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The Marcus Performing Arts Center is a
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 ...
in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, United States. Managed by a non-profit organization, it is marketed as Milwaukee's premier presenter of the performing arts. It is located at 929 North Water Street, at the intersection of State Street in downtown Milwaukee, and is a dedicated War Memorial. Several local companies are resident partners of the Marcus Performing Arts Center, including the
Florentine Opera The Florentine Opera Company is one of Wisconsin's oldest professional performing arts centers and the sixth-oldest opera company in the United States. The company presents three to five staged productions per season largely from the standard ope ...
,
Milwaukee Ballet The Milwaukee Ballet is a professional ballet company founded by Roberta Boorse of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is located in Milwaukee, and is currently run by Michael Pink, the artistic director. History The Milwaukee Ballet was fo ...
,
First Stage Children's Theater The First Stage Children's Theater is a professional American children's theater based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin founded in 1987. Its season consists of six “mainstage” shows, two shows for very young audiences, and two shows from its award-wi ...
, Black Arts MKE, and other local arts organizations, and it was also the home of the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The orchestra performs primarily at the Bradley Symphony Center in Allen-Bradley Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for Florentine ...
from 1969 until 2020. The venue is also the presenter of the Johnson Financial Group Broadway at the Marcus Center series through Broadway Across America.


Building & History

The Marcus Center was designed in the Brutalist style by noted Chicago architect
Harry Weese Harry Mohr Weese (June 30, 1915 – October 29, 1998) was an American architect who had an important role in 20th century modernism and historic preservation. His brother, Ben Weese, is also a renowned architect. Early life and education Harry ...
. Plans began as early as 1945 for a war memorial to provide for "art, music, drama, public discussion, and social assembly." Construction began on June 27, 1966. Plans called for a major music hall, a thrust stage auditorium for live theater, and a recital hall. Milwaukee County agreed to established two parks in conjunction with the new Center, Red Arrow to the east and Pere Marquette to the west. The boat landing on the Milwaukee River was the precursor to the current
Milwaukee RiverWalk The Milwaukee Riverwalk is a continuous pedestrian walkway along the Milwaukee River in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Description Conceived in the 1990s to increase public access to the waterway, the Milwaukee Riverwalk has grown to include ar ...
. The Performing Arts Center officially opened September 17, 1969. The gala opening included the Milwaukee Symphony, Donizetti’s opera ''
Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...
'' and guest appearances by stars of the
American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
. Touring acts during the first month of operation included the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
,
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
,
National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...
,
Hildegarde Hildegarde Loretta Sell, known as Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 – July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, who was well known for the song " Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup". Early life She was born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wis ...
and
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
. The Center was bestowed the prestigious Honor Award for Excellence in Architectural Design from the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
in 1970. After a donation from the
Marcus Corporation The Marcus Corporation () is an American publicly held company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company operates two principal divisions: Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels and Resorts. History Marcus Corporation was founded on Novemb ...
in honor of its founder Ben Marcus and his wife Ceil, the venue name was changed in 1994.


Theater Venues

The Center contains four major theater venues and a variety of other spaces: * Uihlein Hall - Designed for operas, musicals, orchestral concerts, dance programs, theatrical productions, lectures, annual meetings, commencements, or film screenings, it has a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 2,125, and is the largest theater in the Marcus Center. Uihlein Hall is named in honor of the Uihlein family, the owners of the former
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was adve ...
. It was renovated in 1997 and again in 2020. * Todd Wehr Theater - Designed for lectures, concerts, plays, conferences and meetings, this hall has a seating capacity of 498. * Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall - Designed for concerts, plays, dance programs, film screenings, teleconferencing, meetings, seminars, new product introductions, or commencements, this theater has a seating capacity of 465. In 2017, Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall was fully renovated, including a new Riverwalk Entrance and lobby foyer, designed by LA DALLMAN, the Milwaukee and Boston-based architecture practice of
Grace La Grace La (United States, 1970; Korean: 나은영; Korean pronunciation: Na Eun Young) is a first generation, Korean-American designer, Professor of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), and Principal of LA DALLM ...
and James Dallman. Renowned for sensitivity to mid-century modern buildings, both La and Dallman are appointed faculty at the
Harvard University Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...
. * Peck Pavilion - An open-air outdoor theater, located on the Milwaukee River and adjacent to a lawn, the Peck Pavilion is suitable for concerts, film or lecture series, dance programs, dramatic performances,
product demonstration In marketing, a product demonstration (or ''"demo"'' for short) is a promotion where a product is demonstrated to potential customers. The goal is to introduce customers to the product in hopes of getting them to purchase that item. Products offere ...
s, weddings and receptions. Seated capacity of 402. * Bradley Pavilion - A banquet hall with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and private balcony overlooking the
Milwaukee River The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the c ...
. Reception capacity of 700 and seated capacity of 500. * Studio 4A - A rehearsal hall with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and windows. Seated capacity of 130. * Green Room - A smaller banquet hall and meeting room. Reception capacity of 110 and seated capacity of 90. * Anello Atrium & Magin Lounge - With high ceilings and a glass-walled city view, the Anello Atrium & Magin Lounge is located just outside Uihlein Hall. * Fitch Garden - An outdoor garden with fountain. In addition, the Center's grounds feature several public artworks including Seymour Lipton's ''
Laureate In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Prize, and for former music direc ...
'' and Allen Ditson's '' Trigon''.


Other

On July 31, 1974,
The Marshall Tucker Band The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country, and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. W ...
recorded their set at the venue. Four songs from the performance were included on their 1974 album, '' Where We All Belong'', and one song was included on the band's 1975 album, '' Searchin' for a Rainbow''. Ray Charles performed at the PAC on September 11, 1973. Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald joined pianist Oscar Peterson and guitarist Joe Pass in concert at the Pablo Jazz Festival in the Performing Arts Center's Uihlein Hall on Nov. 24, 1976. Folk singer Joan Baez performed in Uihlein Hall at the Performing Arts Center on July 10, 1979. Country legends Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, shared the stage at the Performing Arts Center on Oct. 1, 1981, in a benefit for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Friends of Music. Violinist Itzhak Perlman performs a recital at the PAC on March 5, 1984. The very first Broadway at the Marcus Center season was in 1994 with ''Grease'' (November 29 – December 4, 1994), '' Hello Dolly!,
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...
, Cats,
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
,'' and ''The Phantom of the Opera''. Illumination of the building began on April 16, 2008. Some of the “light paintings” are modeled after Georgia O’Keefe paintings.


See also

*
List of concert halls A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...


References


External links


Marcus Center websiteInformation
from SeatAdvisor.com

from KeyMilwaukee.com {{Coord, 43, 2, 34, N, 87, 54, 41, W, type:landmark, display=title Theatres in Milwaukee Opera houses in Wisconsin Performing arts centers in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Milwaukee Theatres completed in 1969 Music venues completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Wisconsin Modernist architecture in Wisconsin