For more information contact: Lisa Marshall, 608/267-3773
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PERFORMING ARTS COME ALIVE IN WISCONSIN
From Wisconsin’s northern most county to its southern border cities, performing arts ensembles are entertaining audiences in record numbers – and it isn’t hard to understand why. The state offers a wide variety of nationally and internationally acclaimed performing arts, including original musical theater, touring Broadway productions, opera, symphony, Shakespeare and African dance. Here is an overview of Wisconsin’s performing arts organizations and their venues:
Northern Wisconsin
American Folklore Theatre, North Ephraim
Take a trip through American history at the American Folklore Theatre. Humble, yet polished, historical, yet hysterical, the members of the American Folklore Theatre develop professional theater productions from the initial ideas stage to the final curtain call. The performances are held outdoors at Peninsula State Park and indoors on stages across the state. Theater-goers who take a trip to the American Folklore Theatre are treated to a Broadway style production laced with historical themes. 920/854-6117; www.folkloretheatre.com
Door Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, Sturgeon Bay
Musical theater and comedy served with a full-course meal are the main attractions at this dinner theatre just south of Jacksonport in scenic Door County. Door Off Broadway is one of the few dinner theaters in the country that offer wait-staffed served dinners to guests. Some of the menu highlights include Play it Again, Salmon and Door County Cherry Cheesecake. Dinner seating is anytime between 6 and 7 p.m. with curtain at 8 p.m. 920/823-2899; www.dooroffbroadway.com
Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Washburn
Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua (sha-ta-qwa) is a year round non-profit performing arts organization with a rich history. It has a 900-seat, all-canvas, state-of-the-art tent theater, producing and presenting about 70 summer season performances, including original historical musicals, variety shows and concerts by regional and national touring acts. It also hosts a highly acclaimed professional local troupe, which performs original multi-media musicals in the tent and on tour. Tent Show Radio, a weekly one-hour program, which showcases live performances from the Big Top Stage, is aired on public radio stations throughout the country. 1-888-244-8368; www.bigtop.org
Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center, Solon Springs
Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center is a presenter of the arts that includes an eclectic blend of orchestral pops, celtic, country, gospel, cabaret, band and children’s music throughout the summer season. The performances are held outside at Lucius Woods Park at the Geisen Concert Shell. 715/378-4272; www.lwmusic.org
Northern Lights Playhouse, Hazelhurst
A resident company of professional actors from across the country provides exciting musicals, comedies and children’s theater to audiences in Wisconsin’s Northwood’s. The resident company is comprised of professional actors from across the country. Shows in the summer run with a different performance each day. Matinee and evening performances are available. A fall season also runs through September. 715/356-7173
Peninsula Players Theatre, Door County
In the summer, visitors can relax and enjoy the aroma of the dense cedar forest that surrounds this unique open-air theater in Fish Creek. Nicknamed the “Theatre in a Garden,” Peninsula Players Theatre is the nation’s oldest resident-professional summer theater. The complete renovation of the theater was finished in the summer of 2006 and now features tiered seating for 621 people. The Peninsula Players Theatre season runs from June to mid October. 920/868-3287; www.peninsulaplayers.com
St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, Hudson
St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre is just minutes from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN in beautiful St. Croix County. Like Door County Off Broadway, St. Croix Off Broadway offers wait-staffed served dinners to guests. Menu choices vary with each show at this year round venue. Dinner is served anytime between 6 and 7 p.m. with curtain at 8 p.m. Limited lunch noon matinees are also available. 715/386-2394; www.stcroixoffbroadway.com
Central Wisconsin
Broadway Dinner Theatre, Wisconsin Dells
This new, state-of-the-art dinner theater features Las Vegas-style seating and features Broadway-caliber, Branson-style productions that are sure to captivate audiences of all ages. Guests can sit back and relax as they are served an All-American feast prepared by the theater’s in-house chef. Its productions are high energy revue shows featuring a cast of five musicians and 12 singers and dancers that electrify the stage with their amazing performances. The annual Christmas revue is a staple in the Dells area, featuring holiday favorites and a live nativity with camels and sheep. The summer season boasts two children’s productions. 608/253-2006; www.broadwayinthedells.com
Central Wisconsin School of Ballet, Wausau
The annual summer program at this school features world-renowned artists such as former Kirov Star and American Ballet Theater Mistress Irina Kolpakova Shamil Yagudin from the Bolshoi Ballet and Derryl Yeager of Odyssey Dance Theatre. Students participating in the school’s intensive summer workshops perform works at Stewart Park, an outdoor amphitheater built in the 1920s and nestled among white pine. 715/842-4447; www.cwschoolofballet.com
Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre, Eau Claire
Combining dining with live theater, Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre is a top Wisconsin destination for tour groups. Since 1978, it has produced more than 150 comedies and musicals and given nearly 7500 performances for more than one million people. Of the more than 400 performers who have appeared at the Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre many have gone on to careers in television, movies, Broadway, and other aspects of the entertainment business. 1-800-292-8026; www.fannyhill.com
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton
Northeast Wisconsin’s premier venue for the performing arts features the M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Fox Cities and Arts Alive! series and is home to the Fox Valley Symphony. In addition to presenting world class performing arts, the center also provides educational opportunities for students and adults, and serves as a gathering place for community events, fundraisers, corporate meetings and receptions. 920/730-3760; www.foxcitiespac.com
Grand Theater on ARTSblock, Wausau
Since its construction in 1927, the Grand Theater has been a Wausau landmark. It has evolved from a vaudeville silent-movie house to a motion picture theater to a performing arts venue and recently has been expanded to a regional arts center called ARTSblock. Today, the venue hosts a year-round schedule of theatrical and musical performances. With a mission to promote excellence in the performing arts in North Central Wisconsin, the Performing Arts Foundation (P.A.F.) reaches more than 150,000 people each year with performances and instructional programs. 1-888-239-0421; www.onartsblock.org
Lucille Tack Center for the Arts, Spencer
The Lucille Tact Center for the Arts performance season is a balanced combination of various styles of artistic expression and provides occasions for social, educational and cultural growth. The Lucille’s Vision Series plays host to a premier group of nationally and internationally recognized artists and entertainers. The Front Porch Series showcases local talent and is a powerful metaphor for the center’s sense of place in community arts. Arts Adventure is a school-day series for children. Each season brings a variety of performances that appeal to audiences of all ages. 715/659-4499; www.lucilletackcenter.com
Mabel Tainter Memorial Theatre, Menomonie
Audiences can take a step back in time at this historic venue, a premier example of a lavish “crown jewel” Victorian theater. The theater contains intricate hand-stenciling, hand carved white pine archways, rich walnut, mahogany, and oak woodwork, leaded glass windows and a rare working Steere and Turner tracker pipe organ with 1,597 pipes. The Mabel Tainter hosts a wide range of touring artists, including classical, jazz, gospel and folk musicians, vocalists, and theater and dance companies. The performing arts season runs from September through May, with special holiday performances and summer programs as well. 715/235-0001; www.mabeltainter.com
Oneida Nation Arts Program, Oneida
The Oneida Nation Arts Program (ONAP) was created in 1994 by resolution of the Oneida General Tribal Council. Its mission is to promote diverse artistic expressions within the community reflecting the Oneida heritage and spirit for future generations. ONAP supports creative endeavors in all art forms, both traditional and contemporary. It offers a wide variety of programs and activities to the Oneida and surrounding communities. Programs include: classes, concert series, house parties, writer’s journal, kids arts camps, theater program, native artist in the schools, Oneida artist residency program and regranting. 920/490-3830; www.oneidanationarts.org
Wausau Dance Theatre, Wausau
Wausau Dance Theatre (WDT) is a regional dance company which offers an array of award winning educational programs and productions. With its second award from the National Endowment for the Arts, WDT visited more than 2,500 school children with its “Access Dance Program” and performed Carnival of the Animals with Actor Danny Glover in 2006. Following its first Storybook Weekend, actor Henry Winkler proclaimed “This is a great reason to leave your home. It was an honor to share the stage with such incredible artists.” 715/843-5444; www.wausaudancetheatre.com
Southern Wisconsin
African American Children’s Theatre, Milwaukee
Since 1989, the African American Children's Theatre has rallied youth around a simple idea: Come, experience the joy of theatre and magically transform into students who excel, young people who become our future leaders, and good-caring citizens. Young participants are given the opportunity to redirect high-risk behavior by developing improved listening and communication skills and more socially acceptable ways to problem solve. This is accomplished through a comprehensive series of classes acquainting children with the theatre arts under the direction of local professional working artists. The theatre puts on two annual productions and has an ongoing after-school theatre training academy for children. 414/ 461-5771; www.aact.us
American Players Theatre, Spring Green
This theater’s internationally acclaimed troupe presents Shakespearean classics in an outdoor amphitheater tucked into 110 acres of woods and meadows near the Wisconsin River. Shakespeare is American Players Theatre’s heart and soul, with accompanying works ranging from the Greek tragedies to British comedies. The acting company of 28 members and a staff that reaches 120 at the height of the season, produce five plays performed in rotating repertory. Founded in 1979, the Theatre has grown in popularity and now touts itself as one of the most popular outdoor classical theater in the country. 608/588-2361; www.playinthewoods.org
Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg
Celebrating the history of Cedarburg, the cultural center serves as a museum, art gallery, theater, performing arts venue and community gathering place. Visitors can experience the center’s “Living Legacy Series,” an ongoing series of talks, demonstrations, and classes on the history and heritage of Southeastern Wisconsin. Visitors can also see the Christensen Collection, which documents early advertising memorabilia in Cedarburg’s General Store Museum. The center also does an annual “Stone and Century House Tour,” allowing visitors to experience the interiors of several historic homes and landmarks in the area. 262/375-3676; www.cedarburgculturalcenter.org
The Fireside Dinner Theatre, Fort Atkinson
The legendary Fireside Dinner Theatre has been delighting audiences with fine dining and theatrical performances for more than 40 years. Visitors can browse the unique gift shops, enjoy award-winning cuisine, and top off the evening with a professional theatre experience, featuring talent straight from Broadway and the regional stage. The annual presentation of “A Fireside Christmas” is a cherished tradition for families and friends celebrating the holiday season. In 2006, Fireside was named the “America’s Best Restaurant Families” by Jones Dairy Farm in a national competition for family-owned restaurants. 1-800-477-9505; www.firesidetheatre.com
First Stage Children’s Theater, Milwaukee
First Stage is Wisconsin’s largest children’s theater and one of the nation’s largest theater academies for children. Founded in 1987, it has grown from a small theater for young audiences to a nationally acclaimed company drawing annual audiences of more than 145,000 people. First Stage’s season includes six mainstage plays and one touring production (more than 300 performances annually). It also spends more than 2,000 hours annually in schools across Southeast Wisconsin doing performance workshops and after school drama programs. 414/267-2929; www.firststage.org
Florentine Opera Company, Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Florentine Opera Company holds the distinction of being Wisconsin’s oldest performing arts organization and the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States. Audiences are treated to drama, voice, opera, ballet, technical design and history at a Florentine Opera production. More than 60 artists make up the Florentine Opera Chorus; a children’s chorus complements the adult group. 1-800-326-7372; www.florentineopera.org
Janesville Armory, Janesville
New to the dinner theater scene is the Janesville Armory. The Armory is an exciting entertainment venue offering three distinct dining experiences. The Drill Hall Theatre combines elegant dining in a theater setting with professional productions. Modern, casual dining and an outdoor patio is featured in the Bunker Lounge. And fine dining, specializing in American and French cuisine, is found in the sophisticated atmosphere of Lieutenants Restaurant. 608/741-7400; www.janesvillearmory.com
Ko-Thi Dance Company, Milwaukee
Ko-Thi, the third oldest African dance company in the United States, was founded in 1969. The company started by Ferne Yangyeitie Caulker, a native of Sierra Leone, West Africa, continues to engage audiences with an exuberant celebration of music and dance that has come to be its hallmark. Ko-Thi is comprised of artists trained in the history, mythology and techniques of art forms within the African Diaspora. The Ko-Thi Dance Company uses a myriad of traditional instruments, authentic costumes, infectious music and extraordinary dance to educate and bridge the gap between cultures. 414/273-0676; www.ko-thi.org
Latino Arts, Inc., Milwaukee
Since 1997, Latino Arts, Inc. has brought internationally renowned professional dance troupes to Milwaukee, including DanceBrazil from Brazil, Ballet Hispanico from New York City, Tangokinesis from Argentina, Ballet Folklórico de México from Mexico City, and Perú Negro from Peru. It has also presented legendary musical artists José Feliciano, Celia Cruz, and Tito Puente. Latino Arts is heralded as a model for arts education and youth development in the urban community. Its “Stay in School” community outreach cultural arts program includes classes in string instruments, Latin American dance, theater arts, visual arts, and special arts projects (such as mural-making) to encourage the artistic development of community youth. 414/384-3100; www.latinoartsinc.org
Madison Ballet, Madison
Madison Ballet is uniquely positioned to combine the professional performing arts with a youth development focus. Primarily known for its production of the timeless holiday tradition The Nutcracker, Madison Ballet is making a significant and lasting impact in the community and the lives of hundreds of area youth every year with outreach programs such as Discover Dance and Movement in Your World and the newly opened School of Madison Ballet. Madison Ballet’s performance seasons have brought local talent and nationally known dancers onto the same stage in productions of the world’s most beloved ballets, such as Cinderella and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 608/278-7990; www.madisonballet.org
Madison Opera, Madison
One of the nation’s finest regional opera companies, the Madison Opera claims Wisconsin’s capital city as its home. The company produces two major operas annually, a free operatic event in the summer, and plans to expand its season in the future. The production history boasts an amazing breadth of repertoire, including a commissioned world premiere in 1993 and a co-commissioned Midwest premiere in 2005. Madison Opera now regularly presents singers known throughout the world's leading opera houses. It has garnered recognition from its annual Student Matinee, popular student ticket discount program, Opera in the Park, and its new initiative, Opera Up Close. 608/238-8085; www.madisonopera.org
Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison
The Madison Repertory Theatre entertains, educates and engages diverse audiences with plays produced in an intimate setting, emphasizing newly commissioned works and re-imagined old ones, while creating a theatrical home where emerging and leading artists of the day can flourish. As Madison’s only professional theatre company, Madison Repertory Theatre is committed to hiring professional actors, directors, and designers; while also developing local talent on its stage. Madison Repertory Theatre is proud to be a resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts. 608/258-4141; www.madisonrep.org
Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison
Voted Best of Madison, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is proud to be the resident orchestra of the magnificent 2,150-seat Overture Hall. Music Director John DeMain and the MSO, along with world-class guest artists, has 27 performances running September through May, and additional special events and free concerts throughout the year. The MSO also reaches more than 18,000 children and adults annually with its nationally recognized education programs. 608/257-3734; www.madisonsymphony.org
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is one of the city’s oldest, most well-established professional theatre companies. The theater produces smaller cast plays with primary focus on the strength and power of the writing. Two local actors co-founded the theatre in 1975 and envisioned a space where audiences could open their minds to new theatrical ideas and Milwaukee's theatre professionals could broaden their skills and apply their craft. After having been a "roving" company for 18 years, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre moved into the Broadway Theatre Center in 1993. 414/276-8842; www.chamber-theatre.com
Milwaukee Ballet Company, Milwaukee
Milwaukee’s premier ballet company presents world-class traditional and contemporary ballet performances. The Milwaukee Ballet Company is ranked among the top twelve ballet companies in the United States. More than 70,000 people see the Milwaukee Ballet perform each year at approximately 45 performances. In addition, the Milwaukee Ballet School is ranked among the top five ballet schools in the nation with 1500 students and four locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. 414/902-2103; www.milwaukeeballet.org
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally recognized theater company that presents a critically-acclaimed selection of compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary works, and lively cabaret shows on three stages from September through May. The Rep also produces an annual production of “A Christmas Carol”. The Rep’s home, the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex, located in the Milwaukee Center, contains the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the Stiemke Theater, and the Stackner Cabaret. The Rep is “home” to a resident acting company of 11 actors who perform with The Rep throughout the season. 414/224-9490; www.milwaukeerep.com
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee
Founded in 1959, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is the largest professional arts organization in Wisconsin. With its 88 professional musicians, the MSO is ranked among America’s major world-class orchestras. Under Music Director Andreas Delfs, the MSO performs more than 120 classics, pops, family, and school concerts each year – at home and on tour. Its “Arts in Community Education” (ACE) program is nationally acclaimed. In 2005, the MSO launched an e-label, “MSO Classics” to become the first American orchestra offering live recordings through online music stores like iTunes. The MSO has toured Europe, Japan and Cuba and is heard by millions across the country through syndicated radio broadcasts. 414/291-7605; www.mso.org
Overture Center for the Arts, Madison
Overture Center for the Arts is a world-class facility offering an exciting mix of visual and performing arts in the heart of downtown Madison. Designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Cesar Pelli, the impressive 400,000 square-foot facility is just steps from the Wisconsin State Capitol. The Overture Center’s performing series, Overture Presents, features acclaimed classical and jazz musicians, internationally touring ballet, modern and jazz dance, the hottest Broadway musicals, family shows, free festivals and more. The facility also features free exhibitions by local visual artists in each of three community galleries, and exhibits in The James Watrous Gallery, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The Overture Center is home to nine resident arts organizations including: Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Opera, Madison Ballet, Madison Repertory Theatre, CTM Madison Family Theater, Kanopy Dance, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. 608/258-4141; www.overturecenter.com
Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
The historic Pabst Theater, located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, has existed for more than 100 years and has raised its curtain for more than 25,000 performances. It is the fourth-oldest continuously operating theater in the United States. Luminaries of every discipline have graced its stage. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991, the Baroque and Italian Renaissance structure of the Pabst Theater has provided a platform for U.S. presidents, foreign statesmen such as Sir Winston Churchill and a stage to renowned performers from Itzhak Perlman to David Byrne. One-hour “behind the scene” tours are given every Saturday. 414/286-3663; www.pabsttheater.org
Racine Symphony Orchestra, Racine
The oldest continuously operating orchestra in Wisconsin, the Racine Symphony Orchestra performs year-round. The orchestra’s repertoire includes symphonic, chamber, light classical and popular music. Musicians in the orchestra come from all walks of life and range in age from college students to retired people. Most musicians have extensive formal training in music and many of them are professionals in the music industry. Many live in Racine, others come from Kenosha, Milwaukee and Chicago. Some have played in the orchestra for twenty years or more. 262/636-9285; www.racinesymphony.org
Racine Theatre Guild, Racine
In 1938, a small band of determined thespians pooled their resources (50 cents each) and created the Racine Theatre Guild. Since then the guild has performed plays, a comedy series, musicals, hosts Jean’s Jazz Series, runs children’s workshops and holds a children’s theatre festival in the summer. The guild’s children’s theater offers traditional favorites with a modern spin, as well as contemporary tales based on award-winning books, all designed for the young and young at heart. After each show, costumed performers meet and greet the audience in the lobby. 262/633-4218; www.racinetheatre.org
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Brookfield
The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts is located just minutes west of Milwaukee, nestled in a beautiful expanse of serene woodlands, and is one of Wisconsin’s most impressive spaces for the performing and visual arts. This non-profit cultural center boasts an acoustically rich 600-seat performance hall, a smaller studio theater and an outdoor theater for the Starry Nights free summer concert series. Wisconsin artists are showcased at the Hidden River Art Festival in September and in the Ploch Art Gallery with five exhibitions each year. In addition, the education wing includes studio space for classes in art, music, dance and theater for all ages taught by some of Milwaukee’s premier arts organizations - Milwaukee Ballet School, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and First Stage Theater Academy – and other professional performing and visual artists. 262/781-9520; www.wilson-center.com
Skylight Opera Theatre, Milwaukee
Accessible theater that is “intimate, innovative and in English” is the fare at the Skylight Opera Theatre. The opera company performs in the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. The complex houses two unique theaters, the 90-seat Studio Theatre and the 358-seat Cabot Theatre, a replica of an 18th century European opera house. The company has established a reputation for broad and adventuresome repertoire, encompassing baroque opera, European operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan, Broadway musicals, contemporary chamber operas and original musical revues. 414/291-7800; www.skylightopera.com
Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton
The Stoughton Opera House is a beautiful Victorian style proscenium theater with 476 seats featuring an ornate decor and old world charm. Every treasure has been painstakingly restored to its original condition, however not every aspect of the Opera House is from the past. New lighting equipment has been installed to make the performance capabilities state-of-the-art. New curtains, dance floor and brand new stage extension over the orchestra pit has made the stage a wonderful place to hold performances. Due to its ingenious and original design, the Stoughton Opera House has been deemed as having the best acoustics in the state by musicians and music appreciators alike. 608/877-4400; www.stoughtonoperahouse.com
UW-Milwaukee Fine Arts Quartet, Milwaukee
The Fine Arts Quartet, artists-in-residence at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, has an illustrious history of performing and an extensive recording legacy. It is one of the elite few that have toured internationally without pause for more than 60 years. The Fine Arts Quartet has performed in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Mexico City, and Toronto. The Quartet also continues to record new works, adding to its collection of more than 50 masterpieces released on CD during the past few years. 414/229-6771; www.arts.uwm.edu
Young Shakespeare Players, Madison
Actors ranging in age from seven- to 18-years-old perform full-length works of Shakespeare as part of this troupe. The program is the only one of its kind in which children regularly master and perform the works of Shakespeare in their original form. There are no "auditions." Any child of approximately the right age may take part simply by registering. The program is designed to show its young participants (and their families and the community) that the plays of William Shakespeare are not "dull" or "above" them — but are delightful, accessible, and fun. The theater is also now branching out to do works by George Bernard Shaw. 608/258-0015; www.ysp.org
For free Wisconsin travel-planning guides and information, the public can call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at 1-800-432-TRIP/8747 or visit travelwisconsin.com. Visitors can also obtain guides and information at the Wisconsin Welcome Centers, located in select state-border cities.
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