MADISON, Wis. — The Overture Center in Madison turns 20 years old this month. It opened on Sept. 19, 2004, replacing the former Civic Center.
Over the past two decades, it has brought big Broadway shows and well-known performers to Madison. It has also given local and statewide groups and schools a place to showcase talent.
Jess Schuknecht has spent a lot of time behind the ticket window at the Overture Center greeting guests. He’s the director of ticketing and said every day is different.
“A lot of times it’s working with either the shows that we have booked or our resident companies to help build promotions, make sure ticketing is working smoothly, set up our website,” he said.
Schuknecht has been with the Overture Center since it first opened in 2004. Before that, he worked at the Civic Center. He said even after all these years, he still gets excited to come to work at such a pillar of the city.
“State Street looks drastically different now than it did 20 years ago,” he said. “Different stores, different vibes, different feels. But to be able to be kind of this constant, a block away from our Capitol, this other constant, feels really special.”
Overture Center Chief Development Officer Emily Gruenewald said she shares that excitement for the job. She took Spectrum News 1 on a behind-the-scenes tour, including a look at the stage from above and below.
In addition to the main auditorium, the Overture Center offers a smaller, more traditional theater and one for kids’ shows.
Gruenewald said making music and theater more widely available is the goal.
“We want to make sure that we remain a welcoming place for everyone, where they can come and find something that really connects to them, but also shares their stories,” she said.
Gruenewald referenced a large collection of books full of signatures of people who’ve performed at the Overture Center. It includes everything from Broadway stars and comedians to local elementary school students.
While it’s nice to look back on two decades of work, Gruenewald said the focus is on the future. The team who leads the Overture Center said it wants to offer even more shows and diverse artistic experiences. It also wants to expand the center’s free and low-cost programming, so everyone can experience performances.
“That is really important just in terms of people having connections. It improves quality of life and also sparks that creativity in the workforce that we all want to see as we move forward and navigate things that we can’t even imagine yet today,” Gruenewald said.