What to do in Madison this week: mssv, Twyla Tharp Dance and more Isthmus Picks

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Teralyn Brown, April 14-May 9, Tandem Press; reception May 2, 5-8 p.m.: Teralyn Brown’s intricate, extremely detail-oriented, limited palette etchings of grasses, foliage and other plants, and furniture are mesmerizing. “I find myself lingering on memories and tiny details while I construct my plates,” Brown writes in her artist statement. Her UW-Madison master of fine arts thesis show represents hours of work and should amaze.

Dean Robbins, Tuesday, April 15, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: In the new book Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me, author Dean Robbins celebrates obvious and not-so-obvious boundary-breakers, thinkers, musicians and others. As Robbins tells Michael Popke, “With this essay collection, I feel like I had a chance to provide a personal perspective on dozens of heroic figures in my own backyard.” Robbins, a former Isthmus editor-in-chief, will discuss the book with Doug Moe. Reservations are recommended, and a livestream is available; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Cho Nam-joo, Tuesday, April 15, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Join author Cho Nam-joo for a conversation about her works, including her acclaimed novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, which has resonated globally for its poignant portrayal of gender inequality. The novel was this school year's UW Center for the Humanities Great World Texts in Wisconsin selection, read by high school students around the state. Moderated by UW professor Eunsil Oh, this talk will delve into Cho's writing process and her approach to blending personal narratives with broader social commentary.

Twyla Tharp Dance, Tuesday, April 15, Overture Hall, 7 p.m.: Twyla Tharp Dance is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025…a perfect time to make its Overture Center debut. Renowned for blending classical discipline with modern innovation, Tharp's choreography has continually redefined the boundaries of dance. This performance features works set to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and a new composition by Philip Glass in collaboration with Third Coast Percussion. Expect an evening showcasing the company's signature creativity, wit and technical precision. Tickets at overture.org.

Tyanna Buie, through May 16, Memorial Union-Main Gallery: Printmaker and UW-Madison alumna Tyanna Buie returns with “In Retrospect,” a new exhibition. Rooted in memory, family, and the emotional archaeology of everyday life, Buie’s work turns absence into presence — layering image, text and texture to honor what official histories tend to overlook.

Colm Tóibín, Wednesday, April 16, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7 p.m.: This is a huge get for the Wisconsin Book Festival. Irish novelist Colm Tóibín has written 11 novels, including 2024’s Long Island — the continuing story of Irishwoman Eilis Lacey, who is married to plumber Tony Fiorello and one of four Italian-American brothers who all live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island. It is the New York Times bestselling sequel to Tóibín’s award-winning 2009 novel Brooklyn and was an Oprah’s Book Club pick. The man has been hailed as “simply one of the world’s best living literary writers” by The Boston Globe and was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize three times. Long Island recently was released in paperback, and all attendees will receive a pre-signed copy, courtesy of the Wisconsin Book Festival and the Madison Public Library Foundation. Note: This has moved from Central Library to Overture Center; doors open at 6 p.m.

Bob Mould Band, Wednesday, April 16, Majestic, 8 p.m.: Bob Mould is back on tour in support of his new album, Here We Go Crazy. The title track is amenable electric guitar folk/pop, familiar from Mould’s early solo work, but many of the following songs have a more Hüsker Dü-like attack. Mould says he’s been exploring “The joy of reckless abandon, the uncertainty of the world's future, the silence of solitude,” which seems properly of the moment. Craig Finn, of The Hold Steady, opens; Finn also just released a new album, Always Been, on April 4, and it's another sharp set filled with his artfully observational songs. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

2025 Wisconsin Institute For Creative Writing Fellows Reading, Thursday, April 17, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Each spring, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows take the mic as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival. This year’s fellows are Adams Adeosun, a fiction fellow who is also a poet; Jackie Chalghin, who specializes in fiction and creative nonfiction; Rickey Fayne, whose first novel, All God’s Children, is forthcoming from Little, Brown; Audrey Gradzewicz, poet; Michael Kaplan, another fiction writer who also writes poetry; and Winniebell Xinyu Zong, a poet who has published widely.

No Name String Band + The Stop and Listen, Thursday, April 17, Bur Oak, 7:30 p.m.: This bill marks a first-time pairing of Madison-area bands bringing their own freewheeling interpretations to vintage music styles. Veteran collective the No Name String Band includes players with experience in styles ranging from classical to bluegrass to Brazilian percussion, and can play it straight or get far out. The Stop and Listen is a newer quartet delving into dance tunes, country blues and more with an unusual blend of instruments including banjo, cello, harmonica, guitar and bass. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

Spring Awakening, April 17-27, Vilas Hall- Mitchell Theatre: The groundbreaking Frank Wedekind play, originally written in German in 1891, shocked Europe with its themes of teen sexuality, homosexuality, rape, suicide and abortion. This 2006 musical adaptation features an alt-rock score by not-well-remembered singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik. The musical, still set in the 19th century, features plenty of issues worthy of a content warning; even so, the original Broadway production won eight Tony Awards. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu or at the box office one hour prior to performances.

Songs Without Words, April 17-27, Taliesin-Hillside Theatre, Spring Green: Felix Mendelssohn lives on in concert halls — but what about his sister Fanny, also a composer, whose work was silenced by the expectations of her time? Songs Without Words explores the complicated bond between these siblings. APT actor Jennifer Vosters wrote the script and stars as both Fanny and Felix. This last production of the Two Crows Theatre Company’s season will take place at the Hillside Theatre at Taliesin, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at twocrowstheatrecompany.org.

mssv, Thursday, April 17, Gamma Ray, 8 p.m.: Power trio mssv is back on the road behind their March album, On And On, a showcase of songs written by guitarist-vocalist Mike Baggetta to debut on stages around the country during the band’s 2023 tour. It’s an eclectic album, swerving from straightforward-sounding pop like the album opening title track to meltdowns like “Super Dumb.” Anchoring Baggetta’s inventive guitar shredding is a legendary rhythm section: bassist Mike Watt (Minutemen) and drummer Stephen Hodges (whose extensive studio work ranges from the indefinable Tom Waits to bluesman James Harman). Opening are a pair of similarly punk-informed Madison supergroups, Hottt Probs and The Mothballs. Tickets at gammaray.bar.

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