What to do in Madison this weekend: LINE EP release, Black Film Fest and more Isthmus Picks

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Black Film Fest, Nov. 14-16, various venues: Justified Anger hosts three days of screenings featuring six documentaries and feature films, plus three video essays by cultural commentator F.D Signifier. Nov. 14 (10:15 a.m.-4 p.m., Goodman Community Center) includes A Thousand and One, writer-director A.V. Rockwell’s tale of a mother who rescues her son from the foster care system; it won the 2023 Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Nov. 15 (12:15-8:30 p.m., Fountain of Life) is highlighted by American Fiction, about an acclaimed but neglected novelist who gets more than he bargained for when writing a satirical tale that is taken as genuine by the literary establishment. Nov. 16 features a Zoom screening of the classic drag ball documentary Paris is Burning (10 a.m.), and at Lussier Community Education Center (11:30 a.m.), the documentary Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, about a deadly 1995 Chicago heat wave. Register and find the full schedule here.

Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles, through Dec 1, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery: Get the feels for felt this fall. Felt happens when one accidentally or on purpose agitates wool, creating a dense mat of fabric (as anyone who has mistakenly washed a wool sweater in the machine can attest). It's one of the oldest “constructed” textiles. The UW-Madison’s textile program takes a closer look at felt in physical and sociological terms with “Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles,” which highlights the communal nature of creating felt in some cultures, with felt pieces from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, along with new works from makers in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Iluman, Ecuador. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Sally Collins, Thursday, Nov. 14, Lake City Books, 6 p.m.: Wisconsin is fertile ground for fiction writers, and Door County-based author Sally Collins sets her debut coming-of-age novel, Muddled Cherries, on the famous peninsula. The story follows 20-year-old Emily Schmidt, stuck working at her father’s flagging tavern in her western Wisconsin hometown. But an unsettling incident involving one of the tavern’s regulars prompts Emily to embark on a journey across the state to Door County in search of a new start. She finds that and more when she takes a job at a restaurant on the shore of Lake Michigan. Fun fact: Collins has served countless old-fashioneds and fish fries.

Uncropped, Thursday, Nov. 14, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: The 2024 PhotoMidwest Biennial may be nearly wrapped (one exhibit, “In Search of Awe,” is still viewable through Nov. 17 at Overture), but a documentary film screening series from fest organizers and FlakPhoto will continue. Next up is Uncropped, a new film focusing on the life and work of James Hamilton, a photographer for The Village Voice and other publications. It’s free to attend.

Pride and Prejudice, through Nov. 17, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: It’s one of the most beloved novels in English for a reason. Our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, is ahead of her time. When she decides that the eligible Mr. Darcy is an insufferable snob, she must learn much before everything comes to right. While Pride and Prejudice is in many ways an intricate dance in which the major characters figure out who should marry whom, it is much more than that, assaying class and gender roles with wit and perception. Performances of this University Theatre production are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7-17. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Angry F*gs, through Nov. 16, Bartell Theatre: StageQ weighs in with a play smartly timed to election season. Topher Payne’s Angry F*gs, written in 2013, deals with violence and attitudes that have not changed in the 11 years since. When a friend is beaten up outside a gay bar, political speechwriter Bennett is outraged that it isn’t classified as a hate crime. This dark revenge comedy won the Gene-Gabriel Moore playwriting award. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Nov. 16). Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Jerrod Carmichael, Thursday, Nov. 14, Comedy on State, 7:30 p.m.: Jerrod Carmichael moved to Los Angeles to start a career in comedy, which turned out to be a good idea; his first stand-up special, Love at the Store from 2014, was directed by none other than Spike Lee. Since then, Carmichael has been a consistently thought-provoking artist, from starring in the semi-autobiographical NBC series The Carmichael Show to making his feature directorial debut with the dark comedy-drama On the Count of Three to a scene-stealing turn in Poor Things to this year’s completely autobiographical Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

Murder Girl, through Nov. 24, Overture-Playhouse: This is the world premiere of a new play by Milwaukee actor/playwright Heidi Armbruster, who often draws from classic murder mysteries and has previously adapted Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for the stage as well as crafting Mrs. Christie, a play about the novelist. In this comedy, Armbruster draws on the fact that Wisconsin is populated with both supper clubs and famous serial killers. The plot: Siblings who have inherited a supper club in the northwoods find things turning dark. American Players Theatre favorite Sarah Day is in the cast of this Forward Theater production. Read Linda Falkenstein’s review here. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m., Nov. 16 and 23. Tickets at overture.org.

Town Mountain + John R. Miller, Thursday, Nov. 14, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: This worthy double bill features a band that blurs alt-country, bluegrass and honky-tonk (with pinches of rock) and a singer-songwriter whose intimate material sounds warm and familiar from the get-go. There’s an added poignancy to Town Mountain shows these days. The band formed nearly 20 years ago in Asheville, N.C. — which was ravaged by Hurricane Helene in September — and played an Election Day benefit for communities in the Appalachian region before heading to the upper Midwest. Town Mountain’s performances also often include unlikely but compelling Dire Straits and Bruce Springsteen covers. Nashville-based John R. Miller, meanwhile, released Heat Comes Down last year, on which he delivers cosmic country, laid-back honky-tonk and plenty in between. These two artists are perfectly paired for a late-fall Madison evening. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Are We Dell'arte? Nov. 14-16, Broom Street Theater, 8 p.m.: Are We Delicious?, the ensemble that puts together its shows in just two weeks from script to production, tackles the age-old form of commedia dell’arte, one of the earliest forms of professional theater. Expect surprises. Tickets at eventbrite.com (just added: an additional 9:45 p.m. showtime on Nov. 16).

A Conversation with Jana Schmieding, Friday, Nov. 15, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 6:30 p.m.: For its Native November keynote, the UW Indigenous Student Center Coalition presents a talk by writer, actor, comedian and Lakota Native Jana Schmieding. In recent years, Schmieding co-starred with Ed Helms in the Peacock comedy series Rutherford Falls and was also a cast member of the acclaimed series Reservation Dogs; currently she co-hosts the Sage-Based Wisdom podcast with Brian Bahe. RSVP here.

Lucid Dreaming Sketch, Nov. 15-17, Bartell Theatre-Drury: This local sketch comedy group believes that comedy can be created by everyone and be for everyone. And it’s true, don’t you know some pretty funny people? In “Raisinable Doubt,” the Lucid Dreaming folks focus on surreal comedy, which may prove to be an escape hatch these days. Shows at 7 p.m. on Nov-15-16 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 17; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Madison Symphony Orchestra, Nov. 15-17, Overture Hall: In a program titled “Momentum,” pianist Garrick Ohlsson joins the Madison Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. “While Ohlsson is famous for playing heavyweight piano concertos, he also plays as soft as rain,” writes Sandy Tabachnick in Isthmus' fall classical preview. Bookending the concerto are Jonathan Leshnoff’s Rush for Orchestra (making its MSO debut) and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor. Michael Stern, the longtime music director of the Kansas City Symphony, is guest conductor. Concerts are at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15-16 and 2:30 p.m., Nov. 17; tickets at overture.org.

Found Money: The Musical, Nov. 15-24, Mary Dupont Wahlers Theatre: Madison’s Kelsy Schoenhaar wrote the book and music to this “new adaptation of an Encore Studio favorite.” Ryan, a person with a disability, mistakenly receives more money than usual in his benefits check. He might lose the much needed funds — and get into more trouble — when he tells the wrong person about this windfall. Encore is a professional company for people with disabilities, one of the few in the U.S. Rescheduled from September; Found Money performances are Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets at encorestudio.org.

The Big Sing, Saturday, Nov. 16, Madison Youth Arts, 10 a.m.: Take a deep breath and let it all out, not by screaming but by singing. Everyone is invited to this community “singing experience” with the Madison Youth Choirs and led by none other than Tamera and Leotha Stanley, leaders of the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir. We know that 72,000 Swifties singing along in Seattle created the equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. Let’s see what we can do, Madison. Organizers request an RSVP at madisonyouthchoirs.org but seating is still first-come, first-served. The MYArts lobby will open at 9:30 a.m.

Flannel Fest, Saturday, Nov. 16, Barrymore, 6 p.m.: The annual Flannel Fest celebrates Americana music with a hot lineup of national and local artists while raising money for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund. Over the past decade, this event has brought in more than $137,000 to help families in crisis keep the heat and power on. Both veteran co-headliners, Blitzen Trapper and Old 97’s, released new albums this year (100s of 1,000’s, Millions of Billions and American Primitive, respectively). Madison’s Americana ambassadors The Mascot Theory also put out their finest record in April (Every Sign of Life), and the Beth Kille Band has won more than two dozen Madison Area Music Awards. (If you’re unable to attend the Madison show, Tanner’s Grill & Bar in Kimberly will host Flannel Fest with the same lineup on Friday, Nov. 15.) Tickets at flannelfest.com.

Neal Francis, Saturday, Nov. 16, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Neal Francis plays the piano with the abandon of Jerry Lee Lewis, the audacity of Dr. John, and the coolness of Leon Russell. He took the Marquette Waterfront Festival by storm in 2019 and Madison has never forgotten him. The Chicagoan runs his band like an Army unit and it shows in their airtight, stormy blues and rock. Said Rolling Stone: “Neal Francis is making piano rock cool again.” Just released this week was the disco-ready single “Back It Up,” accompanied by a lo-fi '80s-esque video. Chicago underground R&B sensation Wyatt Waddell supports. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Girls Gotta Eat, Saturday, Nov. 16, Orpheum Theater, 8 p.m.: The girls in question are Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg and their podcast is a breezy free-associative ramble that resembles two best friends who haven’t seen each other in, like, months catching up on all their favorite topics (dating, sex, celebrity gossip, lucky numbers) at a rate of conversational speed that approaches the sound barrier. The two hosts perform this podcast live on their “No Crumbs” tour. Is it comedy or a relationships advice show? YMMV. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

LINE EP release, Saturday, Nov. 16, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: Madison pop band LINE, anchored by singer-songwriter Maddie Batzli and bassist Austin Lynch, debuted a new lineup recently and are back with a long-awaited new recording. The Making Room EP will debut at this show, with CDs available ahead of the digital release on Dec. 5. The EP’s four tracks find the band’s songwriting as sharp as ever, while expanding their sonic palette (were you expecting banjo?). They are joined by another group of Madison pop wunderkinds, Gentle Brontosaurus. Tickets at harmonybarandgrill.com.

Madison Polish Film Festival, Sunday, Nov. 17, UW Union South-The Marquee, 3 p.m.: This annual UW-Madison film fest sponsored by the Polish Student Association offers different perspectives from standard Hollywood fare. The fest's final weekend features two 2023 films: Doppelgänger. Double, a tale of two men leading seemingly different lives on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain; and Feast of Fire, a story about sisters facing life challenges. Find more on the films at gns.wisc.edu.

Lou & Peter Berryman, Sunday, Nov. 17, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: It’s no shock that a show in which Madison folk legends Lou & Peter Berryman come out of retirement sold out quickly. But perhaps you can beg, barter, or otherwise cajole a ticket. If you are new here and don’t know the tale, Lou and Peter (No Relation, the title of their 1980 album, explains the same last name — they’re divorced) play whimsical, place-specific singalong folk songs, with Lou warbling while playing the accordion; Peter plays the guitar and writes the lyrics. They’re performing in honor of the Madison Folk Music Society’s 50th anniversary. With 19 albums, there’s plenty of material in the back catalog, so you may not hear your favorite. But from “Wonderful Madison” to “Poniatowski,” it’s all good.

Dear Nora, Sunday, Nov. 17, Communication, 8 p.m.: Dear Nora has endured many incarnations since Katy Davidson teamed up with Lewis and Clark College classmates out in Portland in the late ’90s. One thing has been consistent: Davidson’s delivery of creative, insurgent pop music in the vein of DIY notables like Gaze and the Softies. This is a great opportunity to see a tireless innovator at work, on a solo tour stop. With Madison singer-songwriter miscellaneous owl; rescheduled from April. Tickets at communicationmadison.com.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.