture—and how are you working to/how have you overcome it?
Since the pandemic, performing arts are in a time of change. Theatres are still dealing with the “Netflix Effect” of patrons staying home to enjoy shows on their couches. At the same time, Broadway is having a big year, and live music events are selling like never before.
I believe that people will always crave community. Have you ever been to a show where hundreds or thousands of people all jumped at the same surprise, belly-laughed out loud together, or even held their breath together? Streaming platforms can’t create those communal moments. So, the challenge is to serve artists in their mission to engage their audiences. Design can meet this with an understanding of how people connect with artists and with each other.
Where do you find inspiration when approaching the design of a new performance space, particularly given your extensive portfolio of over 400 projects?
I’m inspired every time the phone rings! Each project holds its distinct uses, visual goals, and funding scenarios, and it’s exciting to address them. We get to work on projects that people dream of for years before we’re involved.
I coach our staff to ask “What’s on the menu? What uses will this space support? What’s the highest and most frequent use?” That balance of programming is fascinating to me. I don’t play Sudoku – instead, I solve puzzles at work by helping clients bring projects into focus. To me, it provides the best dopamine rush.
Which building or public space in Chicago do you wish you had the opportunity to work with the team that designed it?
The Uptown Theatre. Wouldn’t it have been great to work with the Rapp brothers to integrate all those details? The next best would be to complete the theatre’s renovation and restore its lighting.
What is the most effective step you’ve taken in your work or your firm toward a more equitable profession?
I helped create our firm’s DEI Committee, and I continue to serve on it. We have over 65 staff members in the US and Australia, and we get together regularly as a firm for training and discussion. It has sharpened our thinking and broadened our outreach. We continually discuss what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mean for Schuler Shook. I think it’s one of the most important things I can do for our company.
What is your favorite quote about design?
Louis Sullivan’s “Form ever follows function.” We’re all about optimizing function in all our spaces. Great projects come from great teams, and brilliant function can be achieved within all types of buildings. In the best scenario, such as Frank Gehry’s design for the Pritzker Pavilion, we see a work of art that beautifully supports the arts onstage.
What’s the best concert or performance you’ve seen in the last year?
Any of the great productions at Lyric Opera! And as a person who sees a lot of shows, I also recommend anything at the Chicago International Puppet Festival. Very different forms, and both with wonderful ideas and visuals that you won’t forget!
