What to do in Madison this weekend: Irish Fest Madison, Madison Bach Musicians and more Isthmus Picks

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Wisconsin Wrights New Play Festival, May 16-18, Edgewood College-Diane Ballweg Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: Forward Theater Company has been doing its part to help develop new plays through the Wisconsin Wrights biennial competition. Three playwrights work with professional directors, dramaturgs and actors to develop their plays, with staged readings at the end of the week. This year the festival kicks off on May 16 with The Flying Corpse by Thomas Campbell; continues on May 17 with The Other Side by Amy Quan Barry; and concludes on May 18 with Anatomical Hearts by Lila Hovey. Read James Rhem’s preview here.

Humbird, Thursday, May 16, High Noon Saloon, 7:30 p.m.: Humbird is Siri Undlin, and yes, if you were guessing from the name, she is from Minnesota. She’s a fresh folk voice, hard to pin down or categorize, devoted to some down and dirty electric guitar rhythms and passionate, Americana vocals. She’s touring in support of her latest album, Right On, which was recorded live to tape in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. With Creekbed Carter Hogan. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully, through May 25, Bartell Theatre: What if you visited your parents in the small town where you grew up, and it happened to be the weekend aliens invaded and surrounded the town with an impregnable force field? That’s the premise of Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully, adapted for the stage by Eddie Robson from his 2012 BBC Radio 4 series. Madison Theatre Guild presents the comedy at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on May 25) and 2 p.m. on May 19. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Syttende Mai, May 17-19, Stoughton: Do you know what rosemåling is? If you don’t and are curious (or already know and love it), the Wisconsin State Rosemåling Association hosts an exhibit with live demonstrations of the traditional Norwegian painting style during Syttende Mai in Stoughton. That’s just one aspect of a packed weekend celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day (May 17), including more art and historical exhibits, entertainment, a run/walk, all sorts of food, and a Sunday parade. Another highlight is the Stoughton Village Players' annual original production featuring Ole and Lena: Broadcast Snooze, or Norskies Like to Watch (Nordmenn Liker Å Se), at 7 and 8:30 p.m. on May 16-17 and 2:30, 4 and 7 pm May 18. See stoughtonfestivals.com for the complete schedule.

Plant sale roundup, May 17-19, various locations: It’s healthy for the environment to plant perennials — especially native pollinators. Several annual events offering perennials are on the docket this weekend, designed to spruce up your yard (and refresh the coffers of nonprofits). The Kidlinks World plant sale takes place from noon-5 p.m. on May 17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 18, and 9 a.m.-noon on May 19, at 230 S. Owen Drive (poster here). The Friends of the Arboretum's Native Plant Sale returns from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on May 18, at the Visitor Center (plant list here). The Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society is dedicated to promoting gardens that come back year after year, and offers plants from Intrinsic Perennials, Agrecol Native Plant Nursery and Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries at the annual sale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on May 19 at the UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Road. And the Dane County Master Gardeners Plant Sale will be taking place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 19 at the UW-Extension Dane County office parking lot, 5201 Fen Oak Drive. This one features houseplants, vegetables, herbs, annual flowers — plus, master gardeners will be on hand to answer gardening questions.

Spring Art Tour, May 17-19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: The artists of the nearer Driftless strut their stuff in this art tour that encompasses Mount Horeb, Arena, Mazomanie, Black Earth, Cross Plains, Blue Mounds, Pine Bluff, Mount Vernon, New Glarus, Belleville and areas in between. The 17 stops include painters, potters, jewelers, photographers, sculptors and more. Shoutout to some outstanding printmakers on the tour: Julie Sutter-Blair, Dominique Taquet and Christy Nesja. More info: mhaaa.org.

Irish Fest Madison, May 17-19, various venues: Irish Fest Madison returns with local favorites inspired by Celtic music — including O’Darby, Lilies of the Midwest, The Currach, Slipjig — and an intriguing lineup of touring performers. Longtime Gaelic Storm fiddler Katie Grennan brings two relatively new, eclectic projects to the fest: Reverie Road (also including two former Solas members) and The Bow Tides (featuring two other former Gaelic Storm fiddlers). Former Moxie Strings fiddler Diana Ladio collaborates with Americana singer-songwriter Brendan Forrest and band. And that’s just a sampling of the lineup. The fest begins with a pre-party at Awildan Distilling in Sun Prairie on May 17, moves to Karben4 Brewing on May 18, and to Garver Feed Mill on May 19. Find tickets and the schedule at irishfestmadison.com.

Sharon Kilfoy + TetraPAKMAN, through Aug. 9, Social Justice Center; reception May 17, 5-9 p.m.: The Jackie Macaulay Gallery hosts paired exhibits considering the effects of climate change on our planet’s living creatures. TetraPAKMAN’s sculpture and other large-format works often focus on raising awareness of climate change, and this exhibit includes “The Climate Sheets,” wrapping around the gallery space and including records of the ever-raising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Rising global temperatures contribute to a higher danger of wildfires; Sharon Kilfoy shows some concrete examples of what fire does with a collection of objects recovered following a 2016 fire at Williamson Street Art Center.

Willie Nelson & Family, Friday, May 17, Breese Stevens Field, 6 p.m.: A songwriting icon and indefatigable road warrior, Willie Nelson has been popping up seemingly everywhere lately: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction; a new book, Energy Follows Thought; a duet with Orville Peck on “Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other;” and even some spoken word on the new Beyoncé album. And now, Willie & Family are popping up at Breese Stevens Field on their spring tour. Tickets at ticketmaster.com. (Pro tip: Warm up for the show with more outlaw country sounds from Gregg Hall & the Wrecking Ball across East Washington at the High Noon patio, starting at 4 p.m.)

Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers + Sunshine Allison, Friday, May 17, Red Rooster, 8 p.m.: Michigan-based band Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers are beloved for joyfully lively shows filled with party-ready, funky pop-rock. The 2023 album Pursuit of Wonder has the grooves fans will recognize but close attention to the lyrics reveals a more melancholy story than usual. Make sure to be on time, as the bill also features a reunion by none other than '90s Madison jam rock favorites Sunshine Allison, gathering from around the world to play for the first time in a couple decades. Tickets at clover.com.

Mental Health Warrior Film Festival, Saturday, May 18, Flix Brewhouse, 12:30-9 p.m.: The inaugural Mental Health Warrior Film Festival presents 24 short films and one feature-length movie (Fang, a horror film by writer-director Richard Burgin) which examine various mental health topics. The event was created by Madison filmmaker Max Blaska, co-writer of fest entry The Last Rung on the Ladder (adapted from a Stephen King short story as part of King’s recently ended “Dollar Baby” program). Films will screen in four blocks, starting at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m., and one ticket covers the entire program; ticket sales benefit Camp Creatability and Rogers Behavioral Health Foundation. Find the film schedule and tickets at mentalhealthwarriorfilmfest.com.

William Villalongo, through Aug. 11, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: Based in Brooklyn, New York, William Villalongo paints, collages and cuts paper to achieve his intricate images which draw on the history of and myths around Black Americans and “invite the viewer to engage with the complexities and precarity of Black existence” — hence the show’s title, “Myths and Migrations.” Coming up: Art historian Melanie Herzog will lead a tour of the exhibit, at 2 p.m. on May 18.

The Diary of Anne Frank, through May 19, Overture Center-Playhouse: Surely no one reading this needs to be told about Anne Frank and her diary. But the next generation, so much further away from the Holocaust, should be introduced to the Jewish girl who unflinchingly recorded her thoughts in a daybook that miraculously survived World War II even though its author did not. Children’s Theater of Madison will use the stage adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank by Wendy Kesselman, intended especially for young audiences in grades 6 and up. Shows are at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, plus 6 p.m. on May 12. Tickets at overture.org.

Madison Bach Musicians, May 18-19, First Congregational Church, Madison: This performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers, directed by Northwestern University’s Andrew Megill, features 15 outstanding period instrument players and nine vocal soloists. Period instruments include the violone, the theorbos and the sackbut. Read Sandy Tabachnick’s preview here. Performances are preceded by an informative lecture 45 minutes before the shows, which are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Tickets at madison-bach-musicians.square.site.

Big Richard, Saturday, May 18, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: The loud buzz that emanated from Eau Claire long after last year’s Blue Ox Festival concluded was caused by the four-piece female bluegrass sensation that is Big Richard. Avett Brothers? Sam Bush? Meh. The talk was all about this neo-trad, mountain-friendly quartet from Colorado. Purists may blink at the presence of a cello. But they’ll get over it in a hurry. Tickets at seetickets.us.

WORTstock, Sunday, May 19, Warner Park, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.: WORT-FM was ahead of the curve a few years back when the community radio station moved its annual spring festival to Warner Park, on the ever-hipper north side. Local food, varied vendors and nonprofit booths, and beverages coordinated by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild bring the fest-y flavor, and the music lineup is typically eclectic. The day begins with the Afro-Colombian sounds of Son del Atlantico, and ends with Celtic infused folk-punkers Boiled in Lead; in between is bluegrass from Strings to Roam, a BlueStem Jazz visit by Undisclosed Sims, rock and soul from Roscoe Foster & the Rascal Theory, and socially aware Forward! Marching Band. Don’t forget to watch out for Warner Park’s cranes in the parking lot. Find the full schedule at wortfm.org.

David Hazeltine & Billy Peterson, Sunday, May 19, Cafe Coda, 7 p.m.: Pianist David Hazeltine remains a major figure in contemporary jazz as a composer, arranger and player, with an impressive discography as a leader and sideman and years of experience as an educator. Bassist Billy Peterson has played with everyone from Lawrence Welk to Les Paul, as well as a long musical partnership with Ben Sidran (Peterson is in the band for Sidran's just-released album, Rainmaker). Both have roots in the Midwest; Hazeltine is a Milwaukee native, and Peterson a member of a musical Minnesota family (his brother is St. Paul of The Family/The Time). What will these music masters come up with for this duo show? Get your ticket at cafe-coda.turntabletickets.com to find out.

Concerts & Cuisine, Sunday, June 2, Marriott-West, Middleton, 5 p.m.: The Concerts on the Square series featuring Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and guests is one of Madison’s most beloved happenings each summer. It may be free for concertgoers, but it’s definitely not free for the WCO to produce. That’s where Concerts & Cuisine comes in. Spotlighting favorite entrees, appetizers and desserts created by more than 30 local chefs, the evening also features live and silent auctions, and of course music provided by the WCO. Ticket sales end May 19 at wcoconcerts.org.

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