What to do in Madison this week: Lúnasa, ‘Miss Ross Live’ and more Isthmus Picks

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Miss Ross Live! Tuesday, Feb. 28, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 6:30 p.m.: Wisconsin native Angelica Ross is well-known for television, film and theater roles, including the series Pose and American Horror Story: 1984. Ross is also founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, which focuses on building economic empowerment for marginalized communities through technical training and resource sharing. That’s only a few examples of her work in the arts and as an advocate for human rights; hear more of Ross' story during the UW Gender and Sexuality Campus Center’s inaugural Trailblazer Talk, hosted in conjunction with the Black Cultural Center’s Black History Month events series and various other campus partners.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, Tuesday, Feb. 28, The Sylvee, 8 p.m.: This one has been a long time coming (and, expectedly, most tickets were snapped up quickly). According to our records, almost nine years have passed since original Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Bobby Weir last visited Madtown, and that was with RatDog. Now, he’s back with Wolf Bros (featuring Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti) and The Wolfpack (a string and brass quintet) to perform gems from the Grateful Dead’s expansive catalog, Weir’s solo albums and more. Weir, 75, has been busy lately, releasing a pair of well-received albums recorded live in Colorado with Wolf Bros in 2021 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. And his 1972 solo debut, Ace, was recently reissued with performances of each album track recorded at a 2022 Radio City Music Hall concert. See this man while you still can.

re:mancipation, through June 25, Chazen Museum of Art: “re:mancipation” is a multi-year collaboration by New York artist Sanford Biggers, the MASK Consortium (representing museums and other institutions) and the Chazen, responding to the Thomas Ball sculpture “Emancipation Group” — on display at the Chazen. (In recent years, a version of the work was removed from public display in Boston). This multidisciplinary exhibition resulting from the project features new work by Biggers and others, video and music responding to Ball's work, historical timelines, documentary material about the project, and more. Read Jeffrey Brown's story about the exhibit here.

All Policy is Implementation, Wednesday, March 1, Monona Terrace, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: When the government is creating policies that help the public, does the public even notice? The annual La Follette Forum, hosted by the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, focuses on the conjunction of how services are delivered and trust in government. Panel discussions featuring speakers from government, nonprofits and academia are joined by keynotes from former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card (George W. Bush administration) and professor and journalist Melissa Harris-Perry (host of public radio program The Takeaway — controversially just canceled by WNYC). It's free and open to the public; find a detailed schedule and registration at lafollette.wisc.edu,

Fences, March 1-10, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: General rule of thumb: don't pass up the chance to see a play by August Wilson. In Fences, Wilson chronicles the bitter decline of Troy Maxson, who's gone from starring in the Negro baseball league to working as a garbage collector. It's a timely production that mirrors this country's ongoing struggles with race and racism. “August Wilson shares history we cannot allow to disappear but must remain on our stages,” says University Theatre production director Baron Kelly. Performances are at 7:30 p.m., March 1-3; 2 and 7:30  p.m., March 4; 2 p.m., March 5; and 7:30 p.m., March 9-10. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu; or at the lobby box office one hour prior to performances. Read Gwendolyn Rice's preview here.

The Flat Five, Wednesday, March 1, Stoughton Opera House, 7:30 p.m.: It would be hard to go wrong with any project involving singers Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor, both lauded for their solo work and as harmony singers/touring players for artists such as Neko Case and The Decemberists. Add other musical ringers like NRBQ members Scott Ligon and Casey McDonough and drummer Alex Hall (J.D. McPherson, Joel Paterson) and you have a supergroup on your hands. The quintet have been writing and recording off-kilter harmony pop as the Flat Five periodically for some years now, and any time their busy schedules align to convene for a tour it is a date to put on the calendar in pen. Tickets at stoughtonoperahouse.com.

Marisa Crane + Jennifer Savran Kelly, Thursday, March 2, Crowdcast, 6 p.m.: This livestream hosted by A Room of One's Own features two authors discussing new debut novels. Marisa Crane's I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is a story set in an alternate United States where, rather than jail, the convicted are given additional shadows as punishment (and a warning to others); these “Shadesters” contend with prejudice and systemic corruption. Jennifer Savran Kelly's Endpapers follows an artist who discovers a queer love letter hidden in an old book; it may lead to some answers about life. Register to attend the talk on Crowdcast.

Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Thursday, March 2, Barrymore Theatre, 7 p.m.: It's a film fest with a focus on environmental and adventure films, so you can expect a lot of scenic vistas but also stories of adventure and activism, documentaries about environmental justice, innovative agriculture and more.  Featured films include No Other Lake, which follows a kayaker on a two-week trip along the entire 120-mile length of Lake Champlain, between New York and Vermont, and the people met along the way; and Wading for Change, about Wyoming based conservationist Jr Rodriguez. Sponsored by the River Alliance of Wisconsin. Ticket info at barrymorelive.com.

Lúnasa, Thursday, March 2, North Street Cabaret, 7 and 9 p.m.: Prep for St. Patrick's Day early with this concert of traditional Irish music by the Celtic “dream team” band Lúnasa. The acoustic group's lineup features, among others, Trevor Hutchinson, bass player from The Waterboys, and Colin Farrell — not that Colin Farrell. This one's a fiddler, and nobody loses any fingers. Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets.

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