The Board of Directors at the Modjeska Theatre Company, an 8-year-old non-profit organization that manages the Youth Theatre, announced Thursday that it will purchase and renovate areas of the 1924-vintage Modjeska Theatre, 1134 W. Mitchell St.
"The decision to purchase the Modjeska Theatre and create a permanent home for the Modjeska Youth Theatre Company came with a great deal of due diligence and a well-thought plan on the part of the Board," said Modjeska Theatre Company's Board President James M. Matson. "While we discussed taking the company out of the theater, moving it to another venue, we realized that we would be altering the youth program to the extent that the mission and vision would not be the same. And this is at the very heart of why we as volunteer board members are here."
The company's $2.9 million capital campaign will support the purchase of the building, safety and building code modifications and renovations of the west side of the lobby, which include extending it, rebuilding the bathrooms and adding an elevator and box office. The basement, where youth spend a great deal of time in costume construction and dressing rooms, is also a focus of the major renovation plans.
Promoting its eighth season, the Modjeska Youth Theatre is a high-quality musical theater company that engages young people and cultivates their character and creativity through the live and performing arts. The mission of the company, "engaging young people from challenging circumstances and cultivating the character and creativity of each individual in a diverse performing arts environment," uses musical theater to develop and engage youth ages six to 20.
The Modjeska Theatre Company Web site is mytheatercompany.org.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
