Savannah’s Thomas Square Neighborhood is home to what many locals may regard as staples of the city’s entertainment landscape, ranging from bars to restaurants and concert venues.
The latest addition to the Starland District is on its way: a black box theater slated to host multiple weekly shows. Savannah City Council recently approved a special use permit for alcohol sales at the venue, a key step theater directors say will help bolster the facility’s revenues.
“We’re trying to do the alcohol to get some increased revenue and make it something that can be a benefit for the community and sustainable,” said Josh Yellin, the attorney representing the petitioner 25 E Maupas LLC. “We don’t want it to be here for one year and move out, we want it to be a consistent legacy for the community.”
Council’s approval of the special use permit was unanimous and came with a set of conditions recommended by the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission’s Planning Board. The conditions require the permit be nontransferable to other owners, operate only in conjunction with the theater use and that alcohol sales be limited to on-premises consumption only.
The theater will be located at 15 and 25 E. Maupas Ave. at the corner of Maupas Avenue and Drayton Street. The location adds an additional entertainment option to the already bustling district, joining coveted locales such as Victory North, Starland Yard and Moodrights and others all within a few blocks of each other.
Project leaders presented their theater plans and special use permit request to the Thomas Square Neighborhood Association in May and received support from the association’s board.
“The membership was welcoming of their plan for a live theater in that location including alcohol sales during performances,” said TSNA President Linda VanApeldoorn in a support letter. “The TSNA Board of Directors wishes to convey their support of this project and the Special Use Permit.”
Yellin said the theater is seeking to “fill a void” in Savannah, where more performance art theaters are needed.
The theater’s future operators, New Oak Theatre, currently run shows at the Tybee Post Theater on Tybee Island. The Maupas Avenue site provides the company with a black box in Savannah’s core.
Chase Brackett, New Oak’s artistic director, said the group plans to host productions for four to six weeks at a time.
Plans are to have four to five shows a week, with weekday productions at 7 p.m. and weekend matinees at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Shows are expected to have a maximum capacity of 80 attendees.
“I look forward to coming to some of the plays that you all will be doing,” said Post 2, At-Large Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely.
While council’s approval of the special use permit was unanimous, some members did ask questions related to parking. The Starland District was identified as a high-pressure parking area in the city’s latest Parking Matters study.
Maupas Avenue was identified as having extremely high parking occupancy, reaching as high as 100% capacity or more on Saturday afternoons, according to the study. City council recently approved changes that allow for parking on both sides of the street.
Yellin also cited multiple paid parking lots within walking distance of the theater. City Manager Jay Melder said the city is analyzing if further policy measures will be needed to address parking on Maupas Avenue and in the district more broadly before council formally approves Parking Matters study recommendation.
In the meantime, council’s decision to allow parking on both sides of the street may bring some relief.
“It actually adds some more parking availability for theater patrons,” Melder said.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].
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