SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts was built nearly 100 years ago and is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

What You Need To Know

  • Built in 1928, the center is seeing new life and success. And one employee said he has seen it all

  • Julian Jetzer serves as the Weill Center’s technical director, and in many ways, is a living record of the theater’s long history

  • Over the years, popular Hollywood performers such as Marlene Dietrich to Duke Ellington have graced the stage at the Weill Center

  • The 2023-2024 season marks the first time that a national Broadway touring series is coming to Sheboygan, Wis. The lineup includes a touring trio of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” and “Little Women”

Built in 1928, the center is seeing new life and success. And one employee said he has seen it all.

Julian Jetzer serves as the Weill Center’s technical director, and in many ways, is a living record of the theater’s long history.

“I’m 83-years-old,” said Jetzer. “I should be out on the golf course, but I love what I’m doing here. I love meeting the people that come in here.”

He said he first fell in love with the building as a young boy, when he came to see big-name stars on the silver screen. Now, he controls the lighting, soundboard and curtains for each show.

“I’ve been coming here for a long time,” said Jetzer. “I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for this theater.”

Over the years, popular Hollywood performers such as Marlene Dietrich to Duke Ellington have graced the stage at the Weill Center.

“Movies are part of what we do, but everything now is live,” said Jetzer. “We didn’t have the opportunity as [a] city that’s 50 miles from Milwaukee to do a lot of live entertainment back in the 1950s and 60s. It was mainly dances and local bands.”

Fast-forward to today and the Weill Center is making quite a name for itself, despite competing with entertainment venues in bigger cities in the state.

The 2023-2024 season marks the first time that a national Broadway touring series is coming to Sheboygan, Wis. The lineup includes a touring trio of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” and “Little Women.”

“Sheboygan is kind of isolated, so with the 50,000 people that we have just in the city, the theater is now really the center of attraction for entertainment,” said Jetzer.

Being an arts and entertainment hub was the goal of a major community-funded restoration project the theater underwent in the 1990s, led by its namesake Stefanie H. Weill.

Jetzer has had to evolve with the theater and learn new technology when it comes to operating the stage, sound, cameras and lighting.

“I feel challenged as well, because I had to learn things in the past 23 years that I didn’t know before,” he said.

He said he loves that he’s always learning, and that he has a hand in making sure audiences have a great experience when they come to the Weill Center.

“As I say, it’s a stellar place to work,” Jetzer said. “We can do anything here.”

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