To spot the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, look for the striking, rounded silver facade with lots of glass windows and a big oval skylight above the bold entrance-it’s right on the corner, impossible to miss!
Welcome to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, or as the locals call it, the PAC! Just imagine, you’re standing in front of the same impressive building where Broadway magic has taken the stage, and even a U.S. president once addressed a crowd. Back in 1999, this corner buzzed with excitement and hope as Thrivent, then known as Aid Association for Lutherans, gifted a whopping $10 million-the largest local donation anyone had ever seen-to realize the community’s dream of a state-of-the-art cultural hub. But that was only the beginning: over 2,700 generous souls, from small business owners to families, chipped in, raising $45 million in private gifts. You could practically hear the *clinking of coins and the rustling of checks* as the region united for the arts.
The building you see was shaped by the Zeidler Partnership from Toronto, with acoustic wizards from Artec, Inc. ensuring every note is perfect, whether it’s a grand Broadway number or the sweet sound of the Fox Valley Symphony warming up. By November 2002, less than three years after the first shovel hit the ground, the doors swung open. Just think: this ultra-modern venue holds the second largest stage in Wisconsin, with not a single seat farther than 108 feet from the action-perfect for catching every jazz hand and confetti cannon! *Imagine the thunder of applause* from the 2,100-seat Thrivent Hall after ‘Hamilton’ or ‘The Lion King.’
There's even a smaller Kimberly-Clark Theater for cozy concerts and secretive meetings in the Founders Room (I hear you need to know a secret handshake…okay, not really). And with President George W. Bush once stopping here for a speech, who knows, maybe one day you’ll see your own face on stage-or at least win a standing ovation in the lobby café! Now, ready to chase a little more art and history?
