MILWAUKEE — As arts organizations nationwide continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Milwaukee's Skylight Music Theatre is turning to a familiar face for support.
Actor and musician Gary Sinise, best known for his role as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, will bring his Lt. Dan Band to Milwaukee for a one-night fundraiser to benefit the theater, which, like many in the arts community, is facing financial hardship.
“Skylight, like many arts organizations across the nation, is having a bit of a struggle post-pandemic,” said Susan Varela, executive director of Skylight Music Theatre. “We find our funding sources have dried up, and we're struggling to bring people back into the seats. With the rising costs of labor and materials, we're also trying to keep ticket prices low so we remain accessible to the community.”
Sinise said his relationship with Skylight’s artistic director, Michael Unger, motivated the visit.
Watch: Gary Sinise's Lt. Dan Band to perform benefit concert for Milwaukee theater
“Michael Unger has been a friend of mine for over 50 years,” Sinise said. “We went to Highland Park High School together, back when I was just getting started with Steppenwolf Theatre.”
Sinise and his band are scheduled to perform at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin on June 13. He said the idea for the benefit concert came naturally.
“I reached out to Michael and said, ‘Hey, do you need some help?’ Since I'm going to be in Wisconsin anyway, I thought we could do a fundraiser on June 14,” Sinise said. “We want people to go to the theater. We want people to support the theater.”
Skylight Music Theatre, founded in 1959, is one of Milwaukee’s most well-known performing arts organizations, with a focus on music-driven productions ranging from opera to Broadway musicals.
Date & time: Monday, July 14, at 7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Location: Aurora Pavilion at the Henry Maier Festival Park
Tickets
- $150 VIP — Includes priority seating, VIP patio access with catered Saz’s snacks, private cash bar and bathrooms, Sinise autographed event poster, and VIP lanyard
- $75 Preferred chair seating
- $40 General admission bleachers
To get tickets, click here.
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