Marietta Square, Arts and the Strand

Earl Reece, executive director of the , talks Marietta, the Square, the arts and, of course, the Strand Theatre.

What is your favorite thing about Marietta?

I was born in Marietta across the street where the parking deck is, that use to be the old Marietta hospital, and when I was young my mother would bring me and my brother to the Strand every Saturday, so even before I worked here this was my favorite building on the Square, in the state. 

What impact do you think the Strand has on Marietta?

Well, I can answer that with statistics. The Strand brings over 62,000 people to the Square each year for performances and events and those 62,000 people frequently visit shops, galleries and places to eat.

I think the Square of Marietta has become a destination for local arts of all kinds, for theater, the visual arts with the art galleries, music on the Square and dining. 

What about on a non-statistical level? What impact do you think the Strand has had?

The Strand has become a location for the entire community to get together. An example would be the we had a few weeks ago. We had about 500 people from every area of the community represented from the arts, the city council, lawyers and civic organizations, a little bit of everything. 

The Strand is where everyone gathers. It's becoming a place where rather than just a community getting together it's like a family reunion. 

I think so many people really know each other in Marietta and support each other in every endeavor.

If you could change one thing about Marietta, what would it be? What is your least favorite thing about the city?

I don't have a least favorite thing, but I do wish that the people in Marietta could even more support the arts, both visual and performances. 

What's it like to stand here after three years and, from what I've heard, the ridiculous amount of renovation it took to get this place open again?

Well let me tell you a great thing about when we were under renovation. This was the original lobby just this area here (the part of the lobby directly in front of the entrance to the theater, beside the staircase) and that area (the concession stand) was an arcade and over there (the restroom area) was a drug store.

When we were in early construction two guys scraped 100 pounds of glassy black enamel paint off the ceiling here (in the original lobby area). We weighed it. And for the most part this here is actually the original crown molding. 

It seems like you really love the arts. What is it about them that you enjoy so much?

This is a second life for me. My first life was as an artistic director at Pebblebrook and my second is here.

When I was a kid, I really didn't realize it at the time but I had the best parents. They really encouraged us to be creative. My brother is really athletic, but he's as enamored with the arts as I am. 

I chose the arts as something I wanted to do because in my first year of teaching, and this was 42 years ago, I taught students that were challenged in a lot of ways.

We decided to do a play. We had to clean the old theater first and it was a mess. Eventually I put on a play with these kids, and it changed their lives. They were more confident, they saw that I didn't talk down to them, they worked together and they felt good about themselves.

It seems like the Strand has quickly regained its role as a staple in the community. It hosts a lot of annual events like the , and a lot of events and performances for students and organizations. Where did people go before the Strand?

I think because we are here people not only want to support our efforts for the Strand but want to get involved as well. So there's a lot more going on. They know that we are going to do a great job if they come here (to do a performance or host an event), and if it's their first time we are going to want them to come back.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you, Marietta Square, the Strand, life?

I would like to mention that for the first year we will be doing our first ever series of Strand-produced performances. 

The Strand will kick off its series of Strand-produced performances with "Mo' Motown" July 4 through July 8. Tickets are $20.

Some past events at the Strand:

The Strand on TV:

The Strand in the news:

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