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24-488: The Weidner's original gift came from surgeon David A. Cofrin (son of Austin E. Cofrin and namesake of UW-Green Bay's library) with the stipulation that the center be located on the UW-Green Bay campu, that it serve the community, and be named after Ed Weidner. The university used state funds for the project as the original plan for UW-Green Bay's campus included a performing arts center. Namesake chancellor Weidner began

48-581: A few other employees of the mill started their own business. The mill was a small paper company that was known as the Fort Howard Corporation. In 1924 he was granted a patent for making crepe paper. Cofrin was president of the Fort Howard Corporation until his retirement in 1960, when his son John P. Cofrin took over the position. Cofrin died in 1980 at the age of 96. The opening of the Fort Howard Corporation in 1919 on

72-474: A fundraising campaign in the late 1980s that raised the remainder of the $ 18.4 million required for the building. The university calls The Weidner a "'comm-university' center, supported by both the university and the communities of northeastern Wisconsin". For The Weidner's fifth anniversary, donations from the Cofrin family financed an expansion that included a new black-box theatre named Studio Two, later renamed

96-419: A restaurant and performance venue but subsequently closed due to lack of funding. In 2018, it was purchased by Tarl Knight and former owner Mark Mariucci, who renamed it The Tarlton Theatre and reopened it as a cinema and performance venue with a restaurant and bar. Renovations took place over six months throughout 2018. Knight stated the theater's mission was to "bring a variety of affordable programming to

120-554: A standard theatre style or a theatre in the round arrangement. Although it is part of The Weidner, the UWGB Theatre department oversees the space and is its primary user. The UWGB Music department holds most of its student recitals in the space, along with its Opera/Musical Theatre workshop. The Weidner Philharmonic is The Weidner's in-house symphony since 2019. Also known as " Wei Phi ", the Weidner Philharmonic

144-591: A strong work ethic that influenced a prosperous career. By age 16 Cofrin worked away from home and gained employment at a paper mill as a coating machine helper. After working a few years at various paper mills on the East Coast, Cofrin moved to Green Bay. His first job in Green Bay was at the Northern Paper Mill, where he worked as a supervisor. After working at the Northern Paper Mill, Cofrin and

168-698: A world premiere composition piece by McQuade Dewhirst at the Women's Work concert in 2022. Kevin Collins Randall Meder Victor Yampolsky ^ Robert Nordling^ February 17, 2023 Also featured a post-concert dance performance by Water Street Dance Milwaukee *Virtual Performance ^Featured Guest Conductor Unless noted, all conductors are faculty members of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Resch Institute of Musi c. In February 2022 The Weidner, in partnership with

192-431: Is a recital hall. It seats 200 in retractable theatre-style seating, and can seat 136 in a banquet-style setting. The room is used for receptions and pre-show dinners. The UWGB Music department is the most frequent academic user of the space, and holds its Student Honors Recital and several guest artist concerts and lectures there annually. Built in the style of a dance studio with mirrors and marley dance floor, Studio One

216-767: Is an Streamline Moderne theater built around 1925, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin . In 1999, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Broadway-Walnut Historic District . The theater was originally built as an auto dealership, and was renovated in 1941 by the Standard Theatres Management Corporation to become a single-screen cinema. American movie theater architect Perry Crosier designed

240-506: Is rarely used for its intended purpose, instead serving as a multipurpose space for The Weidner, and a reception area/backstage storage for the UWGB Theatre department when it is performing in the Jean Weidner Theatre. Built in the 1998 renovation and originally called Studio Two, the space was renamed the Jean Weidner Theatre after Edward Weidner's wife. Jean Weidner Theatre is a black-box style theatre that seats 90 in either

264-559: Is the only all professional symphony orchestra in Green Bay. Since 2021, they have partnered with Northeastern Wisconsin Dance Organization to provide live orchestration for annual The Nutcracker ballet. Since 2022, Weidner Philharmonic has been under the artistic direction of Michelle McQuade Dewhirst. McQuade Dewhirst is a French horn player, composer, and professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Weidner Philharmonic performed, Out of Dark Waters, this ,

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288-545: The Fox River (Wisconsin) paved the way for others in northeastern Wisconsin. The location of the paper mill was close to the fruitful timber industry and other natural resources in the region. Green Bay soon became a hub in the paper industry. Cofrin's hard work and resourcefulness was instrumental in the success of the Fort Howard Paper Company. His dedication to innovation helped lay the foundation for

312-626: The Tarlton Theatre , announced The Weidner Downtown at the Tarlton Theatre series, also shortened to The Weidner Downtown . The series aims to bring an eclectic mix of arts and culture including chamber theatre, film, live lit, music, and more to downtown Green Bay at The Tarlton Theatre. The partnership was announced to continue into 2023. The Weidner installed the Josephine B. Lenfestey Chandelier created by Dale Chihuly in

336-516: The Jean Weidner Theatre in honor of Ed Weidner's wife. The renovation also expanded the ticket office, added more lobby restrooms, expanded backstage storage and dressing room space, constructed a semi-private dining area and food service elevator, and relocated The Weidner's administrative offices. Cofrin Family Hall is The Weidner's main performance facility, seating 2,021 over three levels of seating. The capacity of Cofrin Family Hall depends on

360-710: The area and partner with local nonprofit organizations to support various local causes". Knight would later run for city council and also serve as director of the city's Shipyard District . In 2022, The Tarlton Theatre announced a partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts to start the Weidner Downtown series, which would "bring 'a fresh and eclectic mix of arts and culture offerings to

384-639: The department's annual JazzFest takes place in Cofrin Family Hall in the spring. The UWGB Theatre department performs in Cofrin Family Hall occasionally, putting on Cabaret in 2011. It performed another musical there in fall 2015 and participated in The Weidner's Stage Door educational theatre series in spring 2016 and 2017. Fort Howard Hall, named for the Fort Howard Paper Company founded by donor Austin E. Cofrin ,

408-707: The family were essential in the construction of the Weidner Center For The Performing Arts . The family also, through those two funds, donates in to the University of Florida , (Cofrin's son's longtime home) where the family's donations fund the Harn Museum of Art , the Florida Museum of Natural History , and the University of Florida College of Medicine . Tarlton Theatre The Tarlton Theatre (formerly West Theater , West Pitcher Show , Historic West Theatre )

432-687: The first corporate award for national recycling in 1991 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cofrin was an accomplished philanthropist, and his family donates large amounts of money to the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay , through their 1883 and 1923 Funds. The Austin E. Cofrin School of Business , Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, and David A. Cofrin Library all carry the family name, and gifts from

456-437: The paper industry as it is known today. Cofrin devoted much of his time to creating cutting-edge ideas that would forever change the way the paper industry did business. Fort Howard was the first paper mill to run nearly self-sufficiently. The mill housed a machine shop to build and service the paper converting equipment, which ensured speed and accuracy while cutting costs. Fort Howard produced many of their own chemicals used in

480-435: The paper making process, as well as generating their own power to operate the mill, and maintained their own landfills for waste. Cofrin was an early proponent of recycling waste paper to create a new type of usable paper. His vision for recycling continues to influence how paper and other raw materials like pulp and ground wood are recycled and reused today. Cofrin's work and early visions of environmentalism earned Fort Howard

504-624: The renovation, converting it into "Streamline Moderne" (a type of Art Deco ) styling. The cinema was first known as the West Theater, then as the West Pitcher Show from 1987 until it closed on November 25, 2000. In 2000-2001, it was renovated, and reopened by owner Mark Mariucci on February 9, 2001 as the Historic West Theatre, which was described as "a first-run cinema showing independent and arthouse film during

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528-751: The summer of 2004. The chandelier has more than 450 individual pieces of blown glass and is 12 by 8 feet. The installation took 3 days in June and had a public unveiling on September 12, 2004. Austin E. Cofrin Austin Ellsworth Cofrin (October 10, 1883 – May 27, 1980) was an American industrialist that founded the Fort Howard Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin . Cofrin was born in Bradford, New Hampshire , in 1883, to Paige Cofrin and Alfaretta Ward Cofrin. At age 13, Cofrin worked his family's farm after his father's death where he cultivated

552-827: The type of performance, as The Weidner's two-section motorized thrust stage can be lowered and fitted with extra seats, typically for dramatic performances. Symphonic and other music-only performances routinely use the entire thrust. Cofrin Family Hall also contains a large pipe organ, the Wood Family Organ, built for The Weidner's acoustics. Nearly all of The Weidner's touring acts perform in Cofrin Family Hall, with eclectic programming that includes concerts, comedians, Broadway shows, children's programming, and more. UW-Green Bay holds its winter graduations in Cofrin Family Hall. The UWGB Music department's Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, University Singers, and Concert Choir all perform two concerts per semester in Cofrin Family Hall, and

576-635: The week and a dance club on weekends." From 2005-2007, Green Bay Packers player Nick Barnett converted the venue to a night club called FiveSix Ultra Lounge, which ran into legal problems with the City of Green Bay on numerous occasions, causing its doors to close for over six years. In 2011, the theater was purchased by Mary Clare Vanden Boom and Joey Hawthorne, who reopened it as a "computer, pro lighting, and sound systems retail business" called Funky Monkey in November 2013. In 2015, they renovated it to

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