What to do in Madison this weekend: Line Breaks, Shemekia Copeland and more Isthmus Picks

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Wisconsin Film Festival, through April 11, Barrymore + Flix Brewhouse: The most wonderful week of the year for Madison-area film fans wraps up Thursday. A very special screening at the Barrymore closes the fest with a 20th anniversary celebration of Sideways, featuring a Q&A with director and co-writer Alexander Payne (7:30 p.m.). The final day also includes the new dark comedy Crumb Catcher (5:15 p.m., Flix) and the uncut French language version of the 1971 Jean-Paul Belmondo vehicle The Burglars (2:15 p.m., Flix). The full film guide was in the March issue of Isthmus and can be found online at wifilmfest.eventive.org.

50 Years of Literacy Network: Toasting the Next Half Century, auction April 11-25; reception Thursday, April 25, Boardman Clark, 7 p.m.: Literacy Network helps Dane County adults improve their reading skills through classes and individual tutoring. The nonprofit is raising funds for its mission with a 50th anniversary online auction, open from noon on April 11 through 11 p.m. on April 25. A cocktail party and talk takes place on April 25, with registration required by 5 p.m. on April 18. Find more information at literacynetwork.schoolauction.net.

Message from Our Planet, through June 2, Chazen Museum of Art; reception April 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: This exhibit of new media works includes software and other digital technologies, video, and light-based works. In “Message from Our Planet,” visitors will see vintage examples of media devices from the 1960s to current models. Art is one of the ways we communicate with the future humans of this planet, the exhibit suggests, or even beings from other worlds. Curator Jason Foumberg was inspired by the cultural artifacts that were sent into space via Voyager 1 in 1977 that included music from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Chuck Berry. The reception on April 11 will feature a panel discussion by artists Claudia Hart and Jason Salavon, moderated by UW professor Stephen Hilyard; register at eventbrite.com.

JustDane 50th Anniversary Celebration, Thursday, April 11, Madison College-Truax, Mitby Theater, 6 p.m.: The nonprofit JustDane (founded as Madison-area Urban Ministry) works for a more equitable society with a focus on providing services and programs for individuals in (or departing from) the criminal justice system, and their families. They celebrate five decades of advocacy with this event, which begins with a reception featuring music by the Michael Buerger Jazz Quartet; the program at 7 p.m. features guest speaker Father Gregory Boyle of Los Angeles reentry organization Homeboy Industries. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Capital Verses, Thursday, April 11, Madison College-South, 6:30 p.m.: April is Poetry Month! This new collab between Madison College and Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters starts it on a high note with this reading featuring Austin-based slam poet S.C. Says (aka Andre Bradford), as well as local voices Charles Edward Payne (an Isthmus contributor), Laura McMillan, Morgan Steward, Christian Kind, Asiah Kind, Sarah Branch, Chakari Daezhare, Keena Stayflyy Atkinson and Arsenio Sorrell. Events continue with a Mad City Story Slam at Madison Public Central Library on Saturday, April 20, and a reading by U.S. poet laureate Ada Limon May 23 at Overture Center. Free tickets at tickettailor.com.

Line Breaks, April 11, Memorial Union-Play Circle; April 12-13, Overture Center: Each spring, the UW Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives hosts Line Breaks, showcasing work by students in the First Wave program along with special guests. The festival begins this year with a performance of Can a Song Be a Revolution (7:30 p.m., April 11, Play Circle), which reimagines the songs of Indian poet Gaddar in a jazz and hip-hop context, performed by Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program artist Sri Vamsi Matta, First Wave students and local musicians. First Wave showcases take place at 7 p.m. April 12-13 at Overture Center; Friday’s concert is preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m., and Saturday’s concert ends with a performance by the band Tilla, featuring Hip-Hop Arts Residency Program guest artist Taylor Scott. Performances are free, but register at eventbrite.com.

Pete Lee, April 11-13, Comedy on State: When you Google Pete Lee, the tagline that comes up with his website is “That Guy From That Thing!” It’s an apt joke; since Lee’s television debut nearly two decades ago on the Comedy Central showcase Premium Blend, he’s appeared anywhere from late night shows such as The Tonight Show to an NFL-themed segment on Nickelodeon’s Nick Toons to the soap opera As the World Turns. That’s just a few mile markers on this Janesville native’s performing resume. Catch his self-deprecating and occasionally soothingly silly stand-up at 7:30 p.m. on April 11 and 7:30 and 10 p.m. on April 12-13. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.

What the Constitution Means to Me, through April 21, Overture Center-Playhouse: This drama, already a modern American classic, was written by Heidi Schreck. What the Constitution Means to Me follows Schreck from her past as an idealistic, politically engaged teen to the present day, when her relationship with the United States has become a lot more complicated. The role will be performed for Forward Theater by APT favorite Colleen Madden; it will be in great hands. Read Jason Compton's review here. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on April 13 and 20. Tickets at overture.org.

Shannon McNally + Beth Bombara, Thursday, April 11, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Beth Bombara’s 2023 album, It All Goes Up, evokes ’70s singer-songwriters in its embrace of varied styles, from folk-toned to rockin’. Shannon McNally works the bluesier side of Americana, as heard on the 2023 album Live at Dee’s. The two veteran singer-songwriters are teaming up for a short run of Midwest shows, including a stop at The Bur Oak. Tickets at seetickets.us.

H’Doubler Concert, April 11-20, UW Lathrop Hall-H'Doubler Performance Space: See the best of UW-Madison student dance at this year-ending series of performances. There are two programs (April 11-13 and April 18-20) with nine or 10 different dancers featured in each; dances are also choreographed by students. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 2:30 p.m. Saturdays. Tickets are available from the Campus Arts Box Office, by phone at 608-265-2787, online at artsticketing.wisc.edu, or at the door one hour before the performances.

Rae Senarighi, through May 4, Giant Jones Brewing: The joyful and colorful painted portraits of trans and non-binary individuals by Madison-based artist Rae Senarighi (aka Transpainter) have found an international audience in recent years. His current exhibit at Giant Jones features the debut of the first two portraits (of Madison artist Nipinet and Two Indigiqueers and a Mic podcast co-host Adrian Garcia) of a collaborative project with Seattle-based photographer Steven Miller, featuring Two Spirit, transgender and nonbinary folks living in the Midwest. The exhibit continues through May 4.

Wisconsin Screenwriters' Symposium, April 12-13, UW Vilas Hall: If the Wisconsin Film Festival inspired you to create films of your own, this new collaboration by the UW Department of Communication Arts and the International Screenwriters' Association is certainly providentially timed. Workshops take place at 3 and 4:30 p.m., April 12-13, on the basics of screenwriting, breaking into the film industry, making a pitch, and the overall process of taking a screenplay to a film. It’s free and no registration is needed; find more info at commarts.wisc.edu.

Waging Peace in Vietnam, through April 22, Wisconsin Historical Society: This historical exhibit documents the stories of active duty military members and vets who found a way to participate in the anti-war movement during the conflict in Vietnam. “Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans who Opposed the War” first opened in 2018 at the Vietnam’s War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, and has since traveled to more than 20 locations around the U.S.; its Madison stop is scheduled to be the end of the tour. Events still to come include a screening of the documentary The Whistleblower of My Lai accompanied by a performance on đàn tranh and Q&A with Vân-Ánh Võ (5:30 p.m., April 14); and a talk about the memoir When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, with author Le Ly Hayslip in conversation with Norman Stockwell (7 p.m., April 16). Find the full schedule at wagingpeaceinvietnam.com.

Dear Nora, Friday, April 12, Communication, 7:30 p.m.: Dear Nora has featured 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 slowcore harmony makers Loveblaster. Tickets at communicationmadison.com.

Vacation, Friday, April 12, Mickey’s, 10 p.m.: Cincinnati’s Vacation has proven one of the most interestingly eclectic rock bands of the last decade and a half. Their sound can range from fuzzy punk to shimmering pop to odd experiments, but it’s just about always earworm-inducing no matter what they are up to. A new album, Rare Earth, is on the way in May, their first since the excellently crunching Existential Risks and Returns from 2021. With Cincinnati tourmates Dana and local faves Mickey Sunshine and Whippets. It's night one of No Coasting Fest, which continues April 13 at the Crystal Corner.

Dean Robbins, Saturday, April 13, Mystery to Me, 11 a.m.: Prolific children’s picture book author — and former Isthmus editor — Dean Robbins is celebrating the release of two new titles, both of which colorfully chronicle the lives of pioneering females. The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands For Viola Smith (Candlewick) recounts the career trajectory of the drummer who grew up in Mount Calvary, Wis., and became one of the few female professional jazz musicians of the early 20th century. You Are A Star, Malala Yousafzai (Scholastic), meanwhile, is the third title in Robbins’ You Are A Star series and mixes first-person narrative with comic panels and essential facts to introduce readers to the 11-year-old Pakistani girl who challenged the Taliban and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended, but the event also will be livestreamed on Crowdcast. Find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Madison Ballet, April 13-14, Overture Center-Capitol Theater: Madison Ballet wraps its season with dances both classic and contemporary in this program, dubbed "Timeless." Hallelujah Junction, set to music by American composer John Adams, is choreographed by artistic director Ja’ Malik. He plays on the rhythms of the word hallelujah and the percussive effects of two pianos in this world premiere performance. Also on the program, “Agapé” and the second act from the well known ballet Giselle. Performances are at 2 and 7:30 p.m. on April 13 and at 2 p.m. on April 14. Tickets at overture.org.

Ratboys, Saturday, April 13, UW Memorial Union, 7 p.m.: Chicago rock band Ratboys got some extra attention in south-central Wisconsin in early 2023 due to the single “Black Earth, WI,” a more than eight-minute number that on its surface doesn’t seem to be about Black Earth. The single and the subsequent album, The Window, were critical favorites and provide crunchy and occasionally twangy delights. Opening is Toronto rock duo Ducks Ltd., on tour with the new album Harm’s Way.

Shuffle Inn Reunion, Saturday, April 13, Bowl-A-Vard Lanes, 7 p.m.: This periodic gathering remembers one of Madison’s legendary music venues, which was destroyed by fire in 1988. Appropriately, the bill features three Wisconsin 1970s-'80s bands, all performing with their original lineups (!). Perhaps the most remembered today is Chaser, fronted by musician and author Michael Massey (check out their modern-day reunion album, Jack’s Bootleg, at soulminemusicco.com). Also playing are Milwaukee-area pop-rockers London USA and Madison hard rockers Interface.

Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Saturday, April 13, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: Co-founded two decades back in Chicago by guitarist Nathaniel Braddock and saxophonist Greg Ward, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International creates music celebrating the joyful, distinctive sound of African guitar bands. The group has featured various players from around the world during periodic reunions over the years, and for this weekend’s concerts (including April 12 in Chicago) Braddock and Ward will be joined by drummer-composer Makaya McCraven and bassist Joshua Ramos. The quartet will be playing music from the recent album release Likambo Te and segments of 3 Rites: Happiness, a collaboration with Ugandan-American choreographer Edisa Weeks. Tickets for this BlueStem Jazz concert will be available at the door.

Wristwatch + Hottt Probs, Saturday, April 13, Crystal Corner, 9 p.m.: One of Bobby Hussy’s latest punk projects, Wristwatch, headlines this four-band bill. And while the crowd will be well rewarded for staying for the closer, many will also be there to see emerging post-punk wildcards Hottt Probs, an all-star band that includes members of Screamin' Cyn Cyn & the Pons, His & Her Vanities, Bes Monde and Tormentula. With local noise makers Bron Sage and Alabama synthwavers Snacks. It's the final night of No Coasting Fest, which kicks off April 12 at Mickey's.

Chris Sandoval benefit, Sunday, April 14, Red Rooster, 2-6:30 p.m.: Drummer Chris Sandoval has been behind the kit for The Jimmys for many years; before moving to southern Wisconsin Sandoval toured with players such as Tommy Castro and Joe Louis Walker. This matinee show will help raise funds for Sandoval as he recovers from emergency surgery in February. Jimmy Voegeli and other Jimmys bandmates are scheduled to appear, along with Paul Filipowicz and band, James Eisele, Birddog Blues Band and Tate & the 008 Band; expect more special guests as well.

Shemekia Copeland, Sunday, April 14, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: One of the finest and most in-demand female blues singers of the past quarter-century, Shemekia Copeland (daughter of the late Texas bluesman Johnny Copeland) makes hard-hitting music that reflects life as a Black woman, wife and mother in today’s troubled America. Her latest album, 2022’s Done Come Too Far, tackles racism, gun violence and child abuse. But Copeland's deep songbook can also bring the party, as on her performance of “I’m a Woman” with Buddy Guy, featured on last year’s Basie Swings the Blues!, which won a 2023 Grammy. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

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