What to do in Madison this weekend: Frozen Assets Festival, Li Chiao-Ping Dance and more Isthmus Picks

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Frozen Assets Festival, Feb. 8, Edgewater + Lake Mendota; related events through Feb. 9: An unfortunate pattern has developed in recent years around Frozen Assets Festival time: a deep freeze raises hopes of solid ice, followed by a week of warm temps. But this year activities have been a go for the Clean Lakes Alliance’s annual week of events, including the 2025 World Ice and Snow Sailing Championships. Competition continues through festival day on Feb. 8, which also features family outdoor activities (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) and the Frozen Assets 5K. Wisconsin Kiters Club is scheduled to fly show kites at dusk on Feb. 8 and from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 9. Find schedule updates at cleanlakesalliance.org.

SOULful Joy, through Feb. 28, Madison College Gallery; reception Feb. 6, 5:30-8:30 p.m.: The exhibition “SOULful Joy” features work by 14 artists celebrating Black culture and history as part of Black History Month. The exhibition also is an annual event honoring the memory of Dzigbodi Akyea, an academic advisor at Madison College for nearly two decades; it’s hosted by the Sisters of Unity and Leadership (SOUL) Affinity Group and Division of College Culture and Climate. A reception takes place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Feb. 6; space is limited, and registration is recommended here. The exhibit continues through Feb. 28.

Choosing a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Thursday, Feb. 6, Zoom, 6:30 p.m.: In case you’re somehow on the fence about the upcoming state Supreme Court election, the League of Women Voters of Dane County has brought together a panel of legal experts — not the candidates — to field questions: UW Law School professor Robert Yablon, retired state Court of Appeals Judge Paul B. Higginbotham, and Law Forward general counsel Jeff Mandell. Attorney Marilyn Townsend will moderate. In addition to the overall subject of evaluating a candidate for the court, topics covered include campaign finance and the 2025-2026 Wisconsin Supreme court docket. Register at lwvdanecounty.org.

Summer, 1976, through Feb. 16, Overture Center-Playhouse: Forward Theater continues its run of contemporary plays with Summer, 1976 by playwright David Auburn (Proof). Set in the summer of America’s bicentennial, this memory play focuses on two women in Ohio who meet during a kids' playdate and become friends. The decade of the '70s — a high point for feminism in one way — also limits their possibilities and ambitions. Actors Colleen Madden and Heidi Armbruster (who wrote Forward’s last play, Murder Girl) play the lead roles of Alice and Diane, and, in a tour de force twist, switch their roles in alternating performances. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, and 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 15. Tickets at overture.org.

I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men, through Feb. 28, Goodman South Madison Library: A visit to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis inspired Madison artist Sharon Bjyrd to curate “I AM a Man: The Re-humanization of Black Men.” As she writes in the exhibition description, “In this exhibit, I hope to reclaim the humanity denied to Black men, not only in moments of historic protest but in everyday life — whether through the devastating impact of systemic racism in policing, prisons, or the policies that enforced single motherhood.” Meet the artists and participate in art activities at the final community gathering from 6-7:30 p.m. on Feb. 20. More info at madisonbubbler.org.

Comedy at the Cabaret, Thursday, Feb. 6, North Street Cabaret, 7:30 p.m.: A proof of the old adage that “time flies when you’re having fun” is provided by the ongoing Comedy at the Cabaret series, which celebrates seven years as it begins its 2025 season. Hosted as always by Allie Lindsay with music by Jake Snell, the showcase features three former winners of Comedy on State’s Madison’s Funniest Comic contest: the reigning champ, Rich D’Amore, along with Rory Rusch and Kayla Ruth. Find tickets at eventbrite.com.

Shucked, through Feb. 9, Overture Hall: The dead of winter is a perfect time to celebrate the height of summer. Shucked is a “farm to fable” musical comedy about Maizy, a young farm girl from Cob County — a town sustained by a thick wall of corn that suddenly begins to die. When Maizy leaves home to seek help, she meets a podiatrist who refers to himself as a “corn doctor,” and he may or may not be able to help. Obviously, puns abound. Shucked is notable not only for its corny premise but also for original Broadway cast member Alex Newell — the first of two non-binary performers to win a Tony Award for Best Featured actor in a Musical. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 6-7; 2 and 7:30 p.m., Feb. 8; and 1 and 6:30 p.m., Feb. 9; tickets at overture.org.

Dr. Ride’s American Beach House, through Feb. 8, Bartell Theatre: The New York Times called Dr. Ride’s American Beach House, a play by Liza Birkenmeier, “witty” and “weird” back in 2019. The setting is a hot rooftop in St. Louis in 1983, as Dr. Sally Ride is preparing to take her historic space flight as the first American woman in space. The women meeting on the rooftop, on the other hand, ostensibly for a mostly defunct book club, are stalled in careers and forging new paths in relationships. Performances of StageQ's production are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Feb. 8) and 2 pm on Feb. 2. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Natty Nation, Thursday, Feb. 6, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: For three decades Natty Nation has built a following far beyond Madison with their adventurous brand of reggae music, which pulls influences from many genres but always maintains its strong roots reggae core. For many years the band has been hosting an annual concert honoring the birth of Bob Marley; 2025 marks what would have been Marley’s 80th birthday. For this year's tribute Natty Nation is once again joined by guest bassist Michael “Ras Amerlock” McCutcheon; the lineup also includes Milwaukee instrumentalists Polyrhythmic Roots and DJ FRP of Tropical Riddims on WORT-FM. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Dream at the Top of Your Lungs, through Feb. 15, Broom Street Theater: Scott Feiner returns to the director’s chair at BST with this play he wrote himself. Dream at the Top of Your Lungs is “an aspirational view for growing up masculine in 2025,” centering on a relationship class for seventh grade boys. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door; all shows at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, except for a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 15; a livestream will be available Feb. 8 (tickets at eventbrite.com).

Li Chiao-Ping Dance + UW Dance, Feb. 6-8, UW Lathrop Hall-Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space: The political bent of Dirty Laundry can be discerned from its title. It is subtitled “A Multimedia Dance Theater Work” and choreographer Li Chiao-Ping, composer Byron Au Yong, and visual artist Hong Huo address fraught events from China’s history through movement, visual imagery, spoken word, text and soundscapes. Dancers include Katelyn Altmann, Gelline Guevarra, Piper Morgan Hayes, Elisa Hildner, Kaori Kenmotsu, Cassie Last, Li Chiao-Ping, Mayu Nakaya and Elisabeth Roskopf. Shows at 8 p.m. on Feb. 6-7 and at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 8. Tickets at the Campus Arts Box Office, by phone at 608-265-2787, or online at artsticketing.wisc.edu, and at the door one hour before the performances.

Garden & Green Living Expo, Feb. 7-9, Alliant Energy Center: Gear up for spring at the PBS Wisconsin’s Garden & Green Living Expo with content on gardening, landscaping, local food and sustainability. A vendor mall, workshops and demos, kids activities, flower show, and a Sunday farmers' market are among the green distractions. There's also classes on beekeeping, heirloom seeds, food forests, foraging, native landscaping and more. Hours are noon-7 p.m.on Feb. 7, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Feb. 8, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 9. Tickets and more info at wigardenexpo.com.

Wintertime, Feb. 7-22, Bartell Theatre: Madison Public Theatre tackles Wintertime by Charles Mee, one of the country’s most innovative playwrights. While the setup may sound like a romantic farce — a couple looking for an amorous retreat at a lake house is suddenly interrupted by neighbors and friends — Mee draws on theater history to take this to different areas. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except for 2 p.m. on Feb. 22) and 2 p.m. on Feb. 16. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

CANCELED: Lunar New Year Celebration, Saturday, Feb. 8, Lisa Link Peace Park, noon: Madison Redditors, at least, believe there have already been fireworks booming on Lake Mendota in celebration of the Lunar New Year. If you missed that, downtown Madison will make up for it with this celebration, including traditional Chinese lion dancing by Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association — thought to bring luck in the New Year, and we are definitely going to need it. Bring on those dancing lions. Visitors are encouraged to check out foods from the State Street area’s many Asian restaurants, including: Asian Kitchen, Chen’s Dumpling House, Hot Pot 608, Apex Grill, Eat Xpress, Fugu, Kung Fu Tea, Le C’s Patisserie & Tea House, Mad Seafood Boiler, Dagu Rice Noodles, Ruyi Hand Pulled Noodle, Sol’s on the Square, Taiwan Little Eats, Taste of Sichuan, Yume Sushi, Teamoji, and more. Feb. 7 update: This event is canceled due to the forecast of a wintry mix of precipitation on Saturday.

Janice Carissa, Saturday, Feb. 8, Farley’s House of Pianos, 7:30 p.m.: The Salon Piano Series resumes with a return visit by rising piano star Janice Carissa. Born in Indonesia and currently based in New York, Carissa has performed widely around the U.S. and internationally; this season she has debuted as a soloist with symphonies in Pittsburgh, Boise, Knoxville and elsewhere. Her Madison program includes works by Beethoven, Liszt, Medntner, Scarlatti and Schumann. Hopefully you didn't wait on tickets, as this one sold out last week; however, observers are welcome as Carissa presents a masterclass at 4 p.m. on Feb. 9

(Be)Longing: The Space we Make, Feb. 8-9, Madison Youth Arts: Isthmus Dance Collective, the folks behind the popular “Shifting Gears” Labor Day bike path dance event, weighs in with a meaty collection of dances from IDC member choreographers drawing from classical Indian fusion, flamenco, contemporary ballet and more, showcasing Madison’s — dare we say it — cultural diversity. In addition to nine dances there will be short dance films, some filmed in different seasons right here in Madison. Choreographers include Amy Slater, Caitlyn Lamdin, Swapna Srinivasan, Tania Tandias, Raka Pushpanjali Bandyo, Jen Costillo, Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez, Robin Pettersen and Erica Pinigis. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 1 p.m. on Feb. 9. Tickets at isthmusdancecollective.org.

Winter Festival of Poetry, Sundays, through Feb. 9, Arts & Literature Laboratory; Feb. 16-March 9, Cafe Coda, 2 p.m.: Eight afternoons of poetry, each featuring six or seven Wisconsin poets, and all before we even hit National Poetry Month (April, of course). In upcoming sessions look for Isthmus contributors Charles Edward Payne (Feb. 9) and Margaret Benbow (March 9), along with many other familiar names including Rusty Russell, Katrin Talbot, Marilyn Annucci and Adam Gregory Pergament. Note: series continues at ALL through Feb. 9 and moves to Cafe Coda Feb. 16-March 9.

Dennis Mitcheltree + Johannes Wallmann, Sunday, Feb. 9, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: Los Angeles-based saxophonist and composer Dennis Mitcheltree and pianist Johannes Wallmann (the Peterson Chair in Jazz Studies at UW-Madison) first started collaborating more than two decades ago when both were players in the New York City jazz scene. That long shared history comes through clearly on their new album, Holding Space, which features new songs by both as well as improvisations, recorded at Hamel Music Center in 2023. It’s out Feb. 7 via Shifting Paradigm. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com. (Note; Mitcheltree and Wallmann also play a quartet show at 4 p.m. on Feb. 7 at the UW Memorial Union.)

Guy Davis, Sunday, Feb. 9, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: The latest album by Guy Davis, The Legend of Sugarbelly, is a tour de force of country blues; it includes some songs from Sugarbelly and Other Tales My Father Told Me, a one-man theater work that Davis debuted in 2022. Davis' direct and empathetic storytelling style should make for a riveting experience in the cozy listening room of The Bur Oak. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated due to a cancelation.