The Grand Theater is a historic

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

and

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is used to refer to: * A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. :The ...

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

, offering a variety of musical and artistic performances. The Grand Theater traces its origins back to the ''Grand Opera House'', which was originally built on the same location in 1899. The 890-seat

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

was a popular venue for musical and theatrical acts. The

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

where it stood has been considered an "arts block" ever since. When the opera house was demolished in the spring of 1927, construction began on the current Grand Theater, a

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 192 ...

built in the classic revival architectural style. Today, the Grand Theater stands as a regional performing arts center for the Wausau area, and the greater region of

central Wisconsin Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. In 1987, a $2.2 million project was undertaken to restore the theater back to its original glory. The technical systems were updated, allowing for the sound and lights required by touring shows. Since that time the Performing Arts Foundation has managed the Grand Theater and has brought a wide variety of entertainment acts to the stage. In 2002 the community once again stepped up to expand the walls of the Grand Theater to become ''Artsblock''. The $13.2 million project rededicated the facility to the glory of performance and energized not just the city of Wausau, but also the entire region. The original

Theatre Organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements o ...

remains in the building, and is used for concerts, and to accompany

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s. The organ was built by the Kilgen Organ Company, and is one of only two Kilgen theatre organs to remain installed in its original theater. Grand Theater in Wausau, WI

Today, the Grand Theater is a regional destination for the performing arts, and maintains its opulent historic

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. The theater contains classic examples of

Colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

s, marble statues and the original solid Bedford limestone facade.

References

External links

{{Portal, Arts
Official Site
Theatres in Wisconsin Theatres completed in 1927 Event venues established in 1927 Cinemas and movie theaters in Wisconsin Performing arts centers in Wisconsin Silent film Music venues in Wisconsin 1927 establishments in Wisconsin Public venues with a theatre organ