Photo of the Strand Theatre by Abisola Dahunsi
By Abisola Dahunsi
Small businesses across Cobb County and metro Atlanta felt the severe impact of the pandemic, and the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta was no exception.
Navigating the bustling Marietta Square, Cobb residents Patience, 30, and Victory, 27, paused before the iconic Strand Theatre, a historic venue established in 1935.
Originally a major motion picture house, the Strand now serves as a hub for performing arts, thanks in large part to Earl Smith, who, along with his wife Rachel, revitalized the theater during the early 2000s. Smith passed away on January 30, 2024, at the age of 93.
For Patience and Victory, this visit marked their first return to the Strand since it closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19. The pandemic forced Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to declare a Public Health State of Emergency on March 14, 2020, halting film production and emptying cinemas.
At the height of the pandemic, the multi-use performance venue remained vacant for 15 months, an unusual sight given that The Strand usually hosts over 1,000 events annually. 72% of the theater’s budget comes from those events, according to a statement released on the theater’s Facebook. This meant that since March 2021, their main source of revenue had almost completely disappeared.
Even in the confines of the pandemic, the collective support from the theater’s staff, board and patrons during lockdown from COVID-19 was nothing short of miraculous. By the end of July’s 2020 Board of Trustees meeting, a plan from the Strategic Planning Committee was presented and approved. This plan scrapped all online streaming and focused solely on “Low-Risk Covid/Monetary Events”.
“An example of a ‘low-risk event’ is our private movie screenings inside the theater for 15 or less people,” said Ferry Milton, a senior usher at the Strand. “We want the building to be used so that our patrons are still connected to this wonderful space.”
Milton, a Cobb resident and retiree, has been ushering at the Arts Center for just over a year.
Strand management ultimately decided that the best way forward in August 2020 was to host small, private events. From that point on, they remained engaged with the community, organizing over 200 small events and producing more than 50 online events until the end of June 2021. The theater reopened for public events in July 2021.
“It was a challenging time for everyone,” said Andy Gaines, Strand’s Executive Director. “I’m especially grateful for all those who came together to help us get through it. It required sustained dedication from many people.”
After a tough year of navigating social distancing and intermittent shutdowns, the theater began to see positive results. In 2023, they sold over 38,000 tickets to nearly 200 Strand-produced performances, marking their highest ticket sales since before the pandemic.
As a nonprofit, The Strand relies on the generosity of donors to achieve its mission. Key partnerships include Marietta City Schools, Brian Weaver Photography, and Cobb Travel and Tourism.
“Our devoted community truly values preserving this space for showgoers, and we are deeply thankful for that,” said Gaines. “Thanks to rising sales and committed sponsors, The Strand is poised for an event-filled year.”
“This year, we anticipate enrolling roughly 1,300 students in our education program, The Strand Academy, which offers summer camps, master classes, and private/small group lessons throughout the year,” added Taylor Rambo, the development director of the Strand.
For Rambo, he is looking forward to restoring some old traditions that took the brunt of the pandemic.
“We really want to reintroduce the junior musical shows because we haven’t had that post-pandemic,” Rambo said. “We’re starting to feel like ourselves again.”
During the theater’s recent showing of the 1999 American film classic, “10 Things I Hate About You,” Maddy Carrington, a Marietta High School senior and frequent Strand-goer, recalled why she loves attending the center.
“People come here for an intimate experience that you wouldn’t find at a regular movie theater,”said Carrington, 18.
For more information on events, sales, and hours of operation visit https://earlsmithstrand.org/.
About the author, Abisola D. Dahunsi
A senior at Kennesaw State University, Abisola is currently pursuing a B.S. in Journalism & Emerging Media. The young journalist is driven by a passion for storytelling to explore innovative ways to engage and inform readers.
