When the Lawrenceville Arts Center officially opened in 2021, it seemed like a harmonious moment for the city, Aurora Theatre and the community. The $35-million facility was built to give the Aurora a larger home, offer up more programming and boost economic development in the area. Yet, new city-imposed requirements for the theater company have put a strain on the relationship between the two parties.
The original agreement was that Aurora would remain as resident theater company and handle the programming for the LAC, as well as areas such as patron services, technical services and third-party rentals. In July 2025, however, the city decided to take over operations of the complex, leaving Aurora handling box office and technical duties. Those talks started at the end of 2024.
“There was a lot of discussion, and the decision was not made lightly,” says Jasmine Jackson, the community and development director for the city of Lawrenceville. “We agreed that Aurora does great programming and incredible educational programs. But we wanted to take the operations off of their plate so they could focus on what they do really well while the city takes care of the operations of the total facility and takes the financial burden off of them.”
In its previous location adjacent to the LAC, known now as the Bobby Sikes Fine Art Center, Aurora Theatre — which opened in 1996 in Duluth before moving to downtown Lawrenceville in 2007 — did not pay a monthly rental fee. That arrangement continued once the LAC opened. Aurora co-founder and Producing Artistic Director Ann-Carol Pence recalls that the original agreement with the city was $1 for rent — and that it wouldn’t be a burden on the city. Aurora did, however, have to produce a minimum number of shows per year and pay occupancy fees but had full programming autonomy…