It’s not often that a venue gets mentioned in the same breath as legendary locales like the Grand Ole Opry and Radio City Music Hall. But the Pabst Theater Group (PTG) now finds itself in that heady company after joining the Theater Alliance organized by the Oak View Group.
The intent of the collective is to strengthen its members in a variety of ways, including buying power, sponsorship opportunities, and the sharing of industry best practices and resources. Or, as stated in a press release from the Oak View Group:
“To give member theaters and performing arts centers a competitive edge within their markets, the Theater Alliance will help drive unique, exclusive, and traditionally mainstream content to its member venues; for example, intimate acoustic performances by some of the top names in entertainment.”
Introducing the Theater Alliance!
— OVG (@oakviewgroup) January 13, 2023
This unique and innovative concept will broaden our venue portfolio to support the arts all over the US, and allow our team to aid in artist development, scalability, sponsor opportunities, and much more. https://t.co/oDoBcF4Wl2 pic.twitter.com/yD7esZV17L
In that regard, the move seems very much in line with other steps the PTG has taken in response to Milwaukee becoming an increasingly competitive live-music market. By 2024, the Deer District is likely to have two new performance spaces operated by FPC Live, with the PTG following a year later with its planned venue in the Iron District.
Last month, the locations included under the Pabst umbrella joined in the formation of the Milwaukee Theater District. Prior to that, in 2020, Pabst Theater Group CEO Gary Witt helped found the National Independent Venue Association in response to the challenges venues across the country faced due to the pandemic. With today’s announcement, the PTG now joins an alliance that — at launch — includes 39 theaters and performing arts venues in 18 North America markets.
“We are thrilled to be amongst the first members of The Oak View Group’s Theater Alliance,” Pabst Theater Group COO Matt Beringer said in the release. “OVG has proven to be an innovator in our industry. With the formation of the Theater Alliance, we look forward to combining their expanded national reach and expertise with our 20 years of experience booking and operating world class independent concert venues.”
