Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee)

Oriental Theatre is a theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin operated by Milwaukee Film. The theater was built and opened in 1927 as a movie palace with East Indian decor. It is said to be the only movie palace to incorporate East Indian artwork.[2] Designed by Gustave A. Dick and Alex Bauer, the theater has two minaret towers, three stained glass chandeliers, several hand-drawn murals, six bigger-than-life Buddhas, dozens of original draperies, eight porcelain lions, and hundreds of elephants.

Oriental Theatre
Oriental Theatre lobby
Address2230 North Farwell Avenue
Milwaukee
United States
Public transitBus transport MCTS
OwnerNewland Enterprises LLP
OperatorMilwaukee Film
Capacity1530
Construction
OpenedJuly 2, 1927[1]
ArchitectGustave A. Dick
Alex Bauer
Website
https://cinema.mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre

The Oriental Theatre has been showing independent and art films, as well as a few blockbuster Hollywood films.

The theater is the world record holder for continual showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[3] It has hosted the film as a Saturday midnight movie since January 1978.

In 2005, the theater was dubbed one of the "10 Theaters Doing It Right" by Entertainment Weekly.[4]

In 2016, local artists oversaw the installation of a new street art destination in the alley behind the Oriental Theater, and named it the Black Cat Alley. '[5] As a part of the Black Cat Alley installation, French artist MTO painted a large mural of a green frog entitled "MTO's Bug" on the south wall of the theater, facing Kenilworth Avenue.'[6] The theater building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Saxe O Grams - Theater Newsletter". Astortheater.org. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  2. "Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee, WI - Cinema Treasures". Cinematreasures.org. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  3. Devlin, Ryan. "Let's do the Time Warp Again. And Again. And Again". Premiere, vol. 18, no. 9 (June 2005) pp. 58-60, 62-3.
  4. "10 Theaters doing it right". Entertainment Weekly. August 5, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  5. Schumacher, Mary Louise. "Street art festival coming to a Milwaukee alley". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  6. Hauer, Sarah. "Murals transforming east side path into Black Cat Alley". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  7. "Weekly List 2023 02 03". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-02-04.

43.059657°N 87.885664°W / 43.059657; -87.885664

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