Oriental Theatre, Movie palace on North Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee, United States
The Oriental Theatre is a movie theater with three screens on North Farwell Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The interior is styled after East Indian architecture, featuring minarets, stained glass chandeliers, and elephant motifs covering the walls and ceilings.
The building opened in 1927, during the height of the ornate movie palace era in the United States. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its architectural character rather than any single historical event.
Every Saturday at midnight, the Oriental Theatre screens The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a tradition that has run without interruption since 1978. The audience dresses up, sings along, and brings props, turning each screening into a communal event rather than a simple film showing.
The theater shows both independent and mainstream films, using digital and traditional projection depending on the program. Checking the schedule in advance is a good idea, since the selection changes throughout the week and on weekends.
On the outer wall of the theater, facing Black Cat Alley, the French street artist MTO painted a large green frog that has become one of the most photographed pieces in the alley. Black Cat Alley itself is an open-air mural gallery that runs alongside the building.
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