By Ben Nelms
bnelms@TheCitizen.com
and Michael Boylan
mboylan@TheCitizen.com

Tyrone is poised to become the cultural epicenter of Fayette County in the wake of the unanimous approval Jan. 26 by the Tyrone Planning Commission of the final site plan for The Legacy Theatre.

Located at Senoia Road and Depot Court, the nearly 16,000-square-foot performing arts center will seat approximately 180 people. Preliminary floor plans call for a 5,315-square-foot theater with a 20-foot by 50-foot stage and two performing art school studios totaling 2,150 square feet. The front side of the building will house the lobby, concessions, office and restrooms. Also contained in the rock and stucco building will be 8,257 square feet of additional leasable space. The facility will also be the new home of the Doris Russell School of Performing Arts, a business that’s been in the community for 35 years.

Developed by TCG Holdings, the Tyrone Station development will be situated on 1.8 acres. Commissioner Buddy Hay said the development might raise the bar on development for the area. Town Manager Barry Amos agreed, stating that a performing arts theater is something Fayette County has been talking about for years.

“We think it is fantastic that a performing arts center is coming to Tyrone,” said Amos.

Approval for the development included conditions such as right-in only access off Senoia Road and the prohibition of wall-pack lighting and a dumpster.

The theater will be owned and operated by Bethany Smith, a full-time actor from New York City, who moved her over a year and a half ago with her husband, Mark, the drama instructor at Landmark Christian School. She is hopeful that the theater will open in August with the first of four professional shows to be staged at the theater each year to start in September. The first show is expected to be the musical “Forever Plaid.” In addition to the four professional shows that the theater will stage, they will present four professional children’s shows each year. The theater, which will also house acting and dance classes, will also be available for area theater groups to rent and use for their own shows.

Smith is hoping that the theater will be an area of pride in the county and she is also hoping that the community will support the theater both with their patronage and their time. Later this year, the theater will begin searching for founding patrons.

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