Mission & Values
Mission: The Performing Arts Foundation ENTERTAINS, EDUCATES and ENRICHES the community by offering world class programming, which develops a lifelong appreciation for the arts in its citizens and enhances the quality of life in the region.
The Grand is the home base for the Performing Arts Foundation, Inc., a private nonprofit community arts organization established in 1972. With a mission to promote excellence in the performing arts in North Central Wisconsin, the Performing Arts Foundation (P.A.F.) reaches over 130,000 people each year with performances and educational programs.
The Grand is more than just a theater; it’s an organization that serves many different roles for the community:
As a Presenter: The PAF presents an annual main stage season consisting of 17-24 shows, which brings performing arts such as of Broadway, music, theater, dance and more to the region. The PAF is the key avenue of enhancing the overall quality of life and providing access to the best in the performing arts close to home. The Arts in Education Series brings over 14,400 students to The Grand for matinee performances with professional artists.
As an Arts Hub: The PAF maintains and operates The Grand, a combination of historic renovation and new construction. The Grand plays host to numerous local arts organizations, major community events and major touring events. All bring people to Downtown Wausau, help raise the profile of the arts, add to the betterment of the community, and serve as an economic driver.
As an Arts Education Resource: The PAF develops and executes programs to integrate arts into the community. These include residencies with touring artists, integrating them into curriculums of the classrooms of area schools; presentation of the student matinee series, tying live performances to teaching objectives; and community engagement opportunities for underserved populations in the region to connect with artists and the performing arts. The education program serves more than 14,400 students from 17 counties each year and is one of the most comprehensive in the state, offering performance experiences at The Grand.
As a Local Arts Agency: As an organization, we are incredibly committed to serving our entire community, not just presenting shows. The PAF provides assistance to local events, community groups, and others who use The Grand as their creative home by providing fee reduction for these groups to ensure they are able to execute their events (resulting in $95,950 in fee and labor abatements in 2014-15), we also work with community agencies for our area’s betterment, and is active in state and national consortia.
Service Region
Since 1993, P.A.F. programs have served 17 counties: Clark, Forest, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Portage, Price, Shawano, Taylor, Vilas, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood. Today, patrons from over five states come to The Grand to see world-class performances.
The entire season at The Grand is supported in part by the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. These performances are also supported in part by the Community Arts Grant program of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, the B. A. & Esther Greeheck Foundation, and the City of Wausau’s Room Tax Funding.