Theatre Tours

Excerpted from the Oriental Theatre website

Since 1927, the Oriental Theatre has been a Milwaukee landmark. Designed to feel like a “temple of Oriental art,” the Oriental Theatre was conceived of by the Milwaukee architecture firm Dick & Bauer and constructed by Saxe Amusement Enterprises. With design elements borrowed from Indian, Moorish, Islamic, and Byzantine architectural styles, the Oriental Theatre’s eccentric, East Indian-inspired aesthetic resulted in 2,000 yards of lush textiles, faux teakwood ceiling timbers, intricate tile floors and pillars, onion-domed minarets, a porcelain-paneled entrance, and a stately terra cotta balustrade atop the theater roof.

Over the next few decades, other local theaters shuttered, but the Oriental continued to operate, mostly thanks to the East Side’s then-growing and eventually stable prominence as a commercial and entertainment destination. Despite continued financial success, the theater had fallen into disrepair by the early 1970s, requiring not only maintenance and modernization, but new ownership with the resources and enthusiasm to bring it into the modern era.

In 1972, the Oriental Theatre was sold to a trio of Milwaukee brothers, the Pritchetts, who became stewards of the building and proponents of its cultural and decorative significance. During the 1970s, they revitalized the building, replaced the roof, and added new entertainment offerings, such as concerts and live performances. With massive multiplexes popping up across America, it became clear the Oriental needed to make substantial changes to remain competitive, so, in the late 1980s, the Pritchetts built two additional auditoriums on either side of the main theater, beneath its balcony.

Although the addition of two new screens signaled a sea change for both the Oriental Theatre and moviegoing culture at large, the building’s original architectural and aesthetic features were preserved and remain intact to this day. Since 2009, the Oriental has been the anchor theater of the Milwaukee Film Festival, a 15-day fest that screens more than 300 films each year. In 2018, Milwaukee Film—the local nonprofit that runs the festival and offers year-round film education and programming—took over operations at the Oriental via a 31-year lease.

Excerpted from the MKE Film website

Established in 1915, the Downer Theatre stood as Milwaukee's oldest operating movie theater until its closure in September 2023. Built by notable developer Marc Brachman and cinema pioneers Thomas and John Saxe, the Downer Theatre was a landmark in Milwaukee's N. Downer Avenue Business district, recognized for its historical character even after 1930s facade updates. With an initial seating capacity for 940 patrons, the theater adapted over time to a twin-screen format accommodating 465 viewers, ensuring a blend of historical charm and modern cinema technology.

Originally celebrated for its modern urban design and elegant Classical style, the Downer featured its own Weickhardt Pipe Organ and an in-house orchestra. It underwent a significant transformation in 1937 to the Streamline Modern style, showcasing its dedication to evolving cinematic experiences.< Acquired by Landmark Theatre Corporation in 1990, the Downer Theatre was respectfully renovated to honor its storied past. Efforts included reapplication of gold leaf, repainting of the auditorium, and replication of the original 1915 lobby and auditorium carpeting./p>

In a landmark move for the local film and cultural community, Milwaukee Film announced in March 2024 that it would officially take over operations of the Downer Theatre, starting with the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival in April, followed by regular cinema operations.

When the West Bend theatre, aka The Bend Theater, was built in 1929, it was designed for vaudeville. It has been known for its architectural beauty and superb acoustics. The theatre seated 620 skinny people and was the center of community entertainment for most of the 75 years. As vaudeville waned, it shifted to become a “movie palace” in the silent movies era. In the 1930s, it showed “talkies.” It went dark in 2006, unable to compete with multiplexes, even though its interior was reconfigured into a tri-plex. During its last decade its stunning stenciled artwork was covered by purple paint.

The building sat vacant for more than a decade. One local leader proposed was to tear it down, leaving only the front facade standing. The community loudly rejected that notion. A non-profit organization, Historic West Bend Theatre, Inc., was incorporated in 2017 and restoration planning kicked off. Community leaders spent two years developing a clear understanding of what the community wanted and raised $4.6 million through donations, grants and state and federal historic tax credits.

The marquee and its blade with 470 light bulbs were renovated, the intricate basketweave brick exterior was tuckpointed, and the interior artwork was recreated. It is again an Art Deco masterpiece that was put back together by 150 craftsmen in 2019. Note: the original master mason left his “signature” in the brickwork. (See if you can find it!) Focus groups and surveys guided the restoration as a multi-purpose venue. The insights led to a reduction to 366 seats, a dance space at the foot of the stage, an expanded lobby for social gatherings and an Art Deco-style bar with a satellite bar on the balcony. Key to its success, the board established a sense of community ownership.

The theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022 and was a lynchpin in creating an historic district for downtown West Bend. “The Bend” became a catalyst for a $10 million renovation of Main Street and its parallel Riverwalk along the west bank of the Milwaukee River. Private developers have launched apartment projects with more than 500 units downtown and a value of about $100 million. The venue hosts concerts, comedy events, family-friendly movies, business meetings, public forums and private parties like reunions, birthdays and anniversaries. Many entertainment events are sellouts.

Excerpted from their website:

The Sheboygan Theater was constructed in 1927-28 for the Milwaukee Theatre Circuit of Universal Pictures Corporation at a cost of $600,000. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style, it is an especially fine and intact example of the “atmospheric” type movie theater developed in the 1920s. The theater was an instantaneous success and became Sheboygan’s premier motion picture and theatrical venue. Warner Brothers purchased the theater in 1930 and operated it until 1966, when it was sold to Marcus Theaters Management Company, which restored the theater’s Mediterranean décor and removed the original outdoor ticket booth, replacing it with a walnut-paneled ticket desk in the lobby.

In 1980, Marcus remodeled the theater’s interior, abandoning the balcony and creating two new single-story theaters within the building. The twin theaters operated under the name Plaza 8 until closing in 1992. In 1996, the non-profit Weill Center Foundation, Inc. was established and became the driving force in the preservation and restoration of the Sheboygan Theater. A group of dedicated local volunteers began an ambitious 5-year restoration project and solicited the help of nationally recognized restoration companies who provided the expertise to bring back to life Sheboygan’s premier historic movie palace. The restoration returned the theater back to its original 1928 appearance as accurately as possible while behind the scenes, the theater received all new electrical, HVAC, plumbing and beautiful new dressing rooms. The twin movie theater walls and seats were also removed.

In 1999, the Board approved naming rights for the theater, agreeing to Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts as the official name of the facility. The theater’s second grand opening came in 2001.

Today the theater is home to several local performing arts groups plus presents its own series of live performances and movies. The theater received no public funding but relies solely on earned income and donations from generous corporations, foundations, families, and individuals, plus the efforts of an amazing group of over 100 volunteers.

In the summer of 1959, several friends, inspired by the cultural vitality of New York and San Francisco, began to discuss the possibility of doing something in Milwaukee to combat what they deemed “a context of extreme cultural poverty.”

Two of these friends—Sprague Vonier, the program manager at WTMJ television and Clair Richardson, a wildly eccentric public relations man that had successfully alienated all his accounts—were determined to create a beatnik coffeehouse like those in San Francisco. They raised $2,000 for the initial capitalization of the space, intending a coffeehouse with beat poetry and maybe some music.

Not long after, at a fundraising event in Door County for Bel Canto Chorus, and with the help of some “chemical inducement,” two very serious church musicians, Jim Keeley and Ray Smith, sat down at the piano and performed an incredible, impromptu performance of the music of Gilbert & Sullivan. Richardson turned to Vonier and said “Do you want to have some real fun? I’ll get these guys to put on a show in the empty space upstairs.”

And with that, the Skylight Theatre was born. Its main stage, the 358-seat Cabot Theatre, has drawn praise for its beautiful emulation of an 18th-century European opera house. 

Warner Grand Theater also known as the Bradley Symphony Center, is an Art Deco style theater which was built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1930. The theater was built on the site of the 1,500 seat Butterfly Theater. It is presently the home of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

In December 1929, Warner Brothers negotiated to purchase the Butterfly Theater and other buildings on the site. They planned to build a 10–12-story building with a 2,500 seat capacity. By January 1939 it was confirmed that the Butterfly would be razed to make way for the US3M (equivalent to $54,717,131 in 2023) theater and hotel. In February 1930 workers began demolishing the Butterfly Theater. The theater was demolished in 1930 and the Warner Theatre was built on the site. The architectural firm that designed the building was Rapp and Rapp and the final cost was US$2.5m (equivalent to $50,087,527 in 2023). It opened in 1931 and the grand opening was attended by thousands of people. The theater struggled during the Great Depression in the United States.

In December 2017, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra purchased the former Warner Grand Theatre. An anonymous donor led the initiative to buy the vacant theater. In 2021 the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra moved into the building renaming it the Bradley Symphony Center.

The Pabst Theater is an indoor performance and concert venue and landmark of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Colloquially known as “the Pabst”, the theater hosts about 100 events per year. Built in 1895, it is the fourth-oldest continuously operating theater in the United States, and has presented such notables as pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, actor Laurence Olivier, and ballerina Anna Pavlova, as well as various current big-name musical acts.

The Pabst is known for its opulence as well as its role in German-American culture in Milwaukee. It is officially designated a City of Milwaukee Landmark and a State of Wisconsin Historical Site, and was also designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. It is sometimes called the “Grande Olde Lady”, being the oldest theater in Milwaukee’s theater district.

The Pabst is a traditional proscenium stage theater with two balconies, for a total capacity of 1,300 people. It hosts approximately 100 events per year, including music, comedy, dance, opera, and theater events. The theater also has a hydraulic orchestra pit, adding to its suitability for virtually any performing arts event. The auditorium itself is drum-shaped and is decorated in reds and maroons with gold and silver accents. A large, 2-ton Austrian crystal chandelier hangs over the auditorium. The theater also boasts a staircase crafted from white Italian Carrara marble[citation needed] and a proscenium arch highlighted in gold leaf, which frames the stage.

The theater features a historic organ, which once provided accompaniment for silent films. The instrument is a 4 manuals; 20 ranks opus of M.P. Moller.

The Riverside Theater was designed in the French Baroque style by local architects Charles Kirchhoff and Thomas Rose, who designed many theaters, including the Palace Theater in New York City. The venue was commissioned by RKO Pictures as part of a 12-story office building called the Empire Building. Opening on April 29, 1928, the theater primarily played vaudeville performances, big bands, and movies. However, by the 1950s, the theater had transitioned to almost exclusively showing first-run movies. The building was sold in 1962 to Towne Realty (now Zilber Ltd.), who leased the theater to United Artists. In 1966, the highly decorated ceiling and curtains were destroyed in a fire caused by a patron throwing a cigarette onto the stage.

By the 1970s, the Riverside Theater was in a general state of disrepair, and had switched to showing B-movies, partially due to the growing number of multiplex cinemas. In 1982, United Artists decided to not renew their lease of the theater, leaving it closed. Joseph Zilber, the owner of Towne Realty, agreed to fund a $1.5 million renovation to restore the Riverside Theater, in addition to funding the restoration of its original theater organ made by Wurlitzer. On November 2, 1984, The Riverside Theater reopened as a live performance venue.

In 2005, the theater was leased to the Pabst Theater Foundation (now Pabst Theater Group) and underwent artistic renovations. Between 2015 and 2016, more renovations were done including replacing the carpet, stage floor, and seating. A new marquee and a 40 feet (12 m) vertical sign were also added to the exterior, reminiscent of the theater's history.