"The New State is a community of thriving creatives who are dedicated to the appreciation of performance arts while cultivating professional and economic development."

Launching the Quiet Phase of The New State Capital Campaign

Today, we are entering a pivotal moment: the Quiet Phase of our Capital Campaign to restore the historic State Theater and establish Milwaukee’s first youth-led creative arts hub.

The original Palms Theater opened in 1915 as a movie palace and vaudeville venue. Over generations, it became a cultural anchor for the Near West Side—until its closure left a deep void on the block.

Now, The New State is bringing that legacy into the future by transforming the property into a safe, high-skill, youth-driven destination for music, arts, and creative workforce development.

This project stands at the intersection of historic preservation, youth development, place-based economic revitalization, and creative industry innovation. The restored New State Theater will not only be a permanent home for our programs—it will be a catalyst for stabilizing and activating an entire city block on the Near West Side.

Why Your Support Matters Now

You have witnessed firsthand how our programming, even without a building, has grown in reach, quality, and impact.

With your support during the Quiet Phase, we will be positioned to:

• Complete the final pre-development requirements and unlock significant tax credit leverage.
• Support ongoing youth programming across partner sites while construction moves forward.
• Sustain staff capacity to manage the campaign, deepen partnerships, and prepare for the public launch.
• Preserve and re-open a historic community asset that has stood for more than a century.

Looking Ahead: A Shared Vision for 2026 and Beyond

Our goal is to secure key leadership gifts that demonstrate confidence and momentum. Lead funders—particularly those who have supported us before—will be recognized among the foundational partners who made this transformation possible.

The New State is looking to raise $150,000 for the Capital Campaign

Support New State Programming

The New State is continuing and expanding our programming/events in 2026! As we begin to build our home on 26th & State Street, The New State has been working hard to provide for our community as a Theater Without Walls

In the past year alone, your support allowed us to:

• Expand our Theater Without Walls model through partnerships with Pathways High, Neighborhood House, Notes for Notes at Milwaukee Academy of Science, Girls Rock MKE, Washington Park Wednesdays and numerous Milwaukee studios.
• Deliver hands-on youth training in DJing, audio engineering, lighting, stage management, and creative entrepreneurship.
• Creating free in-studio education and after-school music classes.
• Support eight Washington Park Wednesdays concerts that drew more than 1,200 people each week—while offering paid youth internships, peer mentorship, and a community environment that centers safety, creativity, and belonging.
• Provide more than 700 cumulative hours of production and performance training to youth through Milwaukee Youth Theater and our mobile program spaces, serving hundreds of participants across the district.

These achievements have happened without a permanent building. Your early belief in us made it possible for The New State to continue doing what we do best—meeting young people where they are, removing barriers, and building skills that lead to confidence, leadership, and long-term opportunity.

Our programming goal for 2026 is $70,000

This year you can choose to donate to our 2026 programming or our capital campaign to kickstart the historic renovations on the theater.

Please consider donating and help us preserve history and create a future for Milwaukee!