'It's a huge difference:' Marcus Center green room upgrade allows performers to feel at home

MILWAUKEE -- There's one space inside the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts that many of us never see. Still, it gets a lot of foot traffic. That's why it was time for an upgrade, and it could translate into better performances on stage.

From the back of a truck to the green room of the Marcus Center, new furniture gave the ordinary space an upgrade some said was long overdue.

"Putting some color in here. Bringing some fun in here," said Colleen Rome, Steinhafels designer.

Donated by Steinhafels, the decor came in an effort to make performers feel more "at home."

"They're on the road. They're away from their family. They're away from their homes," said John Hassig, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts director of programming. "They want to walk off-stage and be relaxed and have a space to really just be people."

Black Violin

The update came in time for Black Violin's performance on Saturday, April 20.

"Two young men who grew up loving hip-hop got introduced to classical music in middle school and high school, and figured out a way to combine their two loves of hip-hop and classical music," Hassig said.

They would be the first artists to use the space.

"It's a huge difference," Rome said.

John Hassig, with the Marcus Center, said the difference would help guests relax, and in turn, give their best shows possible.

"Artists are talking more and more about the comfort of being off-stage and what they can do when they're waiting to perform," Hassig said.

"When you're doing a show or a performance, I think it's important that you feel at home," Rome said.