Georgia State University Rialto Center

Georgia State University Rialto Center
Name	Rialto Center for the Arts
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
Opened	1969 (Rialto), 1990s (renovations)
Owner	Georgia State University
Capacity	1,300 (main theatre)
Type	Performing arts center

Georgia State University Rialto Center

The Rialto Center for the Arts is a performing arts complex on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta, known for staging touring performing arts companies, presenting dance ensembles, and hosting classical and contemporary music performances. The venue serves as a cultural hub linking Atlanta neighborhoods, national artists, and international companies, while maintaining partnerships with institutions such as the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and regional arts organizations. Its programming emphasizes interdisciplinary projects drawn from traditions including African American cultural studies, Latin American music, and contemporary visual arts practices.

History

The Rialto opened as a movie palace in 1916 and later became a key site in Atlanta's performing arts circuit, intersecting with the histories of the Fox Theatre (Atlanta), Peachtree Center, and the High Museum of Art. During the late 20th century preservation movement, the Rialto was the focus of initiatives involving the National Trust for Historic Preservation, local preservationists, and the Atlanta Preservation Center. Georgia State University assumed stewardship amid redevelopment plans related to downtown revitalization projects connected to Centennial Olympic Park and urban planning efforts by the City of Atlanta. Renovations in the 1990s and early 2000s incorporated input from architects experienced with adaptive reuse projects for venues like the Carnegie Hall renovation teams and consultants familiar with restoration of the Orpheum Theatre and other historic houses.

Architecture and Facilities

The building displays elements of early 20th-century theater architecture similar to designs seen at the Paramount Theatre and patterned after movie palaces in the tradition of designers associated with firms that worked on the Loew's State Theatre and the Tampa Theatre. The Rialto complex includes a main auditorium with a proscenium stage, a black box or flexible lab theater, rehearsal studios, and galleries. Technical infrastructure supports lighting and sound standards comparable to touring venues that have accommodated companies like Ailey II and orchestras in the vein of the New York Philharmonic. Backstage facilities are configured to host international ensembles that tour through circuits tied to festivals such as the Spoleto Festival USA and the Lincoln Center Festival.

Programming and Performances

The Rialto presents a season blending dance, theater, chamber music, world music, and contemporary performance art, programming artists and companies akin to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and contemporary groups similar to Pilobolus and Cirque du Soleil troupes. Concerts have featured repertoires related to composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Duke Ellington, John Cage, and Astor Piazzolla, and performers aligned with figures like Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, and Itzhak Perlman in touring appearances. The center participates in citywide festivals alongside organizations like Music Midtown and programs tied to institutions like Emory University and Spelman College.

Education and Community Engagement

Education initiatives at the Rialto align with outreach models used by institutions such as the Kennedy Center and initiatives supported by foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Youth programs collaborate with Atlanta Public Schools and community partners including Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and neighborhood arts councils to provide in-school residencies, master classes, and ticketing access. Workshops have featured guest artists who have worked with companies related to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the National Dance Institute, and educators trained in curricula from conservatories like the Juilliard School.

Administration and Ownership

The Rialto is administered by Georgia State University through its cultural affairs office and arts management staff, operating within university frameworks similar to departments at University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and arts centers affiliated with University of California, Los Angeles. Funding models combine university support, ticket revenue, private philanthropy from donors akin to those supporting the Guggenheim Museum, and grants from bodies such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Governance involves advisory boards, university committees, and partnerships with municipal cultural agencies like the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.

Notable Events and Artists

Notable performances and events have included touring residencies by ensembles and soloists in the orbit of artists such as Alvin Ailey, Bill T. Jones, Suzanne Farrell, Mavis Staples, Garrison Keillor, and chamber groups related to the Guarneri Quartet tradition. The Rialto has hosted film screenings, lectures, and festivals linked to institutions such as the Sundance Film Festival satellite programs and academic conferences associated with Emory University School of Law and humanities centers. Benefit galas and fundraising events have drawn civic leaders connected to entities like the Carter Center and foundations that support urban cultural infrastructure.

Accessibility and Visitor Information

Visitor services at the Rialto follow accessibility practices comparable to venues overseen by the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance offices and include wheelchair seating, assistive listening systems, and captioning for selected performances paralleling services provided at venues like the Atlanta Symphony Hall. Ticketing uses university box office systems coordinated with online platforms similar to those used by Broadway Across America. The center is accessible via Atlanta transit corridors served by MARTA and is proximate to downtown landmarks including Georgia State University campus facilities, making it reachable from neighborhoods like Midtown Atlanta and Old Fourth Ward.

Category:Performing arts centers in Georgia (U.S. state)