Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

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Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a performing arts venue located in the Cumberland/Galleria edge city, just northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. The $145 million facility celebrated its grand opening on September 15, 2007 with a concert by Michael Feinstein and Linda Eder.[1][2]

Located in Cobb County, the venue is owned and operated by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority and took over two years to build.[1] The naming rights for the facility were acquired for $20 million by Cobb Energy Management Corp.[3] Real estate developer Williams' personal donation of $10 million led to the theater itself being named in his honor.[4]

[edit] Design and Construction

Facade
Facade

The Cobb Energy Centre is located at the east corner of Akers Mill Road and Cobb Galleria Parkway, overlooking I-75 just south of the I-285 highway interchange.[5] It was designed by architects Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, [6] and built by general contractor Hardin Construction.[7]

The asymmetrical top of the building rises in swirls similar to a soft-serve ice-cream cone over the multi-story glass facade that allows views of the grand alabaster staircase and lobbies beyond when lit at night.[6] The rising waves were meant to soften the transition to the fly tower required over the stage.[5] Just inside the entrance, visitors are greeted by the commissioned mural "The Nine Muses" by Jimmy O'Neal.[6] The ten 600-pound gold and Mirano glass chandeliers in the main lobby[5] and those in the ballroom evoke the glass art of Dale Chihuly.[6] The interior throughout the Centre makes extensive use of traditional theater colors such red and gold as well as dark-wood finishes. The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is the only performing arts center in memory to be complete within schedule and budget.[6]

[edit] Performance and other venues

  • John A. Williams Theatre. This 2,750-seat theater at the core of the Centre was designed to accommodate both acoustic and amplified performances with the specific intent of attracting touring companies of Broadway shows.[5]

Within the theatre itself, seating is distributed on three levels — orchestra, mezzanine and grand tier — and fourteen balcony boxes. The most distant seat in the upper level (Grand Tier) is only 160 feet or 50 meters from the stage.[5] Metallic-mesh triangular screens undulate across the ceiling to hide catwalks. The stage features a hydraulic lift for the 30-foot (9m) deep orchestra pit large enough for 84 musicians.[5] The theatre is surrounded by a two-foot (60cm) thick concrete wall on the perimeter for acoustic isolation.[5]

The Centre's first resident company is The Atlanta Opera which relocated from the cavernous Atlanta Civic Center in downtown Atlanta.[8] The Opera's first production in the new facility was Puccini's Turandot.[9]

  • Ballroom
Chihuly-like ballroom chandeliers.
Chihuly-like ballroom chandeliers.

The facility includes a 10,000 square foot (950m²) ballroom available for event rental[7].

  • Other facilities

The adjoining parking deck has 1,000 spaces.[2] It also has access to Cobb Community Transit, which may move its Cumberland Transfer Station over I-75 adjacent to the center if the Northwest Corridor HOV/BRT is built. (Currently there is just an HOV-only exit at this point.) The parking deck for the "bus rapid transit" station would be next to the Centre.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Pascual, Aixa M.. "Ribbon cutting held at Cobb Energy Centre", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2007-09-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  2. ^ a b AJC Staff. "Cobb Arts Centre: Everything you need to know", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2007-09-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  3. ^ "Cobb Performing Arts Center naming rights sold", Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2005-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  4. ^ Atlanta Performing Arts Center Receives $10 Million. Foundation Center (2005-09-25). Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Monroe, Doug. "Virtuoso Performance", Georgia Trend, 2007-09-17. 
  6. ^ a b c d e Fox, Catherine. "Arts center concept falls short in execution", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2007-09-09. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  7. ^ a b Opdyke, Tom. "Cobb Energy Centre, $145 million facility for events big and small", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2007-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  8. ^ Mattison, Ben. "Atlanta Opera to Move to New Suburban Theater", Playbill, 2006-05-11. Retrieved on 2007-10-23. 
  9. ^ Brett, Jennifer. "Skeptics take to opera's new digs in Cobb", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2007-09-29. Retrieved on 2007-10-23. 

[edit] External links