What to do in Madison this weekend: Feb. 26-March 1, 2026

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra + Kanopy Dance, 'cullud wattah' and more Isthmus Picks

Arts

  • Shemekia Copeland, Thursday, Feb. 26, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: The Chicago Tribune called Shemekia Copeland “the greatest female blues vocalist working today.” Her newest album, Blame It on Eve, is powered by Will Kimbrough’s production as well as an incredible array of artists who joined the project including dobro master Jerry Douglas and Alejandro Escovedo. Born in the late ‘70s and raised in Harlem, Copeland began her performance career at eight when she joined her father, blues man Johnny Copeland, onstage at the Cotton Club. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Sword II, Thursday, Feb. 26, UW Memorial Union-Rathskeller, 7 p.m.: Atlanta trio Sword II is on tour behind their sophomore album, Electric Hour, released in November. The album finds the band harnessing what they learned in the noisier experiments of their earlier work and distilling it into a set of songs that shows their growth as writers and arrangers. Their songs are no less intense while growing catchier and at times quieter than in the past. With atmospheric Madison rockers DDDDangit.
  • Orchid Escape, through March 8, Olbrich Gardens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: After the recent stretch of frigid temperatures, many may be thinking of escaping to somewhere warm. A retreat right here in town is Olbrich Gardens' Bolz Conservatory, with the annual “Orchid Escape” display through March 8. Along with a multitude of beautiful orchids, this year’s event includes a focus on insects that are part of the plants' ecosystem. Tickets for timed entry are required, and available at olbrich.org.
  • cullud wattah, Feb. 26-March 8, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: This is a significant play from UW-Madison and First Wave alumna Erika Dickerson-Despenza, dramatizing the mid-2010s water crisis in Flint, Michigan, that shocked the nation. When the city began drawing water from the Flint River without proper treatment, lead from old pipes began poisoning the population. The play centers on one family’s intersection with protest, trust and community, themes still highly relevant today. University Theatre performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m. March 7. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Thursday, Feb. 26, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: If you don’t come for the pointe, you’re literally missing the point. For more than 50 years, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has proven that the funniest way to subvert classical ballet is to master it first. “The Trocks” bring deliberate, highly trained chaos: an all-male troupe in tutus and toe shoes, sending up ballet’s most serious tropes with slapstick timing and staggering skill. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Sandra, Feb. 26-March 8, Slowpoke Lounge, Spring Green: Sandra is the second part of a trilogy of film noir-style thrillers by David Cale (the Two Crows company also staged Harry Clarke, the first play in the trilogy, last year). It follows a recently separated woman who travels to Mexico to search for her missing friend, Ethan, a young composer and pianist. And a special treat: It stars APT stalwart Colleen Madden playing all the roles. Two Crows company founder Marcus Truschinski says of Madden: “She shifts into all these characters, and there’s no space between her and the audience.” Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at twocrowstheatrecompany.org.
  • Owen Kline Presents, Feb. 27-March 1, UW Cinematheque: Owen Kline’s directorial debut, Funny Pages, is a coming-of-age story about a teen who wants to grow up to be a comic book artist; Film Comment reviewer Dash Shaw called it a throwback to '90s comix culture but “visually compelling” for its comic-like look. Kline will visit Madison to screen his own 35mm print of the film (7 p.m., Feb. 27), along with curating a program of nine other screenings during the weekend. Among the delights are a newly restored print of Who Killed Teddy Bear? starring the always interesting Sal Mineo as a stalker (4:45 p.m., Feb. 28), and The Fool Killer, a little-seen 1965 AIP vehicle for Anthony Perkins (noon, Feb. 28). Find the full schedule at cinema.wisc.edu.
  • 150 Artists x 150 Years, through Feb. 28, Madison Public Library branches: As part of its 150th anniversary commemoration, Madison Public Library invited 150 artists to create a new art work; the catch was everyone was assigned a specific year, and had to base the art on a word that was newly added to a dictionary or the public lexicon in that year. The results can be viewed at Ashman, Central, Goodman, Hawthorne, Meadowridge, Pinney and Sequoya branches through February.
  • Midwestern Goodbyes, through March 1, Madison College-Truax Studio Theater: Madison College Performing Arts joins the World Premiere Wisconsin schedule with this entry written by alumnus Charly Sparks. Midwestern Goodbyes looks at a moment in the afterlife of Sloane, a recently deceased young woman who visits her own funeral — an event organized by her very different mother, and that doesn’t much reflect Sloane's life. It’s a heavy theme given a comedy edge. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at madisoncollege.edu.
  • After the War: 1919, Friday, Feb. 27, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: “After the War: 1919” is the third rock 'n roll history show from the Mobilize the Poets project, led by Ken Fitzsimmons of The Kissers. This program considers the people and the issues immediately following World War I. The shows are beautifully bombastic in a Broadway kind of way. Fitzsimmons surrounds himself with long-time Kissers band mates and others who, along with historic film and stills projected behind them, weave together stories of ordinary people enduring extraordinary circumstances. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.
  • Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Friday, Feb. 27, Overture-Capitol Theater, 7:30 p.m.: This concert doesn’t sit in a single lane, blending orchestra, jazz trio and dancers — all pulling on the same thread. Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s “Regeneration” opens with Angel Lam’s Please let there be a paradise…, a quiet, direct consideration of loss. Then UW School of Music Director Dan Cavanagh steps in with his trio (Shinya Fukumori on drums, Linda May Han Oh on bass) for the world premiere of his Provocateur, which should be a real conversation with the orchestra. After the intermission, Michael M. Bell’s Regeneration: A Pentalogy is paired with new choreography from Kanopy Dance, Renascence, that will make the whole idea of renewal feel physical. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Mink Stole + Peaches Christ, Friday, Feb. 27, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: Mink Stole is perhaps best known as part of the repertory cast employed by filmmaker John Waters across the decades, but beyond the Waters universe she has a diverse filmography in both underground and mainstream film and TV. That includes the 2010 film All About Evil, directed by Joshua Grannell — aka drag superstar Peaches Christ. In recent years the duo have hit the road with a cabaret show, “Idol Worship,” and it’s finally making its way to Madison. Mixing stories, film clips, songs and more, it’s a paean to the intersection of cult cinema history and queer culture, and should be a whole lot of fun. The evening also includes a performance by Madison drag artist Kayos Lynn Mirage. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.
  • Overture Fringe, Feb. 28-March 1, Overture Center: Inspired by the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival for performances that refuse to stay in the box, Overture throws its own scaled-down version. This year the shows encompass improv, magic and offbeat theater. Centerpieces of the fest are Earthlings: Revisited, Chris Grace: Sardines (a comedy about death), the kids' interactive show Dinosaur World Live, improv musical parodists Baby Wants Candy (who also present their Shamilton production), Caitlin Cook: The Writing on the Stall and The Naked Magicians. These are all ticketed shows; smaller free performances and installations will dot the O.C. throughout the weekend. Find the full schedule at overture.org.
  • Between the Acts, Feb. 28-March 1, Middleton-Cross Plains Performing Arts Center: Musical theater often is marketed as spectacle, but its roots are deeply classical: “Between the Acts,” from Capital City Theatre, leans all the way into that. The program brings a full 60-piece orchestra, choir and soloists for a night built on composers who know how to write for scale, including George Gershwin and John Williams. An intriguing wild card is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem — rarely programmed, unexpectedly serious, and a reminder that the guy behind the megahits can write with real symphonic weight. If you’re into the feeling that the room itself is vibrating a little, this is your weekend. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 and 2 p.m. on March 1; tickets at capitalcitytheatre.org.
  • Kamala Harris, Sunday, March 1, Orpheum, 1 p.m.: The former vice president of the United States is still on her book tour for 107 Days, a revealing presidential campaign memoir published last fall. The afternoon’s agenda calls for Kamala Harris to “share her powerful and timely message about what it will take to move forward, especially for those feeling disheartened and disconnected from the political process.” Harris' message is even more urgent now than it was in summer 2024. This event is held in partnership with A Room of One’s Own bookstore; tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Winter Festival of Poetry, Sundays, through March 8, Delta Beer Lab, 2 p.m.: A potent potable and some poetry on a midwinter’s afternoon? Yes please. The annual Winter Festival of Poetry is now located at Delta Beer Lab for the rest of these Sunday afternoon readings, proving that iambs and IPAs are a perfect match.

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