The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) has awarded Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn, Ga. with a $19,300 grant to be used to replace the theatre’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. In the previous grant cycle, FTI funded a new roof for the theater.
Atlanta-based FTI is the Fox Theatre’s dynamic outreach program offering historic preservation expertise, consultation, and educational programs to historic theatres in Georgia and the Southeast. Southside Theatre Guild is one of metro Atlanta’s oldest, all-volunteer community theatres in metro Atlanta and will launch their 50th season in the fall of 2022.
“We are very appreciative of the support we’ve received from The Fox Theatre Institute,” said Boone Smith, President of Southside Theatre Guild. “They understand the important role that theater plays in a community and their assistance will help ensure that we will have a safe and successful 50th season and many more to come.”
Once threatened and saved, the Fox Theatre Board of Directors and Staff created FTI to foster a strong sense of togetherness, responsiveness, and insight that remains visible through its ongoing work. FTI pays it forward by helping other arts and cultural institutions renew, reinvigorate, and restore artistic vitality to stimulate local economies.
“Well into our fourteenth year, FTI has worked tirelessly to support historic theaters throughout our state and the larger Southeast,” said Leigh Burns, FTI Director. “Now, more than ever we know our Georgia theatres need our financial and technical assistance to navigate a time where resources are limited or disrupted. We are thrilled to support the ongoing work of nine theatres this year for a total investment of $252,300. These funds help our passionate colleagues maintain the arts in their community in extremely unprecedented times.”
FTI’s Preservation Grant Program and Historic Preservation Services maintains an ongoing
commitment to historic theaters and has supported over sixty projects since 2008, totaling more than $2.2 million in financial support for preservation and physical improvements. In addition to the grant program, the almost 50-year-old nonprofit organization manages Georgia Presenters, a statewide booking consortium, which helps spark collaboration among dozens of accomplished arts presenters.
“Our technical assistance and financial investment mean more to a community than ever
before,” said Burns. “We want to help build a financial recovery for our state that remembers the arts as more than expression, but as a necessity.”
Southside Theatre Guild’s next production will be “Steel Magnolias,” which opens March 17 and runs Thursdays through Sundays through March 27. To learn more about the theater and how you can get involved, visit stgplays.com.
