Geneva Stage set to open after several months of renovations
The Geneva Stage is set to officially open May 6 with a performance from Led Zeppelin tribute cand Kashmir.
The curtain is about to rise on a new venture at the former Geneva Theater building.
The Geneva Stage, 244 Broad St. in Lake Geneva, is scheduled to officially open to the public 7 p.m., May 6 with a performance from Led Zeppelin tribute band Kashmir.
Shad Branen, co-owner of Win Properties LLC of Burlington,— owners of the former theater building— said he is excited about the Geneva Stage opening to the public after several months of planning.
“We’re making the touch ups and adjustments inside, but we’re in good shape and we will be ready to open next Saturday,” Branen said.
The Geneva Stage is located in former auditoriums one and two of the building. The former auditoriums have been converted into a large entertainment venue.
Branen said one of the main changes that has been made is re-opening the balcony area of the former theater building.
“That has been closed off and was a separate auditorium when it was a movie theater,” Branen said. “So we re-opened that and the look is more towards the way the auditorium was when the theater first opened.”
Branen said several improvements also were made to the stage area.
“That’s the original stage from 1928 but certainly with a lot of improvements with sound and lighting,” he said.
The auditorium will be able to house about 340 people and will feature several high-back leather seats.
“It’s a nice sized venue. It has an intimate feel,” Branen said. “We have high-back leather seating for the majority of the seats, the same that would be used for a movie theater. They’re very comfortable seats, and something you don’t typically find in a venue like this. So it has a very comfortable feel.”
The former lobby has been renovated in to a lounge area.
Branen said he is pleased with the work that has been completed to the building.
“I’m just very encouraged and pleased with the venue itself and the way it turned out,” Branen said. “Hopefully, it’s well received by the community.”
Representatives from the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society are in the process of restoring a “Style H” Wurlitzer pipe organ for the Geneva Stage, which will be used for different events and programs.
“That’s been a multi-year project. It’s pretty exciting because it will be such a rare feature to have there,” Branen said. “There aren’t a lot of these in the world and especially for the restoration effort that their doing, it will be pretty exciting to have that in Downtown Lake Geneva.”
Performances at the theaterBesides Kashmir, Ballet Midwest is set to present “Balanchine” on May 13, and the Boy Band Review is set to perform May 20.
Branen said the theater will feature various types of live music and entertainment.
“It will really be a wide variety of entertainment that we will be hosting,” Branen said. “The Led Zeppelin tribute band is our first act, but that is not necessarily what our identity is. We will try to book everything, but that happens to be our first performance.”
Representatives from Win Properties LLC are working with a production company in Chicago to help book entertainment for the Geneva Stage.
“So we’re being much more aggressive in booking acts now for the summer and beyond, knowing that the facility is ready,” Branen said. “So the scheduling will gradually fill in as we go forward.”
The Geneva Stage also will feature classic movies, silent movies, community performances and stage plays.
“We still have a retractable screen, so we have the ability to show movies,” Branen said. “That will be part of our future, not as a first-run theater but for other types of movies.”
Branen said a wedding ceremony and reception is scheduled to be held at the Geneva Stage in the near future.
“Several businesses and organizations have been reaching out to use the facility. So we really want to keep it active as much as we can,” Branen said. “It’s just not intended for events on the weekends. It will be a very versatile facility. That’s what we’re looking to do.”
The second floor of the building is set to be used as a VIP and meeting area, and the third floor, which was once the projection booth, is set to be used for a small meeting space.
“It’s one of the small projection booths and we’re going to make it feel like an old projection booth, and you can view the stage from that area,” Branen said. “So it’s kind of a special area upstairs that can be used for a small group.”
Partnering with the Geneva Tap HouseFormer auditoriums three and four were renovated last year into the Geneva Tap House, which includes 50 self-pour taps where patrons can sample locally-crafted beers, wines and hard seltzers.
Branen said he plans to partner the Geneva Stage with the Geneva Tap House for different events and activities.
The Geneva Tap House will serve as a meeting place for the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society and the Classic Music Club.
Branen said the Geneva Tap House also will be a place for people to visit after they attend an event at the Geneva Stage.
“We will definitely be working together with the Geneva Tap House. That’s such a great partner to have right in the building,” Branen said. “The tap house makes a nice meeting spot before and after events. They’re doing quite well, so it’s just a great partnership with them.”
Work in progressMembers of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved a precise implementation plan, Jan. 24, 2022, to allow representatives from Win Properties to renovate the former Geneva Theater for a commercial indoor entertainment facility and outdoor commercial entertainment land use to allow for the Geneva Stage and Geneva Tap House to be established.
The Geneva Theater first opened in 1928 and hosted performers such as Will Rogers and Marx Brothers.
After being closed for about 10 years, Branen renovated the building and re-opened it as a movie theater in March 2017.
Branen later decided to transform the building from a movie theater to an entertainment venue because of how the movie theater industry has been negatively affected during the past few years by the coronavirus and movie streaming services.
He said he feels the Geneva Stage will be a welcome addition to Downtown Lake Geneva.
“I think there’s so many opportunities with a venue like this in the Downtown,” Branen said. “We’re excited to forge some partnerships with businesses in town so we can work together and take advantage of this. During our research of this, we visited other venues in the Chicago area and had seen what impact they had on the community and this is a growing process and over time we hope to improve that relationship and grow with the community more and more. So it’s very exciting.”
For more information about the Geneva Stage, visit www.genevastage.com.
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