What Fisher Dachs Associates does

Fisher Dachs Associates (FDA) is a privately held professional services partnership based in New York City that specializes in theater planning and design consulting. The firm provides integrated consulting services spanning the full project lifecycle — feasibility studies and needs analysis, performance space concept development, backstage planning and layout, seating and sightline analysis, performance lighting system design, stage rigging and automation, audiovisual systems design, and equipment renewal and replacement. FDA also offers virtual and augmented reality visualization services that allow clients to experience and evaluate venue designs prior to construction.

The firm serves a diverse client base across higher education, nonprofit and cultural institutions, corporate enterprises, and the cruise line/hospitality sector. Named clients include Johns Hopkins University (Bloomberg Center), Delacorte Theater (Shakespeare in the Park), NBCUniversal Campus, Norwegian Cruise Line (Viva Theater and Nightclub), BlackRock (NYC Headquarters Auditorium), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and Park Avenue Armory (Philharmonic 360). FDA operates globally with projects in North America, Europe, and on international cruise ships.

The firm generates revenue through professional services engagements that are project-based and quote-driven, with fees varying by scope and complexity. Distribution occurs primarily through direct client engagement with large institutional buyers, supported by industry reputation, referrals, and competitive bidding on institutional projects. Marketing efforts center on a portfolio-driven website, the FDA Approved Innovations and Insights eDigest newsletter, and a multi-channel social media presence. The firm is led by industry veterans including co-founder Jules Fisher, recipient of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award, and Head of Planning and Room Design Cathleen Bachman.

Name

Fisher Dachs Associates

Legal name

Fisher Dachs Associates

Website

https://fda-online.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fisher Dachs Associates is a New York-based theater planning and design consulting firm serving higher education, cultural institutions, corporations, and cruise lines worldwide. It delivers integrated services from feasibility through construction oversight for performance venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theater Planning and Design Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Production & Technical Services (AV/Lighting/Staging) (MPAAAGAB)

Keywords

• Theater planning services
• Performance venue design
• Stage rigging design
• Acoustic sightline analysis
• Theater consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Theater Planning and Design Consulting: Professional services revenue generated through consulting engagements for theater and performance venue planning, design, and implementation. Services range from initial feasibility studies through detailed design specifications and construction oversight.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fisher Dachs Associates provides theater planning and design consulting services for performance venues of all types, including theaters for drama, dance, and musicals, concert halls, opera houses, multi-purpose touring venues, cruise ship entertainment spaces, and corporate auditoriums. The firm acts as a single-source provider across the full project lifecycle, delivering feasibility studies, needs analysis, concept development, backstage and seating planning, lighting and rigging design, audiovisual systems design, and VR/AR visualization services. Engagements are delivered as integrated consulting projects tailored to each client, supported by knowledge-based design rooted in real-world performance experience.

Product overview

Fisher Dachs Associates provides a comprehensive suite of theater planning and design consulting services delivered as an integrated offering rather than standalone products. The company acts as a single-source provider covering the entire project lifecycle: from initial feasibility studies and needs analysis through concept development, technical design, and equipment renewal. Their core services include performance space design, backstage planning, seating and sightline analysis, performance lighting design, stage rigging and automation, audiovisual systems design, and virtual/augmented reality visualization services. These individual services work together as a unified consulting engagement model to support clients and their design teams throughout all stages of theater and performance venue projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Auerbach Pollock Friedlander: Auerbach Pollock Friedlander is one of the most direct comparables to Fisher Dachs Associates, providing theater planning and performance venue consulting services including lighting, rigging, and audiovisual systems design for performing arts centers, theaters, and entertainment venues worldwide.
• Theatre Projects Consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants is a leading theater planning and design consultancy offering feasibility studies, concept design, and technical systems planning for performing arts venues globally — directly comparable in service scope and target clients to FDA.
• Charcoalblue: Charcoalblue is a UK-headquartered theater and performance venue consultancy offering design, acoustics, and technical planning services for theaters, opera houses, and concert halls, with global reach — a close peer in specialty and scope to FDA.
• Schuler Shook: Schuler Shook is a theater planning, architectural lighting, and acoustics consultancy with deep expertise in performing arts venues, providing design services closely parallel to FDA's offerings.
• Harvey Marshall Berling Associates: HMBA is a long-established theater consulting firm providing planning, design, and technical systems services for performing arts venues, with comparable scope to FDA's core theater planning practice.

Broad incumbents

• Arup (Theatre and Performance): Arup is a global engineering and design firm with a dedicated theater and performance venue practice providing acoustics, audiovisual, and structural design for performing arts projects — a broader incumbent offering overlapping capabilities to FDA's specialized scope.
• Populous: Populous is a global architecture firm specializing in sports and entertainment venues, including performance and concert venues — a broader incumbent that competes with FDA on larger entertainment venue projects.

Regional players

• Wendell Burnette Architects: An architectural practice with theater and cultural venue design expertise, comparable in venue type focus though operating at a smaller architectural scale rather than as a dedicated theater consultancy like FDA.
• Holt Architects: Holt is a US architecture firm with performing arts and academic venue experience, offering some comparable services to FDA in the higher-education performing arts space, though as a broader architectural practice.

Emerging players

• Jaffe Holden: Jaffe Holden is an acoustics and audiovisual consulting firm that frequently collaborates on theater and performing arts venue projects, providing an adjacent specialty that overlaps with FDA's audiovisual and acoustic design services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fisherdachs
• YouTubevimeo.com/fisherdachs
• Facebookfacebook.com/fisherdachs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fisherdachs
• Instagraminstagram.com/fisherdachs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fisher Dachs Associates