Georgia Theatre sold to new owners
Drew Beskin, a marketing exec and musician who recently moved back to Athens from Atlanta, will take over as general manager when Greene steps down in early 2015.
- Elliott Anderson
- Scott Orvold (from left), Drew Beskin, and Wilmot Greene.
It has been a decade of transition for the historic Georgia Theatre, which along with the 40 Watt Club anchors the Athens, Ga., music scene. Ownership changes and a devastating fire lead to a revitalized venue. The latest development involves the sale of the Theatre to investors based outside of Athens, though much of the management and staff will remain intact.
Owners Wilmot Greene, Scott Orvold, and Randy Smith sold the Theatre to a Georgia investment and real-estate group Agon Sports & Entertainment, run by developers Jeff Eiseman (Augusta GreenJackets) and Chris Schoen (Greenstone Properties, Barry Real Estate). Greene bought the venue 10 years ago from Athens music scene fixture Duck Anderson. After a 2009 fire destroyed everything but the building’s exterior, the team rebuilt the Theatre and reopened it in the summer of 2011 with a performance by Athens favorites the Glands and Madeline. Renovations so far have reached the $5 million mark, with some of the money coming from community support and a Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation fund.
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Renovations added a rooftop bar and performance space, and completely rebuilt the interior, upgrading the sound system, lighting, stage, backstage area and, well… everything. The place was a gutted, charred husk.
Drew Beskin, a marketing exec and musician who recently moved back to Athens from Atlanta, will take over as general manager when Greene steps down in early 2015.
The Theatre was built in 1889 to serve as Athens’ YMCA, and over the years the building housed a church, movie theater, Sears & Roebuck, and a furniture store. Scheduled upcoming performances include The Casket Girls (Aug. 16), Gov’t Mule (Aug. 21-22), Shabazz Palaces (Aug. 27), Jeff Tweedy (Sept. 19), Shovels & Rope (Oct. 10) and Reigning Sound (Nov. 3), and more.