Shawn Mullins remembers his first show at Variety Playhouse as both nostalgic and novel.
It was 1994, before the Atlanta folk singer’s “Lullaby” became a hit and scored a Grammy nomination. Mullins opened for Sugarland founder Kristen Hall. The show marked Mullins’ first time performing in a “big theater in town.” Variety Playhouse was also where his parents frequented as kids, when the venue was a movie theater.
Consequently, for Mullins, the concert felt like a full-circle moment and a giant early career step. He became enamored by the love from his hometown and the venue’s staff.
“I felt really respected to get to do that show,” Mullins said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to play when I come to town.”
Since then, Mullins has performed at Variety Playhouse roughly 30 times. Thirty-five years since the concert hall’s inception, it still feels like a “local spot,” he said.
A key to that success for three and a half decades is the people who’ve worked at Variety Playhouse for nearly as long — and helped sustain a venue that’s appealing to Atlanta-focused and nationally touring acts alike.
From movie theater to concert venue
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
With its movie theater-style marquee shining down on Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points, Variety Playhouse marked its 35th anniversary in September. (The building that it occupies opened in 1940 as a movie house, Euclid Theatre; then, for a few years in the mid-’80s, it morphed into Ellis Cinema, specializing in indie movies and foreign fare.)
Native Atlantan Steve Harris assumed management of the venue in 1990, taking over from Paul Blane, a Valdosta talent producer. In 1989, Blane, whose management clients included Jayne Mansfield, renamed the spot Variety Playhouse — converting it into a live performance space primarily offering tribute shows and plays featuring classic Hollywood actors.
Variety Playhouse cites its official genesis as 1990, when Harris took it over and began establishing the theater as a music venue. A 30-year-old independent concert promoter at the time, Harris had one primary goal: to make it a place “where you can see a top-rated concert but in a very intimate setting,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1990. The venue’s first official concerts included the Count Basie Orchestra, Tom Rush and David Wilcox.
Today, at 65, Harris reflects on a more practical goal during that era.
“To not go broke and to just try to build it into something,” he told the AJC recently. “I was a promoter, but I’d never run a venue. I didn’t know anything about running a bar or managing a staff, so it was a learning curve for a while.”
In the beginning of Harris’ run, Variety Playhouse had a 500-seat capacity. He booked five to six shows a month, mainly in the Americana (but before Americana was even called that) and folk genres. Persuading musicians to perform at the venue was challenging, said Harris, who “had to get on my knees and beg some acts to come.”
Then, Variety didn’t have the reputation it enjoys now. Harris relied on his marketing expertise to build relationships with rising artists and their teams. His selling point was adaptability.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Harris told prospective performers and their managers that he could make the room look full, even if only 200 tickets sold. And it didn’t hurt that the venue was located in “Atlanta’s mecca of counterculture,” aka the colorful Little Five Points neighborhood.
“We did that with acts like Tori Amos or Norah Jones, where I had to convince them it would look OK. Then, we ended up selling 800 tickets for the shows. Those were acts that were starting off and we kept working with for a while.”
By the mid-1990s and early 2000s, Variety Playhouse had developed into a premier destination for indie rock and folk acts — growing to more than a dozen shows in a month. The venue now seats 1,000 people.
In 2015, Harris sold the venue to Agon Entertainment for an undisclosed amount. He hadn’t planned an exit strategy, but “25 years is a long time, so I was ready for something else.”
Harris now lives in Virginia, where he hosts jazz and world music shows on WTJU 91.1 FM, the University of Virginia’s community radio station.
Variety Playhouse “is kind of a family,” he said. “One thing that I’m sort of proud of is it’s how many of the people are still there, even after I’m gone.”
A live sound and warm atmosphere
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Brad Syna, the venue’s general manager, has been there since 1994. Syna, who had worked for WRFG-FM and began as a publicist and night manager for Variety Playhouse, noted the venue’s prominence within Little Five Points as a success factor.
“When the groups come down (here), they enjoy it because there are a lot of funky shops,” Syna, 64, said. “It’s just a fun neighborhood. It’s almost like (San Francisco’s) Haight-Ashbury. There’s a lot of change (in Little Five Points), but there are a lot of mainstays here, too.”
Longtime Atlanta rock band Drivin N Cryin was Syna’s first show as a manager. Kevn Kinney, the band’s frontman, has performed at Variety Playhouse at least a dozen times, his next show in March. Kinney loves that the space remains a “neighborhood venue” that prioritizes artists.
As a musician who has performed at least one show a month for 40 years, Kinney, 64, said venues can greatly impact a concert’s tone. He credited Variety Playhouse’s quality sound, lighting and hospitality for why he’s a regular there.
Touring musicians “are a union of friendships,” he said. “If we don’t like a venue, we’ll definitely be talking. Variety has a good reputation for taking care of artists, and that’s not always a given.”
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
For Shawn Mullins, who often performs a Thanksgiving show at Variety, the sound is just as welcoming. In 2008, he released a live album recorded at the venue.
“Acoustically, there’s something really special about the sound. ... You could hear a pen drop,” Mullins, 57, said. “It even sounds great with a 15-piece band with horns and everything. It’s just a really versatile room with a sound that’s live and warm at the same time.”
Mullins added that sound isn’t the hall’s only warm vibration: “The biggest thing about it is the people. Brad and his whole staff — they’ve been there a long time, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Although Variety Playhouse only has four full-time staff, up to 30 people (including part-timers and contractors) work a concert. Most of them are near the 15-year mark there.
Derek Southern, assistant general manager, tallies 22 years at Variety. Patrick Hill, the venue’s primary booker, has a history with the space dating to the mid-2000s. Lisa Miller worked in ticketing and hospitality for 14 years.
“We all sort of have the goal of keeping the place running right and smoothly,” Syna said.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Miller still feels that camaraderie, although she’s no longer working for the venue.
“It just made it not a job but something enjoyable,” said Miller, now senior ticketing manager for AEG and Zero Mile. “I still go on trips with people I’ve worked with.”
Southern said the staff keeps a spirit that befits its eclectic location, even as the venue continues to evolve. In 2016, Variety Playhouse underwent a $1.3 million renovation, including improvements to its bars and the addition of a pit seating area. In 2019, venue operations switched to AEG, in partnership with Zero Mile. AEG also owns Atlanta music venues the Eastern and Terminal West.
“We try to keep it fun,” Southern said. “We’re doing stuff from all different genres in the same week. We might have a punk show, country show, or an R&B show or hip-hop show. We even do comedy. We’re not stuck in anyone’s genre. There’s no telling who you’re going to see here.”
Credit: Courtesy photo, Tiffany Powell
Credit: Courtesy photo, Tiffany Powell
For years, Variety Playhouse was the only Atlanta venue where Adele performed. It’s where André 3000 opened his hometown run of flute shows. Country star Shaboozey performed at the venue while having the No. 1 song in the country. And 2026 Grammy nominee Olivia Dean performed a one-off there this summer before her career skyrocketed (she’ll tour arenas next year).
The venue’s growing 2026 lineup includes Grammy-winning singer Madison Cunningham and rock band Wednesday.
Still, outside of giveaways and a special newsletter, Variety Playhouse didn’t formally celebrate its 35th anniversary. Syna is more focused on improvements such as new lighting packages and ensuring “our sound system is always the best.”
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
“Hopefully, I’m helping someone that wants to come out and escape for a couple hours and enjoy themselves,” Syna said, “and feel the magic I still feel when I go see a show.”
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