Overture Center contributes nearly $67 million to Madison economy – WMTV 15 NEWS

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – An economic impact analysis report shared this week shows the Overture Center for the Arts will contribute almost $67 million to the Madison economy over the 2025-2026 season.
That’s a 94% increase from the 2021-2022 season.
The Overture draws in more than 500,000 guests every year and supports more than 400 local jobs.
Overture says the report shows how investments in the arts strengthens the workforce, tourism activity and community connection.
“I think it’s an arts and cultural magnet downtown. I was in Chicago, and I moved to Madison to work in the Overture Center. And I know what it does and the value that it brings to all of our local businesses,” said Tim Sauers, Co-CEO and chief artistic experience officer at the Overture.
One of those events drawing in visitors is this weekend: the Jerry Awards show.
It’s a celebration of Wisconsin’s brightest high school musical theater talent.
This year’s students are from 101 different schools.
There will be two award shows on Sunday showcasing standout performances and giving audiences a chance to see the talent in Wisconsin schools.
“When we began the program, back in 2010, we had 23 participating schools. And now, 17 years later, this year we saw 116 productions by 110 schools or community theatres. There are some community theater groups that put on just a musical with high school age students so they can be a part of the Jerry awards,” Sauers explained.
Overture Center partnered with UW-Whitewater’s Fiscal and Economic Research Center to analyze and quantify its annual economic impact.
The factors analyzed include, but are not limited to, the duration of stay, related activities before/after a show and size of the group. Surveys were collected and used to quantify the monetary impact on local and Wisconsin economies.
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