What to do in Madison this week: March 23-26, 2026

Cowboy Junkies, John DeMain and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Inspecter 7, Monday, March 23, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: The ska sound has remained a steadfast subset of the Madison music scene through the genre’s various new waves since the ‘70s, which means the city is often a stop for veteran touring bands. The latest to return to Madison is New Jersey outfit Inspecter 7, who have been skanking hard on stages since 1992 and periodically releasing new music (the latest of which is the fun bilingual single from last year, “Skanking the Night Away”). They hit the Noon with tour mates Whiskey Brisket and two of the Madison area’s most fun ska purveyors, Courtesy of Tim and Meskales. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Engineering the Quantum Future, Monday, March 23, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7 p.m.: The concept of quantum computing still seems like science fiction, but it’s becoming reality; physicist and 2025 Nobel Prize winner John Martinis has spent his career turning theory into working machines. In this Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series talk, Martinis — who led Google’s landmark 2019 experiment in which a quantum computer beat a more traditional supercomputer — will explain how superconducting circuits are pushing computing beyond previous limits. An audience Q&A follows. It’s free, but tickets are required: artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Sanguisugabogg, Monday, March 23, Majestic, 7 p.m.: If your remedy to cope in extreme times is extreme music, this is your pick of the week. Sanguisugabogg is an over-the-top death metal outfit who bring all the right sounds — instruments tuned way down, growled vocals, jarring drum beats — along with a very dark sense of humor, judging by songs such as “Black Market Vasectomy” and “Dick Filet.” With Enervate, World I Hate, Suffering. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • John DeMain, Tuesday, March 24, Central Library, 6 p.m.: John DeMain has been music director for the Madison Symphony Orchestra since 1994, and following the current season will step down from the position. In the new memoir Working with My Heroes: A Life in Music, DeMain reflects on his time with the MSO and earlier musical endeavors. “I just had the good fortune to work with some of the biggest people at the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century,” says DeMain, who will discuss the book with Gayle Worland at this Wisconsin Book Festival event. Read more from DeMain in Sandy Tabachnick’s story here.
  • Our Town, through March 24, UW Music Hall: Ned Rorem, known in the classical voice world for his enormous art-song output, also wrote eight operas — and Our Town may be the one that lands closest to the bone. Here he takes Thornton Wilder’s small town of Grover’s Corners and sets it in that unmistakable Rorem language: open-air Americana one minute, a little harmonic unease the next, like memory itself shifting under your feet. University Opera’s production will be a strong excuse to revisit a story most of us think we already know. The final performance is at 7:30 p.m., March 24; tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Nick Petrie, Wednesday, March 25, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Milwaukee-area thriller writer Nick Petrie will be in town to celebrate the release of The Dark Time, his ninth novel in the Peter Ash series. Often compared to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character, Ash is a combat-hardened war-veteran-turned-detective who struggles with PTSD. This time, he arrives in Seattle to protect a female investigative reporter tracking down a dangerous group of white nationalists infiltrating the local political culture. Petrie will be joined in conversation by Madison-area mystery writer Amy Pease. This is a free event, but reservations are requested; it also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast. Find links at mysterytomebooks.com.
  • Line Breaks, March 20-April 24, various venues: UW-Madison’s Line Breaks festival, coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, returns for more than a month of events showing hip-hop’s expansive cultural reach. It all kicks off with “My name became my own,” a showcase featuring community works developed in a workshop related to this year’s Go Big Read book, Percival Everett’s James, and the First Wave touring ensemble (6 p.m., March 20, Central Library). A visual art exhibition is on display from March 23-April 5 at Common Wealth Gallery, with an opening reception at 6 p.m. March 25. More events take place in April; find the full lineup at omai.wisc.edu.
  • Voivod, Wednesday, March 25, Crucible, 7:30 p.m.: Voivod, one of Canada’s most eclectic metal bands, has evolved many times over the past 44 years. But while musically morphing from speed metal to thrash to prog, Voivod’s brand of heavy avant-garde music has remained technical to the core — influencing the likes of Meshuggah, Pantera and even Dave Grohl. Fun fact: Bassist Jason Newsted was a member of Voivod for seven years after leaving Metallica in 2001. Plan to arrive early to catch Virginia’s horror-inspired BAT and Madison’s own Flying Fuzz (who’ve been making scuzzy metal since its members were winning high school battle of the bands contests). Tickets at ticketleap.events.
  • Endurance Improv Festival, March 26-28, 609 E. Washington Ave.: Atlas Improv Company is feeling 22! It’s celebrating its birthday with an extravaganza of free performances, starting at 7 p.m. March 26 with improv including experimental forms taking place offstage. March 27 features “Theatersports” at 7 p.m. (a family-friendly show) followed by long-form sets by company and guest teams at 8:30 p.m. The improv marathon begins at noon March 28 and will run until 2 a.m. Sunday morning, with a new show starting every half hour. Come and leave when you please, but laugh a lot. More at atlasimprov.com.
  • Richard Davidson + Cortland Dahl, Thursday, March 26, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Does the pace of modern life leave you feeling a little brain-fried? Perhaps this Wisconsin Book Festival talk can help: UW-Madison neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson and meditation researcher Cortland Dahl will discuss their new book, Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving. Drawing on research from the Center for Healthy Minds (home to both scientists), they outline four skills that can be trained over time — awareness, connection, insight and purpose — to help people handle stress and find a little more steadiness in daily life. Expect a thoughtful conversation plus a few ideas you can actually try the next morning.
  • Corpus Christi, through April 4, Bartell Theatre: The play Corpus Christi, written by celebrated American playwright Terrence McNally, reimagines the story of Jesus Christ and his disciples as gay men in modern day Texas. Unsurprisingly, the play has often been subject to protests by the Christian right. StageQ’s production will incorporate themes of the current persecution of the transgender community by political conservatives. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on April 4) and 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Middleton Community Orchestra, Thursday, March 26, Middleton-Cross Plains Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.: The consistently engaging and excellent Middleton Community Orchestra returns with its annual early spring concert, joined by conductor Oriol Sans. The program features guest violinist David Perry, a UW Mead Witter School of Music faculty member since 1995 and known to classical audiences worldwide as a member of resident chamber ensemble the Pro Arte Quartet; Perry will join the MCO for Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major. The orchestra will also perform Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninoff.
  • The Butter and Egg Man, through April 4, Bartell Theatre: If folks know George S. Kaufman’s work these days, it’s probably for the early 20th century comedies The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can’t Take it With You, written with Moss Hart. The Butter and Egg Man is Kaufman’s only solo play, a comedy (naturally) about a dreamer trying to hit it big on Broadway. Madison Theatre Guild takes on this lesser-known bauble, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (except 2 p.m. on April 4) and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.
  • Cowboy Junkies, Thursday, March 26, Barrymore, 7:30 p.m.: Cowboy Junkies’ 1988 album The Trinity Session sold a million copies and thrust this Toronto alt-rock band into the spotlight. They’ve never taken a performing hiatus and the three Timmins siblings continue to be the core members of the band, an ensemble that captures equal parts pain and pleasure with their unique rock. Tickets at barrymorelive.com.

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