Cumberland/Galleria Market Report
Opera makes bold step with move to arts center
Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Karen Dean Contributing Writer
When the curtain rises on the first act of Puccini's "Turandot," a new chapter will be unveiled in the history of the Atlanta Opera. For the first time, the organization will be bringing music to the masses from the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
With the scheduled debut on Sept. 29, the opera is welcoming this change from its past downtown or Midtown locations. The Civic Center and The Fox have served them well, but the center's John A. Williams Theatre is much better suited for opera performances, organizers say.
"Opera is really musical theater and demands a specific type of venue," said Gregory Johnson, chairman of the Atlanta Opera board of directors. "Smaller theatres are better for both acoustics and visual purposes. This theater was built with opera in mind and is far superior for that function than anything else in Atlanta."
Since 1995 the opera held performances first in The Fox Theatre, then the Atlanta Civic Center. But the size and seating capacity of more than 4,600 seats in both venues posed challenges in terms of both ticket sales and performance quality.
However, the new John A. Williams Theatre, centerpiece of the $145 million center, is more suited to the acoustical challenges presented by opera's natural, unenhanced voices. The multi-purpose, 2,750-seat venue was designed to accommodate performances of all types, ranging from opera to ballet and Broadway shows.
The smaller size also lends to a more intimate feel. The design was planned so that the farthest seat is still less than 160 feet from the stage.
But facility size wasn't the only attraction for the Atlanta Opera. The new location opens up the potential for new subscribers.
"This location is actually more convenient to Buckhead than our Midtown location," says Johnson. "Also, people living in the northern areas of Cobb and Gwinnett and beyond now have an accessible theater."
The opera has planned a full season schedule, with more performances this year than previous. Four productions are scheduled, one more than last year, with four performances of each production offered. Johnson said revenue generated from these additional dates allow the organization to keep ticket prices the same, or lower, than previous years.
Ticket sales have been strong so far.
"There has been a surge of subscriptions from people that live in the north area, as well as tremendous renewal from our historic customers," he said. "We've already sold more subscriptions than this time last year and are forecasting an increase of more than 20 percent over last year sales."
The successful sales cap a strong growth period for the organization. Charles R. Yates Jr., executive vice president of Zurich Financial Services, was appointed the opera's president in January as Johnson stepped into the role of chairman. Financially the company is growing, with added sponsorships and other financial and community support.
The opera isn't the only arts organization eyeing the new center. The theater's smaller capacity also attracted the Atlanta Ballet, which is scheduled to perform a repertoire featuring Twyla Tharp's "In the Upper Room" for six performances in March 2008.
Ballet organizers say they are happy with their Fox Theatre location but feel the Cobb venue might offer advantages for certain productions.
"The repertoire programs -- a collection of dance works -- are often harder to sell than a full-length story ballet like 'Swan Lake' or the 'Nutcracker,' " said Barry Hughson, executive director of Atlanta Ballet. "But we think this will be the perfect venue for those performances and the company is excited about our opportunities there."
So far only one ballet production is scheduled at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, but Hughson said they are open to future plans.
"We're going through our strategic planning right now and Cobb is something that's part of those considerations," he said. "There aren't many alternatives to performance space that work well for a ballet company, so it's good to have that additional option."
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