The Atlanta Braves’ decision to relocate to Cobb County follows similar actions by other Atlanta organizations that found the move increased their fan base.
“The move to Cobb has played a huge role in boosting our numbers,” said Atlanta Opera general and artistic director Tomer Zvulun. Subscriptions have increased by nearly 50 percent since performances were moved to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at I-75 and I-285, not far from where the proposed new baseball stadium would be built.
“We aspire to attract people from the whole region, not just Atlanta,” Zvulun said. “It is easily accessible for people coming from around the region. It’s easy to park. People who travel to see opera can stay overnight, go shopping, go to nice restaurants. The development in the Cobb Galleria area is palpable.”
The move was announced in 2006, and the Atlanta Opera, which previously had staged productions at the Fox Theatre and the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, opened the 2007-08 season in Cobb County with “Turandot.” In 2008, the organization announced it had reached its fundraising goal in a $10.9 million capital campaign, the largest ever achieved in the company’s history.
The Atlanta Lyric Theatre’s move from Midtown to Marietta in 2008 produced impressive numbers, too.
“We’ve grown exponentially since moving to Cobb County,” going from 250 subscribers to 2,000, said managing artistic director Brandt Blocker.
The Lyric’s first OTP stop was the Earl Smith Strand Theatre on the Marietta Square. It’s since moved to the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre at the nearby Cobb County Civic Center.
“The move to the (Cobb) Civic Center has been a great move financially,” said Blocker, who said the larger venue is better suited to the Lyric’s productions. “We have the space to breathe and the room to expand.”
Like many people, he was surprised at hearing the Braves planned a move to Cobb as well.
“The more I thought about it, the more it made sense,” he said. “Cobb County has been a blessing to the Lyric Theatre, and in turn I hope we’ve been a blessing to Cobb County. We’re terribly excited to get the Braves out here.”
The Atlanta Ballet has made a partial move to Cobb County, locating most of its performances at the Cobb Energy Centre but leaving the annual “Nutcracker” intown, at the Fox Theatre. It hasn’t experienced dramatic change since choosing Cobb as its chief performance home.
“Ticket sales have remained somewhat consistent,” said marketing director Tricia Ekholm. “There was this belief we were going to be bringing in all these additional audiences from farther north. That did not turn out to be the case.”
Most patrons like the venue, but the move wasn’t without some qualms, she said.
“There were some patrons who were not sure,” she said. “In general, once patrons made the trip the first time, they loved it. They found that it was easy to get there. Parking’s on site. We didn’t have any complaints with the exception of patrons who rely on public transportation. There isn’t a way to get from Midtown to the Cobb Energy Centre on public transit.”
Gwinnett County resident Kathy Schmidt said the Atlanta Ballet’s decision to move to Cobb has decreased her attendance.
“If you live south or northeast of Atlanta, getting to Cobb is a (pain),” she said. “We will still see ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Fox though.”
Prominent arts supporter Joanne Chesler Gross said moving to Cobb has been overwhelmingly positive.
“As a board member and patron of the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet, the move to Cobb County has been a great one,” she said. “The county understands that arts and entertainment are large economic drivers and invested in the infrastructure and facilities to make this work, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The move meant a major upgrade of performance venue at a convenient and central destination for the patron.”
According to the Cobb Energy Centre’s website, the venue is owned and operated by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority. In announcing the planned move, Braves executive Derek Schiller said “plans call for” the stadium to be owned by that authority, which also owns the Cobb Galleria Centre.
