Venue: Marcus Center
Town: Milwaukee, US

The Marcus Performing Arts Center is a performing arts center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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, Milwaukee Ballet, First Stage Children's Theater, Black Arts MKE, and other local arts organizations, and it was also the home of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra 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. The Marcus Center was designed in the Brutalist style by noted Chicago architect Harry Weese. 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 Performing Arts Center officially opened September 17, 1969. The gala opening included the Milwaukee Symphony, Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor and guest appearances by stars of the American Ballet Theatre. Touring acts during the first month of operation included the New York Philharmonic, Duke Ellington, National Ballet of Canada, Hildegarde, and Louis Armstrong. The Center was bestowed the prestigious Honor Award for Excellence in Architectural Design from the American Institute of Architects in 1970. After a donation from the Marcus Corporation in honor of its founder Ben Marcus and his wife Ceil, the venue's na