Between 2019 and 2023, Thalia Mara Hall, the historic venue in Downtown Jackson, supplied $823,329.34 in revenue for the city, according to documents the Clarion Ledger received after submitting a public records request.
But with the venue’s unexpected closure this past August, it remains to be seen how much revenue the city will receive from Thalia Mara Hall in 2024. The venue, which closed due to the findings of mold, was only open for eight months this year, and major shows such as comedian Kevin Hart, and all seven of Broadway in Jackson’s shows had to be cancelled or moved to another venue. The Clarion Ledger submitted a public records request for Thalia Mara Hall’s 2024 revenue numbers and are awaiting a response from the city.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba recently announced the venue is expected to reopen on Jan. 18, just over five months after it was forced to shut down. While Lumumba and the city were excited to announce the venue’s reopening, others remain hesitant.
A closer look at the revenue numbers
In 2019, Thalia Mara Hall generated $274,952.14 for the city, the highest amount in the last five years. Revenue numbers dropped in 2020, 133,124.22, and 2021, $42.850.43 — but that was expected as the world was still reeling from the COVID-19 Pandemic and shows had to be cancelled. The venue bounced back in 2022 and 2023, earning $188,436.71 and $183.965.84, respectively.
After the mold was found, the city kept the facility closed to fix a flurry of other lingering issues that needed to be repaired, including a faulty HVAC, a new elevator and testing of the venue’s rigging system and fire curtain, among others. Lumumba has also thrown out the idea that the city should raise the rental fees of Thalia Mara Hall, which currently sits at $1,500 to book a show.
Since its closure, multiple organizations, including “Broadway in Jackson” and others, have voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the city regarding the repairs. But Lumumba defended the city’s response and has said multiple times the venue was not neglected.
“It wasn’t not done (repairs at Thalia Mara) for a lack of political will, right? What we find is that our needs exceed our means,” Lumumba said. “So when you’re in a circumstance where your needs exceed your means, then you have to find what is the highest priority that has to be dealt with in that time.”
‘A very harmful series of events’: Building back trust at Thalia Mara Hall
But if the city expects to reopen and have shows come running back to be booked, then they are in for a reality check, according to Adam Epstein and Joe Kosin, two representatives of Broadway in Jackson. Epstein, the CEO of Innovation Arts and Entertainment, and Kosin, head of programming, called the venue’s closure “a very harmful series of events.”
“There’s been a real hit on the industry’s confidence of that the city has the wherewithal to manage this building properly, so there’s doubt that the venue will be up to the standards that they expect,” Epstein said. “So just the city saying it’s open does not mean that shows are going to be come flooding back. In fact, there’s going to be a period of time where there’s some serious doubt and we’re going to have to prove again that the venue is safe, and clean and maintained properly. That’s not something that you flick a switch on.”
Broadway in Jackson had originally scheduled seven shows to perform in Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson. With 2,000 seats in the theater and all sold out shows, that means at least 14,000 people would’ve traveled to Downtown Jackson, possibly spending additional money at shops, restaurants and hotels. Besides Broadway in Jackson, Aardenland, another company that books shows at Thalia Mara, also had to cancel shows, Epstein said, resulting in even more of a loss of people and money for the city.
“We’re talking about, in the aggregate, between us (Broadway in Jackson) and Aardenland, we’re talking about probably between 50,000 to 60,000 people who aren’t coming to Downtown Jackson this year,” Epstein said.
Epstein and Kosin originally travelled down to Jackson from Chicago in August after the city shut the venue down and were critical of what they saw as a lack of communication from the city about how repairs were going.
In a recent interview, both said they were still wary about the reopening of the venue and don’t think they will be the only ones. Moreover, Epstein criticized the city’s general handling of Thalia Mara Hall, saying that they don’t realize how much of an economic driver the venue can be for Jackson.
“It was not a surprise to us (Thalia Mara’s closure) because of the patterns we had seen throughout the summer,” Epstein said. “We work with bands and touring shows that have hundreds of places that want them to come, so those attractions go to the cities that make it easier for them to succeed…They won’t sit around and wait for Jackson, Mississippi to step up.”
As a way to build back trust, Epstein and Kosin recommended the city put on a free show once Thalia Mara Hall reopens in January. Let the public come in and see the venue is safe, Epstein said.
“Face it head on, don’t try to deny it, don’t try to hide it, it is what it is,” Epstein said. “Let’s own it and fix it and then be transparent that it’s fixed and work hard to rebuild confidence.”
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