Center Stage

Get a taste of Milwaukee's rich theater history. Start your day out in the heart of downtown at the fourth oldest continuing operating theater in the United States. Built in 1895 by brewing magnate Captain Frederick Pabst, the Pabst Theater was designed by architect Otto Strack in the tradition of the great European opera houses. A large, 2-ton Austrian crystal chandelier hangs over the auditorium. The theater also boasts a staircase crafted from white Italian Carrara marble and a proscenium arch highlighted in gold leaf, which frames the stage. The Pabst hosts approximately 100 events per year, including music, comedy, dance, opera, and theater events. Throughout its history, the curtain at the Pabst has been raised over 25,000 times! The theater is a City of Milwaukee Landmark, a State of Wisconsin Historical Site, and a National Historic Landmark.

It's intermission time! Head around the corner to lively Water Street for lunch and choose from a wide variety of eateries guaranteed to please any palate.

Spend your afternoon taking in the splendor of Ten Chimneys, the former estate of America's most revered theatre acting team, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Created over 75 years ago, this "living monument to theatre and the arts" is overflowing with memorabilia, including notes from Laurence Olivier and inscribed, first-edition books by Edna Ferber and Alexander Woollcott.

Stay in the era of the 20's and 30's with a trip to The Ambassador Hotel's Envoy for dinner. While enjoying an innovative menu featuring New American cuisine, soak in the atmosphere of this longtime downtown Milwaukee Landmark and perfect example of art deco architecture.

Round out your experience with an evening performance at the Skylight Opera Theatre. The adventuresome repertoire of this professional opera and music theatre company includes baroque opera, European operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan, Broadway musicals, contemporary chamber opera and original music reviews. All productions are in English and take place in the exquisite 350-seat Cabot Theatre, a replication of an 18^th-century European Opera house.