What to do in Madison this weekend: July 30-Aug. 2, 2026

North Star Fest, 'Through the Keyhole and the Storm' and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Through the Keyhole and the Storm, July 30-Aug 1, Common Wealth Gallery, 6:30-9 p.m.: Liz Sexe Dance blends film and movement in its latest creation, Through the Keyhole and the Storm. Environments include spaces filled with keyholes to peek through and a space filled with plastic; these can be explored from 6:30-9 p.m., and each night live dance performances at 7:30 p.m. include a solo work by Sexe and a “storm” of dancers Erin Alberts, Abby Frank Taylor, Eve Levi, Tara McAninch and Megan Schimke immersing the audience. Find more info at lizsexedance.com.
  • Caveman Play, July 30-Aug. 9, The Crossing: A turning point in civilization receives a comedic do-over in Caveman Play. Savannah Reich imagines a moment humanity could trade hunting and gathering for agriculture — as a sales pitch delivered by two eager cave-people and their domesticated tiger. It's a wonderfully offbeat premise that quickly snowballs into big picture questions about modern-day problems, with just the right amount of weird. To add a touch of unpredictability the show's six actors draw their roles from a hat before every performance, so neither they nor the audience know who's playing whom until the lights come up. Performances, at 1127 University Ave., are at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 6 p.m. on Aug. 8) and 2 p.m. Sunday; reserve a seat here.
  • Andrew Dismukes, July 30-Aug. 1, Comedy on State: Comedian and actor Andrew Dismukes joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 2017, and has been a repertory cast member since 2022. On the show he’s proven one of the cast’s most versatile players, with a keen sense of comic timing. Dismukes is visiting a few cities on a stand-up tour this summer, including this weekend run at Comedy on State, at 7 p.m. July 30 and 7 and 9:30 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • The Great Gatsby, through Aug. 2, Overture Hall: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby arrives reborn with the full Broadway treatment as a musical promising some jazz-age shimmer to enliven the tragic tale. The score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen blends jazz and pop, which feels right for a story forever caught between elegance and a hangover. Performances at 7:30 p.m. July 28-31, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 and 1 and 6:30 p.m., Aug. 2. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Girl Internet Show: A Kati Kelli Mixtape, Thursday, July 30, MMoCA rooftop, 9 p.m.: This, the first of four MMoCA Rooftop Cinema screenings, is a compilation of absurdist performance art sketches. Girl Internet Show: A Kati Kelli Mixtape was assembled by Kelli's widower, Jordan Wippel, and filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun. The late Kelli's postmodernist short-form videos from 2013 through 2019 lampooned influencer and celebrity-consumed culture even before the true rise of TikTok. Perhaps watching Kelli's work can be a softly defiant act against a zeitgeist dominated by shills, bots, and surveillance-state technocrats.
  • Sexy Ester, Friday, July 31, Gamma Ray, 7 p.m.: Sexy Ester brought punk-edged new wave glitter to the Madison music scene for many years in the '00s-'10s, before going on a hiatus from performing about a decade back. So this reunion show should be highly anticipated by fans as it returns the high octane vocals of Lyndsey Evans (of late featured in The Prairie Fire) to rockin' mode. It’s an all-star evening all around with sets by Educational Davis and M. Shays. Tickets at gammaray.bar.
  • Blooming Butterflies, through Aug. 9, Olbrich Gardens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: There’s good reason to head into the Bolz Conservancy this summer (as every summer). It is magical to see butterflies — up to 19 species — inhabiting the tropical dome, and attentive (or lucky) visitors may even witness a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis during Blooming Butterflies. The theme continues in the outdoor gardens with an “I SPY Pollinators” scavenger hunt and a storybook walk for kids. Butterfly Action Day, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on July 31, features even more special activities. Find more info at olbrich.org.
  • Sugar Maple Music Festival, July 31-Aug. 1, Lake Farm County Park: A summer roots music institution, the Sugar Maple Music Festival always presents an intriguing mix of rising and veteran bands, this year ranging from Special Consensus, a band that celebrated 50 years of bluegrass excellence in 2025, to the musicians of Madison youth ensemble MadFiddle. The lineup also features multi-instrumentalist duo Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, long-running Cajun ensemble Magnolia Sisters, Midwestern folksters Valley Fox, and more top-flight artists, as well as interactive workshops, kids' activities and jams. Note, previously announced band Ramona & the Holy Smokes is no longer appearing. Find more info at sugarmaplefest.org.
  • The McAdo, July 31-Aug. 9, Bartell Theatre: The Gilbert and Sullivan-centric troupe Madison Savoyards offers something a little different this summer. The McAdo is a new adaptation of one of G & S’s greatest hits, The Mikado. That play has become problematic in contemporary times with the Asian caricatures at its base. This re-do transports the goofy plot to the Scottish Highlands, but favorite tunes like “A wand’ring minstrel, I,” “Three little maids from school,” and Coco’s patter song, “As some day it may happen” (“I’ve got a little list”), still appear, merely tweaked. Come and enjoy without guilt. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, with an additional show at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Boris Borisovich’s Wonder Tales, through Aug. 2, Madison Country Day School, Waunakee: This world premiere of the Baba Yaga-inspired Boris Borisovich's Wonder Tales is a new adaptation translated and directed by Brian R. Johnson. Baba Yaga is the ambiguous, otherworldly old woman who may be a seer, or maybe just a troublemaker and who ties these traditional Slavic folktales together. As with all folktales, these stories connect with the unconscious in curious ways. The production is outdoors at Madison Country Day School’s amphitheater, with the Yahara River and restored prairie as backdrop. Shows at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • The Two “Gentlemen” of Verona, through Oct. 3, American Players Theatre, Spring Green: Early Shakespeare meets jug band? If that sounds too offbeat for you, trust APT to wave its magic wand and make it seem inevitable. This new adaptation of the play is by Madison-born Aaron Posner, director/playwright and founding artistic director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company, and Greg Kotis, a Tony Award-winner for Urinetown. Despite the influx of Americana, there are still two couples who must find their way to their proper romantic unions. Preview performances at 8 p.m. on July 31 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5; in repertory through Oct. 3. Tickets at americanplayers.org.
  • Native Art Marketplace, Aug. 1-2, Taliesin-Hillside Theater, Spring Green, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: This is a two-fer, with the environs — the Hillside School at Taliesin — setting off work from Indigenous artists, with storytelling, dance, craft demos and food. Artists include Sandra Peterson (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), traditional Ojibwe baskets; Linda Lou Metoxen (Diné), traditional patterns and objects; Christopher Sweet (Ho-Chunk/White Earth Ojibwe), painter and muralist; Leah Winneshek (Ho-Chunk), jewelry and bead artist; Kimberly Crowley (Ho-Chunk), black ash basket artist; Melanie Tallmadge Sainz (Ho-Chunk), porcupine quill and bead "friendship bracelet" activity; and Scott Hill (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), painter and sculptor. Pre-registration is required for those arriving by car at taliesinpreservation.org. The market is part of a partnership between Little Eagle Arts Foundation and Taliesin Preservation.
  • North Star Fest, Saturday, Aug. 1, Pocket Park, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.: The North Star Neighborhood Association kicks off August with its sixth annual daylong celebration featuring free live music and family-friendly activities. While kids make crafts adults can explore food carts or stop by the beer tent, returning for its second year. Come for the food, stay for the music! Or vice versa. Local bands take the stage starting at 11:15 a.m. with Exchange, followed by Ruthie & the Ramblin’ Kind, Jimmy Sugarcane, Heavy Looks, and The Blue Olives. Pocket Park is at 701 Galileo Drive, near the Metro Market off Cottage Grove Road on Madison's far east side.
  • National Mustard Day, Saturday, Aug. 1, National Mustard Museum, Middleton, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Oh, honey (mustard), the National Mustard Museum's biggest day of the year is an enthusiastic celebration of the condiment. What sounds like a gimmick is actually one of the area's most charming traditions, with free tastings (including enough mustard varieties to make you rethink what belongs on a hot dog), live music (The Ramble, Red Hot Horn Dawgs and more), and family activities. And really, how can something that tastes this good have next to no calories? Whether you're a devoted Dijon disciple or perfectly happy with the bright yellow stuff, you'll leave with a newfound appreciation — and probably a jar or two you didn't know you needed — of mustard. More info at mustardmuseum.com.
  • Sugar River Paddle & Jamboree, Saturday, Aug. 1, Seven Acre Dairy Co., Paoli, 2-9:30 p.m.: Don’t have a jamboree on your schedule this summer? This is the one — a benefit for the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association and a general celebration of what a great place the Sugar River is. For the geographically challenged, that’s the sweet creek that runs through the center of scenic Paoli and makes it such a special place (paddling, of the self-guided variety, is encouraged earlier in the day before the concert). The music, on the banks of the river, is Wisco bluegrass, more or less, with a lineup of Rachel Neal, Frank Martin Busch, The Stop & Listen, Them Coulee Boys and Armchair Boogie. Pull up a chair and enjoy. Tickets at eventbrite.com.
  • Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, Aug. 1-Sept. 25, American Players Theatre-Touchstone: In Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, playwright Nathan Alan Davis has written a sharp and unflinching look at what it means to be a young Black man in the United States, mixing reality and fantasy and drawing from classic quests in literature and folklore. Before Dontrell can make it to college, he needs to reckon with his people’s past. Derrick Moore stars as Dontrell; APT favorites Gavin Lawrence, Dee Dee Batteast and Rasell Holt are also on hand. The first few performances sold out well ahead of time and tickets are already limited for many others. In repertory through Sept. 25, so don't wait on this one: americanplayers.org.
  • Next Level Park Street Music Fest, Saturday, Aug. 1, Labor Temple grounds, 3:30-8 p.m.: This annual family-friendly concert packs in a lot of music in a few hours, including hip-hop and neo-soul from Madison stars SpellRed and Goddess Nacole (who has released a series of strong singles this year); C. Dawson & Soul Company with Cleo Dailey; and returning from the 2025 lineup, Milwaukee all-stars V Funk and Chicago/Madison DJ/MC Van ‘Go. The afternoon also features free health screenings (from 3:30-6:30 p.m.) and food carts; activities kick off earlier in the day with a 5K run/walk on the Labor Temple grounds starting at 9 a.m. It’s hosted by Peboga; more info and updates at facebook.com/events/1030891456205779.
  • Swamp Thing, Saturday, Aug. 1, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 7 p.m.: 1980s Madison rockers Swamp Thing periodically bubble up from the depths with a reunion show, and it’s always an occasion since most of the members have long been scattered to the coasts. For this concert, they return to the scene of their first public performance, UW’s Memorial Union, and the band has promised/threatened to reprise some of their surprises from past Union appearances (which could include flinging Eggos, stripping, jumping into Lake Mendota, or ???). Along with any antics, they’ll play some catchy and fun rock ‘n roll, too. With Man’s Body.
  • Poesar, Sunday, Aug. 2, The Rigby, 9 p.m.: Poesar is a duo of veteran independent hip-hop songwriter-producer-performers: Cesar Comanche, a co-founder of Justus League, and Poe Mack, a recent artist in residence of his home city of Roanoke, Virginia. They’re on tour playing music from their excellent 2021 collaboration, A Promise Not to Sting. They’re joined by a strong lineup of Wisconsin rappers: Taiyamo Denku, Flame the Ruler, Urban Legend and Fred Really.

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