Hobart Art Theater brings classic country to the stage
When the Art Theater opened in fall 1941, the entertainment space not only had films as an audience draw to the one-room movie house, but also some live performances and promotional appearances as an added ticket enticement.
In 2019, Shane Evans became the third owner of the Art Theater, at 230 Main St. in Hobart, and began a new chapter for the venue, retiring the projection room for a return to live performances.
“Shane is also originally from Hobart and he’s proud to be able to showcase both national and local talent right here in Northwest Indiana,” said concert promoter Tyrus Joseforsky, owner of Flight Levelz Entertainment.
“Back in the summer of 2019, Shane brought me in to help with some of the show bookings and because of my own local roots, I share that same pride.”
Joseforsky, 25, a 2014 graduate of Hobart High School, said he spent his youth going to movies at the Art Theater, which has 400 seats and he describes as an “iconic entertainment landmark of downtown Hobart.”
Joseforsky is the talent and ticket-selling booker who booked country music fan favorite Neal McCoy for one performance for Nov. 13, a result of Joseforsky using his “gift,” as he explains it, “listening to what, and who, audiences want.”
“If only booked talent and acts that just appealed to what I liked, I’d be out of business,” Joseforsky said.
“I learned early on you have to know both your audience and your performance space as well as the prime ticket price to determine the best talent fit.”
McCoy, 63, with 10 albums and 34 hit singles to his credit, found national fame after appearing on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1988. By 1992, the radio play of his hit “Where Forever Begins” made him a household name, with other top sellers to follow like “No Doubt About It,” “Wink” and “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On.”
“My first time booking something at the Art Theater was in summer 2019 while Shane was still renovating the space,” Joseforsky said.
“I organized my first Hometown Country Jam event for Shane and it drew big crowds.”
By fall of 2020, Joseforsky was booking national name talent at the Art Theater like Uncle Kracker, which sold-out two weeks after tickets were on sale.
“By 2020 for the start of the new year, I had booked country music legend Joe Diffie for a Jan. 25 concert at Art Theater and it was also a sold-out house,” Joseforsky said.
“That concert also turned out to be one of Joe Diffie’s last performances because he died in March 2020 at age 61.”
While Joseforsky said he usually books concert headliners and performances a year in advance, the post-pandemic entertainment arena has been different, and now, it’s not uncommon to book dates six to eight months in advance.
“I’ve even found our audiences and the drawing demographic have changed,” Joseforsky said.
“There are so many more factors to consider now when booking talent and trying to predict audiences for a future concert date. For example, booking an older country music star was always a sure bet because of the name recognition and the fan base.
“But now, I have to take in consideration that part of the star’s fan base is mostly an older demographic and they are not as willing, at least right now, to come out to a concert performance, so that also has an impact on ticket sales.”