EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is a selection of the responses from readers of MDJOnline.com in reaction to recent MDJ stories.


Theatre in the Square might close doors …

Deep Throat — Too many Cobb County residents don’t want anything more than Wal-Marts and TGIFs in their county. What a shame. I love this county and have lived here for 20 years. To think that I have to drive to Fulton to have something more than a franchise experience should shame every one who lives here.

Bill Clement — Time for some serious concessions by landlord, equity actors and the whole group of talented folks that bring us a very high level of entertainment. Keep The Theatre and the Strand or there will be a huge void on the Square and Cobb County.

Liberty Bell — I lived in Marietta most of my life. Now living in Alabama, I have brought my children and others to Theater in the Square for almost three decades. Churches from hundreds of miles away bring bus loads to “Sanders” and Christmas performances. We shop at Goldsteins’ and Eddies Trick Shop on every visit. The Theater in the Square venue is one of a kind, a Picasso of community theaters. Losing this artistic staple of the square will be an unparalleled disaster for local shops, schools, business entertainment and ME.

You are — beginning to see the crux of the matter. Numbers mean very little to these people. Truth is that these organizations put their heads in the sand, continued spending money like it was going out of style, pulled out the culture card, and begged for money. Now people are tired of throwing away their money on people who can’t manage it and really have no intention of doing so. They expect others to finance their passions while making no changes until recently.

Samuel Adams — I’m a fan of Theatre in the Square, but isn’t this the entity that just re-built their facade and spent a few greenbacks on other upgrades not long ago? I don’t remember if that was as the economy was turning down or before, but before any public “help” or bailout of any kind is remotely considered, I’d like to know how much was spent on these unnecessary (and in some quarters unpopular) changes?

Theatre Goer — Theatre in the Square is in this state because of gross mismanagement. Ultimately its board is responsible. The board leased far more space than the theatre needed. The board over-renovated a rented building (contracted to a board member). The board concentrated on that renovation when it should have been planning to weather a contracting economy. Theatre in the Square is collapsing under the weight of an inept board. Philip Goldstein didn’t put a gun to anyone’s head and force Theatre in the Square to lease more space or renovate. How is he responsible for the poor choices of others?

Old Man — Why not relocate all museums and theaters to the county? There are plenty of empty stores with large parking lots. Just group the theaters in one shopping center with a couple of restaurants and the museums in another area close by. This way, the Marietta Museum of History and Gone With the Wind can all have plenty of room to expand and get out from under the city.

Kennesaw Resident — Old Man, how about this idea? Why don’t we privatize all the county facilities, such as the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre, so that private theaters don’t have to compete with taxpayer-funded entities? Taxpayers should not subsidize this type of activity, it will always be at the expense of those who try to provide these services in the private sector and have to compete with the government!