M E S S AG E F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T Greetings! Welcome to The Milwaukee Theatre, and to our first show of the 2010-11 season! Last year we celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the opening and dedication in 1909 of the Milwaukee Auditorium – the Milwaukee Theatre’s original incarnation as a center of Milwaukee’s civic and cultural life. This year, always looking forward, we mark the 101st Anniversary in an even bigger way – because it is more than a commemoration of history, but the start of our “next 100 years.” At intermission we will take a group photo in our rotunda lobby, and really hope everyone will join us. To keep things moving and complete the photo in the short time available, we are grateful if you can go to the lobby right away at intermission, and allow our ushers to guide you into position for the shot. We plan to display a large print of the photo permanently in a public area of the Milwaukee Theatre, so your participation will ensure you a place in history! Enjoy the party and the show tonight, too! Neil Berg is one of the top songwriters and musical producers in New York, and his 100 Years of Broadway cast consists of some of the most extraordinary talents currently appearing on Broadway. The audience was ecstatic when we brought Mr. Berg and company here in early 2009, and we felt it would be the perfect thing for our 101st birthday and the first show of this season. Going forward, our 2010-11 season of concerts and Broadway shows includes two blockbuster Wisconsin premieres, two time-honored classics, and return engagements of three other highly popular productions. Next month we host the Wisconsin premier of Cirque Dreams Holidaze (November 19-20), an amazingly creative, family-oriented extravaganza of holiday magic from the people who brought us the hit show Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. At the end of our season, we present our state’s premiere run of Rock of Ages (April 29-May 1), a hilarious, hard-rocking celebration of 1980s hair metal and the rock & roll lifestyle, starring Constantine Maroulis and featuring music from the era. Returning, perennially popular classics in our 2010-11 season include Mannheim Steamroller (December 22-23) and Riverdance (February 4-5). Finally, we also present Drumline Live (November 26), which highlights the marching band tradition of America’s historically black colleges and universities, the side-splitting comedy of Monty Python’s Spamalot (December 10-11), and the inspired family favorite Disney’s Beauty And The Beast (April 15-17). Thank you for joining us tonight. We hope you will have a wonderful experience, and return for many more shows at The Milwaukee Theatre! Sincerely,
Richard A. Geyer, President & CEO Wisconsin Center District The Milwaukee Theatre Historic Elegance, World Class Performances Milwaukee Theatre 1