For 110 years, downtown Atlanta has been home to some version of the Rialto Center for the Arts — a movie theater, a shuttered building and now an arts and culture hub all on the same corner. Now the theater team is looking to the future.
2026 also marks a 30-year anniversary. In 1996, Georgia State University reopened the Rialto Center for the Arts as part of the downtown Atlanta college. It came after a tumultuous few decades. The Rialto first opened as the Southeast’s largest movie house in 1916, before it was torn down in the 1960s. Then it was rebuilt as the Rialto movie theater again, but closed in 1989.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that Georgia State University got involved and renovated the property into an 833-seat center for performing arts. But the theater hasn’t seen many renovations since its 1990s overhaul. Now, the Rialto is set for a $150,000 “facelift” to update the lobby from its dated design.
The Rialto’s Executive Director, Amy Reid, said the project was funded over several years through gifts and philanthropic dollars. It won’t change the actual theater or architecture. Instead, it will tear up the red carpeting and repaint the walls for a more “neutral color scheme.” They’re even toying with taking the lobby stage away.
Another $140,000 will pay for sound and facility upgrades most audiences won’t notice, like a faster-moving curtain on the theater stage.
The lobby is also home to a new visual art series, a quasi-gallery through a new partnership with The Sun ATL. The quarterly art exhibitions will rotate out the works to align with different performances, and keep the space open for “drop-in” visitors who want to check out art.
“We want to celebrate 30 years, and we want to make sure we’re around for the next 30 – and even longer,” Reid said.
Part of that is getting butts in seats. This year, the Rialto launched a new membership model. Before, “subscribers” would buy tickets for multiple performances all at once. But it pushed audiences to commit to a show over a year away.
Now, the Rialto will have a tiered membership model, with a free tier that gives early ticket access to each show, 15 percent a single show and monthly updates.
“It allows for more flexibility,” Reid said.
But the biggest focus as the Rialto celebrates both 30 and 110 years is the programming. The 2026-2027 season is a blend of favorite returning artists and new performers. Bela Fleck will return for the sixth time, Take 6 will be back for its third turn on the stage.
And the performances span genres. The Rialto will feature bluegrass, a capella, jazz, dance, hip-hop, big brass bands and student performances. Reid said this year, the Rialto will also continue its free lunchtime series “Feed Your Senses” and even launch a bi-monthly film series, where the theater will screen classics, noir films and family-friendly movies. The executive director said some movies will be shown on 35 mm film, since the theater bought a projector during its 2023 upgrades.
The theater wants to do a bit of everything: visual arts on the walls, movie screenings, dance, theater and concerts.
“We want to make sure that we are hitting whatever creative inclination a person has,” marketing manager Khepra Akanke said. “Whether they’re drawn to the visual arts or performing arts, music, or dance, you know? We want to resume being known as a community hub for all aspects of the arts.”
As a community hub, the Rialto team hopes to touch “as many facets of the arts” as possible. And its all happening downtown.
Like many businesses in downtown Atlanta, the Rialto staff are acutely aware of the downtown Atlanta overhaul as the city readies for the World Cup. It includes entertainment complexes like Centennial Yards and immersive entertainment spaces like Cosm, but the Rialto is one of the few arts spaces in the neighborhood.
Reid said it’s a “critical moment” for the theater to let people know it is downtown and waiting for crowds. She hopes the Rialto can be “a natural part of the infrastructure.”
“We don’t want to be overlooked in all the revitalization and changes; we want to be a part of them,” Reid said.
The Rialto Center has announced its complete 2026-2027 season and most tickets will go on sale in mid-July.
