Rialto Ctr for the Perf Arts

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This exceptional performance venue is one of downtown's crown jewels.. The Scene
This cultural landmark first opened in 1916, in Atlanta's original theater district. Once the Southeast's largest movie house, the Rialto fell victim to a dismal downtown economy in 1989. Two years later, Georgia State University spotted potential for the empty theater to become a performing arts venue. Extensive renovations meant raising the theater roof 12 feet, expanding the lobby and box office and building a new stage with a proscenium and an orchestra pit. The March 1996 opening the 833-seat Rialto Center for the Performing Arts was a pivotal event in the revitalization of the historic Fairlie-Poplar District downtown.

Performances
Theater and dance, jazz, blues, rock and classical music performances are scheduled throughout the season. Twyla Tharp, the Buena Vista Social Club, Charles Mingus Big Band, the Herbie Hancock Quartet and the Shanghai Ballet just hint at the spectrum of internationally known artists featured in the Rialto's Signature series.