What to do in Madison this week: April 13-16, 2026

The Nude Party, Attacca Quartet + Caroline Shaw and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Wisconsin Film Festival, through April 16, Flix Brewhouse + Barrymore: Since its debut in 1999, the annual Wisconsin Film Festival has only grown in importance for local filmgoers, with traditional movie theaters gradually disappearing and the variety of new films on the big screen also shrinking. Except for a screening of the silent classic Nosferatu accompanied by Circuit des Yeux at the Barrymore (8 p.m., April 15; moved from Cinematheque), the action moves to Flix Brewhouse at East Towne Mall for the final four days. Some highlights: A newly restored version of the 1975 Indian epic Sholay (6:30 p.m. on April 15 and 1:15 p.m., April 16), the documentary Boorman and the Devil, about the making of Exorcist II, with director David Kittredge (3 p.m., April 13), and The Blue Trail, a tale of a senior citizen going rogue from the government's dystopian rules (6 p.m. on April 14 and 4 p.m., April 15). Plan your own adventure and check ticket availability at wifilmfest.eventive.org.
  • Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Monday, April 13, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Chicago rock band Brigitte Calls Me Baby is recently back from an extended swing through Europe, and kick off the North American leg of the tour in Madison. A listener unfamiliar with the band may think they are visiting from England rather than Chicago on hearing their new album, Irreversible, which sounds like it could be a lost mid-'80s record (think Simple Minds) thanks to the band’s pop-friendly gloss and emotion-laden vocals of Wes Leavins. With another rising rock band, New York quartet Skorts. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Julio Cachiguango, through April 30, ART House 360, Verona: Ecuadorian artist Julio Cachiguango is the recipient of ART House 360’s first residency; his inaugural exhibit of detailed paintings depicts his Andean heritage as well as scenes from the Madison area. The artist will lead two free community painting workshops in April; find details at arthouse360.com.
  • Riverdance, April 14-16, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: You may ask yourself: Riverdance is still at it? It is. The 30th anniversary tour “Riverdance 30: The New Generation” is both victory lap and reboot, celebrating decades of hard-shoe thunder and introducing cast members who weren’t yet born when the phenomenon originated. The show will deliver the beloved precision-footwork adrenaline rush, with updated choreography. If you’ve never seen it, the anniversary tour is a fresh chance to get acquainted; if you saw it years ago, this is your “oh right, that’s why” reminder. Tickets at overture.org.
  • The Nude Party, Tuesday, April 14, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Who can resist a band that calls themselves The Nude Party? This seven-man outfit returned to its countrified rock roots on its fourth record, Look Who’s Back, an album recorded in the California desert over just a few glorious days and released in February. You’ll hear strains of The Rolling Stones and at least a half-dozen other bands in The Nude Party’s music. But the group has never lost its own originality — punchy melodies mixed with a sense of wonder and a rollicking fun vibe. Chicago’s Tobacco City opens with its self-described blend of “cosmic country with a mix of psychedelic rock and honky-tonk soul.” Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Parallel Lines: Quilts and the American Landscape, through May 10, Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture: Quilts are more than just blankets. The medium is a vehicle for personal and political expression. This exhibit of 19th- and 20th-century American quilts from the UW-Madison’s Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection examines these works of art as a metaphor for the landscape and the built environment. “Parallel Lines: Quilts and the American Landscape” has been thoughtfully curated by Marina Moskowitz, professor of design studies and the Lynn and Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture & Design at UW-Madison, who’s “long had an interest in the ‘stuff’ of human life.” Upcoming related events include a screening of the 2024 documentary The Quilters, followed by a talk with director Jennifer McShane (5 p.m., April 19, Union South-Marquee; RSVP); and the final public gallery tour led by Moskowitz, a great chance to get insider insights (noon, April 22, RSVP).
  • Joshua Mezrich, Wednesday, April 15, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Lifesaving animal-to-human transplantation is within reach, according to Joshua Mezrich, professor of surgery at UW-Madison. He explores the potential of inter-species organ transplants in his new book Every Living Creature: How Xenotransplantation Will Change Our Lives. With protagonists that include a fellow transplant surgeon who swears by the promise of pig organs and a transgender visionary trying to save her daughter’s life, Mezrich dives into the history of xenotransplantation, reveals the latest science and tackles ethical questions about animal rights. Prepare to have your mind blown. Find an RSVP link and Crowdcast info at mysterytomebooks.com.
  • Wilder Deitz’s American Canon, Wednesdays, through May 20, Muso, 7 p.m.: Madison musician and educator Wilder Deitz has been playing a variety of instruments and composing in a variety of genres from an early age. For “American Canon,” Deitz will pull together seemingly disparate musical threads and examine their connections in a series of performances-lectures. Deitz will be joined by bassist John Minnich, saxophonist Nathan France, and guests.
  • Lady Disdain, April 9-26, Overture-Playhouse: Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing gets a contemporary remix by playwright Lauren Gunderson in Lady Disdain. The comedy drops two exes into a recording booth to voice the latest audiobook in a popular romance series — a setup providing plenty of room to echo Beatrice and Benedick’s famously prickly chemistry. Forward Theater Company’s production features a cast of familiar regional favorites under the direction of Jen Uphoff Gray, and is another entry in the World Premiere Wisconsin schedule. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. April 16, 18 and 25 and 7:30 p.m. April 21. Tickets at overture.org.
  • The Evolution of the Youth Vote: The Changing Politics of Gen Z, Thursday, April 16, UW Fluno Center, 3 p.m.: Pundits usually expect the youth vote to land heavily on the side of Democrats, but that trend shifted enough in the 2024 fall election to help deliver the federal government to Republicans. The Elections Research Center at UW will consider “The Evolution of the Youth Vote: The Changing Politics of Gen Z” with a panel discussion featuring authors and political scientists Melissa Deckman and Matthew Nelsen, Harvard pollster John Della Volpe, journalist Christian Paz, and ERC Director Barry Burden. Register at elections.wisc.edu.
  • Dig Deep, Thursday, April 16, Up North, 5:30 p.m.: Dig Deep coalesced in the Stevens Point music scene about a decade back, and since then the quartet has become a favorite on festival and club stages around the Midwest. They take their roots music seriously, but it’s far from staid as filtered through the musical world of the punk and metal bands the members have been in over the years. They’re starting this show early as a warm up set for Up North favorite Billy Bronsted and his band’s show a couple blocks away at the High Noon.
  • D.S. Waldman, Alison Thumel, Anada Werner, Thursday, April 16, A Room of One’s Own, 6 p.m.: Has anyone reminded you that April is poetry month? If not, let us be the first, and this triple bill celebrating the debut collection from D.S. Waldman (Atria, Liveright/Norton) will remind you why we celebrate. Waldman’s work encompasses his Kentucky youth, time in California, and his current home, New York City, and ranges from sonnets to prose poems. Waldman’s poetry often centers on art and our relation to it, and is influenced by the imagists. Madison’s own Alison Thumel (Architect) and Anada Werner (Punt) round out the evening.
  • Line Breaks, through April 24, various venues: UW-Madison’s Line Breaks festival, coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, features a variety of happenings showing hip-hop’s expansive cultural reach. Events still to come include a concert by singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin (7 p.m., April 16, Memorial Union-Play Circle) and a screening of See Memory with filmmaker Viviane Silvera (2 p.m., April 18, Chazen). More events and visual art exhibitions take place all month; find the full lineup at omai.wisc.edu.
  • Kanopy Dance, April 16-19, Overture-Promenade Hall: A modern dance landmark returns to the stage when Kanopy Dance teams up with New York’s Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble for their spring concert, titled “Divine Mythologies.” The centerpiece is Anna Sokolow’s rarely performed 1965 work Odes, a stark, physically demanding piece set to the jagged, electronic-tinged sounds of modernist composer Edgard Varese. Works by Kanopy co-artistic directors Lisa Thurrell and Robert E. Cleary round out the program. Performances at 7 p.m. April 16-17, 4 and 7 p.m. April 18, and 2 p.m. April 19; tickets at overture.org.
  • Chesapeake, April 16-26, Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret, Spring Green: Two Crows Theatre Company is a younger but mighty sibling to American Players Theatre. Its third and final show of this season, Chesapeake, is quite timely. A performance artist whose funding gets cut by the NEA decides to take revenge by kidnapping a conservative senator’s prized Chesapeake Bay retriever. It’s written by Lee Blessing and stars Elizabeth Ledo. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at twocrowstheatrecompany.org.
  • Attacca Quartet with Caroline Shaw, Thursday, April 16, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Composer Caroline Shaw — who in 2013 became one of the youngest ever recipients of the Pulitzer Prize for Music — joins the Grammy-winning Attacca Quartet for a program devoted entirely to her work. Drawn largely from their 2022 album collaboration, Evergreen, the concert features Shaw’s lyrical, quietly inventive string writing. Attacca has become one of Shaw’s closest collaborators, giving her music a warm, flexible sound that blurs the line between classical tradition and something more contemporary. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Much Ado About Nothing, April 16-26, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: Forward Theater’s current production, Lady Disdain, is a Lauren Gunderson reinvention of Much Ado About Nothing. University Theatre offers audiences a unique chance to compare-and-contrast with a staging of the Shakespeare original, directed by Baron Kelly. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday (no show on April 24), 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Ruen Brothers, Thursday, April 16, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Think of the Milk Carton Kids only filled with piss and vinegar, the kind that comes with growing up in the industrial hellhole that is Scunthorpe, England. Now based in Louisville, Kentucky, the Ruen Brothers (real-life brothers Henry and Rupert Stansall) also have a bit of the Everly Brothers in their sound. Their latest album, Awoo, is as haunting as it sounds and when Henry’s soaring vocals climb confidently, effortlessly higher and higher, Roy Orbison smiles down. Rupert does his talking with his guitar…and what a talker he is. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • Overture Galleries spring exhibitions, through May 24 or 31, Overture Center; reception April 30, 5:30-8:30 p.m.: Possibly the best public galleries in town are hallways in the Overture Center, with patrons passing by on all levels of the building and a careful, creative curation always at play. This spring’s exhibits encompass a consideration of space, the language of love, and world landscapes, from artists Katherine Steichen Rosing, Sandra Schoen, Susan Dupor, Valerie Savarie, Gerit Grimm, Matthew Warren Lee, Mack Bo Ross and DarRen Morris. Bonus! Madison’s book-making group, The Bone Folders' Guild, displays its members’ art books in the Playhouse Gallery. A reception takes place from 5-8 p.m. April 30; artists will speak at 6 p.m. on the Rotunda Stage.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect a venue change for Wisconsin Film Festival.