Oriental Theatre

Milwaukee Film surpassed its $10 million capital campaign goal to restore the Oriental Theatre and even provided the nonprofit with its first-ever operating reserve. The campaign began in 2017 when Milwaukee Film entered into a 31-year lease to operate the 92-year-old Oriental Theatre and assumed operations in July 2018. The campaign drew gifts from 900 contributors and brought in $10.03 million. Lead donors included Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele who made a personal contribution of $2 million to kick off the campaign, the largest gift in Milwaukee Film history, and also Donald and Donna Baumgartner, the Herzfeld Foundation, the Sheldon and Marianne Lubar Charitable Fund, Allen H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. Selig, and The Yabuki Family Foundation. The Seligs offered a $1.5 million matching grant on opening night of the 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival, and an unspecified but “significant" pledge from The Yabuki Family Foundation allowed the campaign to exceed its goal. “We are grateful for the enormous amount of support given by the Milwaukee community” said Jonathan Jackson, CEO and artistic director of Milwaukee Film. “Accomplishing this campaign in such an accelerated timespan speaks not only to the tireless effort of our team, but also to the passion of donors and audiences.” The campaign will support the restoration of the Oriental Theatre and provide financial stability for the organization. The first phase of the project, completed last year, included adding a women’s lavatory suite to the first floor and replacing mechanical equipment throughout the theatre. A full rehabilitation of the main auditorium is expected this year. “We’ve always had an ambitious vision for what Milwaukee Film can become, and we’ve made incredible strides in meeting some pretty big goals,” Jackson said. “The commitment of all of our supporters, and particularly the generosity of our lead donors in this campaign, shows me we can dream even bigger and do more within our community.”

Milwaukee Film said it’s beginning the second phase of its Oriental Theatre restoration project with the goal of completing the work in time for the 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival. The organization plans to replace the Oriental’s current concession stand, upgrade the sound system in the main theater, add a new assisted-listening device system, replace all seats in the westernmost theater and upgrade the building’s emergency systems. The first phase of the project, completed in 2018, included adding a women’s lavatory suite to the first floor and replacing project equipment throughout the theater. In February, Milwaukee Film said it surpassed its $10 million capital campaign goal to restore the Oriental and provide the nonprofit with its first-ever operating reserve. In 2017, Milwaukee Film signed a 31-year lease to operate the theatre on Milwaukee’s East Side. “As magnificent as the Oriental Theatre is now, we know there is still work to be done to make it a world-class venue,” said Jonathan Jackson, CEO and artistic director for Milwaukee Film. “Like all our work at the theater, these upgrades will preserve and enhance the historic beauty of this space while creating the best possible film experience for our guests.” All phase-two projects are scheduled to be completed before this year’s film festival, which will run Oct. 17-31. In 2020, the seats in the main and east houses are scheduled to be replaced.

The 15-day 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival Oct. 17-31 drew a record 87,618, up 12% over 2018. This year, the festival also expanded to the Rivoli Theatre in Cedarburg and the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee … eight screens across six venues, the largest footprint in its history. The Oriental Theatre remains the anchor venue. Audiences voted at each screening to determine the three awards. “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” received the Allan H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. Selig Audience Award for Best Feature; “Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins” won honors and a $2,500 prize for the Women in Film Audience Award; and “Tree #3” received the Selig Audience Award for Best Short.

Restoration nearly complete. Article with photos below.

https://milwaukeerecord.com/film/check-out-the-nearly-complete-restoration-of-the-oriental-theatre/?fbclid=IwAR2Q3n5tHGGvdHnOz4ycIsee1Dnq5YQ0OyTWd0FkfBiqP3PFXgA_Y6oR_TY

The Oriental has named each of their three auditoriums: the main auditorium is the Abele Cinema and the two smaller auditoriums are the Lubar and Herzfeld Cinemas.