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New York has Broadway, England has the West End, and now the largest city in Wisconsin has its own theater district. After years of speculation about the future of Milwaukee’s theater district, it’s finally coming to fruition. The collective is part of a statewide effort to celebrate the arts and attract more visitors.
Nine performing arts and live entertainment groups join the collective, including the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.
“All great cities, you know, you need some hooks to hang the story on,” said Andrew Flack, chief commercial officer for Marcus Hotels & Resorts, adding that art has been a part of Milwaukee for more than 100 years. iconic feature.
“Visiting a great show or concert isn’t just about performing – as critical as that is – it’s about getting into town, maybe staying overnight, and creating a total visitor experience that is truly memorable,” he said. That’s what the theater district in the city does.”
The formation of the collective also comes as the entertainment industry recovers from the financial disruption caused by the pandemic. According to VISIT Milwaukee, 151 events were canceled in 2020, but the city hosted 171 events in 2021.
Direct visitor spending in the greater Milwaukee area slowed from $3.33 billion in 2019 to $2.67 billion in 2021, according to a new report from VISIT Milwaukee.
Restaurants and performing arts venues have been “hardest hit during the pandemic,” but leaders say they are bouncing back, the report said.
Josh Albrecht, vice president of marketing and communications for VISIT Milwaukee, called the theater district a “catalyst for recovery.”
The New Theater District is not limited by geographical boundaries, with venues dotted throughout the city’s downtown core.
“We could see the theater district grow with the city, and we didn’t want to confine it to that space,” Albrecht said. In the absence of a management board, he described it as a “brand and place-making initiative”.
Gary Witt is President and Chief Executive Officer of Pabst Theater Group. It operates the Riverside Theatre, Turner Hall Ballroom, Miller High Life Theater and most recently The Fitzgerald, a private event wedding venue in Milwaukee. The group has drawn artists such as Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Talking Heads’ David Byrne.
“I think the ability for our industry to be heard, to be seen and to play a bigger role in the future of Milwaukee is important,” he said.
But he said the industry “is not often taken seriously”. About 30 percent of Pabst Theater ticket buyers come from Illinois, Witt said.
“People do make decisions about where to live based on how they live. And I don’t think there’s anything that sells a city more than a live performance venue that celebrates the virtues of being downtown,” he said, adding that it “Encourage people to find all the other amazing amenities in the city.”
Theater District venue Sunstone Studios just opened last August. Executive Director Amber Regan said Milwaukee has an “incredible arts scene.”
“It’s definitely another way for the state to shape Milwaukee in a positive way,” she said.
Witter compared the performance’s contribution to that of the Milwaukee Bucks, Brewers and Packers.
“When a city or a state has a championship team, it gives them a sense of pride,” Waite said, “a soul and an identity. I think that’s what we do, but we do it every night. doing.”
Other venues include the Bradley Symphony Center, Central Wisconsin, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, ACR Theater at St. Kate’s Arts Hotel. Performing groups include Black Arts MKE, First Stage, Florence Opera, Milwaukee Ballet and Milwaukee Symphony.
The collective is sponsored by Milwaukee Downtown BID21, United Performing Arts Fund and VISIT Milwaukee.
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