Features
New Georgia Venue Preps Opening
An entertainment and business attorney with previous venue-owning experience has converted a Savannah warehouse into a place for all-ages music and comedy shows.
Charlie Schmitt, a former NHL and PGA Tour exec and the driving force behind “The Voices of Classic Rock,” will open the doors of
– The Stage On BayRendering
The Stage is a 12,000-square-foot former warehouse that now has the capacity to accommodate general admission or seated shows of up to 1,000.
The building derives its new name from its location on W. Bay Street. Schmitt has family in Savannah and said he felt there was no modular theater/club-style venue in a city that he thinks would be very supportive of national talent coming through.
“You’ve got Savannah College of Art and Design, with 12,000 art students and all of the associated support staff and professionals, Gulf Stream corporate headquarters and a substantial military presence,” he told Pollstar. “It’s also a huge tourist hub. It hosts 14 million tourists a year.
“[It is] perfectly routed for any talent that is coming out of Nashville, out of New York, and on their way from Atlanta or Charlotte or Charleston to Florida or back. You pass literally within 6 miles of our venue.”
Schmitt will be booking the shows with Stuart Green of Magic City Productions in New York. The two previously collaborated on
The Stage on Bay opens Feb. 3 with The Marshall Tucker Band.
“We’re just excited about the market and the response has been phenomenal,” Schmitt said. “We’ve gotten a lot of interest from the talent agents and we’re just hoping it all continues.”