The expenses paid gala valued at $56,000 will be held in 2025
Baird Center is proud to announce First Stage as the winner of Baird Center’s 2025 Gala Giveaway. The Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) specializes in creating extraordinary theater experiences for young people and families through professional theater productions, theater academies and theater-in-education programs. First Stage is the second-largest theater company in Milwaukee.
“I’m continually amazed by the incredible things our area non-profits do for the greater good of the community,” Wisconsin Center District President and CEO Marty Brooks said. “We are excited to be able to give this once-in-a-lifetime gala to First Stage, an organization dedicated to creating sensational experiences, a value we share, and improving the lives of children and families through theater.”
The prize includes a fully-funded gala featuring complimentary room rental at the Baird Center’s spectacular rooftop Baird Ballroom, pre-function space for registration and silent auction, a chef’s choice 3-course menu and non-alcoholic beverages for up to 500 guests, two bottles of white and two bottles of red wine per table, a CTI audio-visual credit up to $15,000 and more.The total prize package is valued at up to $56,000.
The Wisconsin Center District will also contribute 40 staff volunteer hours to First Stage.
“We are thrilled and incredibly grateful to the Wisconsin Center District for this wonderful opportunity,” First Stage Director of Advancement Kelly Gerlach said. “We’re excited to bring our story and the impact of our work to the community, showcasing the magic that happens when young people’s creativity is nurtured and valued. A heartfelt thank you to the Wisconsin Center District for recognizing the importance of the arts in building a vibrant, inclusive community. We look forward to an unforgettable evening of connection, inspiration, and celebration.”
First Stage and Baird Center are working together to identify a date for their gala in 2025.
Baird Center
Baird Center, located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, is the hub of convention business in Wisconsin and is ideal for trade and consumer shows, conventions, banquets, business meetings, and celebrations. The current convention center offers 188,695 square feet of contiguous exposition space and 37,500 square feet of ballroom space, accommodating up to 1,000 vendors and 10,000 guests while also offering more intimate spaces for groups as small as ten.
The convention center is undergoing a $456 million expansion that will double its size, allow the convention center to host multiple events simultaneously and offer flexible space arrangements to meet almost any client’s needs. The expansion will be completed in May 2024. For more information about the expansion, visit www.BuildingMore.com. The Baird Center is owned and operated by the Wisconsin Center District. Recognized as a 2023 Top Workplace, the WCD staff is experience-obsessed and dedicated to providing unforgettable, buzzworthy moments for all clients and guests. For more information and to book an event, visit www.bairdcenter.com.
First Stage
Founded in 1987, First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, and a driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people and education initiatives for its schools and community.
First Stage produces plays that honor the young person’s point of view, include diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices and inspire meaningful conversations. First Stage has presented more than 70 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth. The Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for young people (3 – 18 years old). Through a challenging curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills and includes the Next Steps Program that tailors Theater Academy classes to the needs of autistic young people. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education Programs cleverly blend theater activities with standard curriculum – allowing more than 10,000 students annually to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression.
First Stage ensures that all programming is not only accessible to its community but that it is reflective of the community it serves. In order to do that, First Stage relies on its community of donors. With an annual operating budget of $5 million, more than half of First Stage’s revenue comes from generous contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, government sources and the United Performing Arts Fund. Join First Stage’s community of donors with a contribution today and transform lives through theater.
First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF).
Wisconsin Center District
The Wisconsin Center District (WCD) is a quasi-governmental entity that operates the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena; the Miller High Life Theatre; and Baird Center. WCD venues are within walking distance of leading hotels, retail establishments, attractions, dining, nightclubs and transportation in beautiful downtown Milwaukee. Created under Wisconsin State Statute in 1994, the WCD offers captivating and buzzworthy experiences, making Milwaukee a not-to-be-missed destination. For more information about the WCD, visit wcd.org.