What to do in Madison this weekend: VO5 20th anniversary, Black Film Festival and more Isthmus Picks

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Black Film Festival, through Nov. 15, various venues: For this year’s Black Film Festival, the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development is collaborating with Madison Public Library to present nine films and a pair of related events. Screenings start at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Pinney Library and 1 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Sequoya Library; Nov. 15 at Central Library features two recent offerings by Madison filmmaker Rafael Ragland, The Comforter (11:30 a.m.) and Echoes of Freedom (2 p.m.), both followed by a talkback with Ragland, plus the new documentary The Great American Game (4:30 p.m.) and a closing party (7 p.m.) with music by the New Gen Collective. For a full schedule and tickets, see bit.ly/madblackfilmfest.

Women’s Work, through Nov. 26, Giant Jones Brewery; reception Nov. 13, 5-7 p.m.: As if one needed another reason to head to the tasting room at Giant Jones, this showcase of all the 2025 applicants to the Women Artists Forward Prize is one that’s non-beer related. The space has good lighting designed for art displays (and great beer to sip while enjoying the art). The Forward Art Prize from the Women Artists Forward Fund addresses gender inequity in the arts, supporting women-identifying visual artists in Dane County. The reception will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13; the two winners of $10,000 prizes and five finalists of $1,000 prizes will be announced at 5:30 p.m.

John McDermott, Thursday, Nov. 13, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Born and raised in Madison, author John McDermott now lives in Texas but returns to his hometown to celebrate the release of his debut novel. Set partially in Superior but mostly in 1956-era Manhattan, The Last Spirits of Manhattan is based on a true story about an allegedly haunted house in which Alfred Hitchcock hosts a star-studded party. McDermott will be joined in conversation by Madison journalist and author Doug Moe. The free event also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast; links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Hildaland, Thursday, Nov. 13, North Street Cabaret, 7 p.m.: Hildaland is a duo of award-winning instrumentalists — fiddler Louise Bichan, born in Scotland, and mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, born in Indiana — who tackle traditional tunes from both places with their own fresh interpretations, along with writing new music. Their forthcoming EP, Fiddle Tunes, gets fairly progressive on a reinvention of the traditional song “The Brushy Fork of John’s Creek”; other cuts are a bit more straightforward, and all allow their careful musical interplay to shine. They’re visiting Madison as part of the Sugar Maple Concert Series; tickets at eventbrite.com.

Some Like It Hot, through Nov. 16, Overture Hall: This isn’t your forebears' Some Like It Hot — the 1959 film you may be thinking of. The Broadway adaptation keeps the setup (two musicians on the run from gangsters) but turns it into a full-on song-and-dance spectacle, with a jazzy score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) and a script by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin. The result is a Tony-winning, razzle dazzle romp and sly reinvention — with an ending you just might not expect. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13-14, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16; tickets at overture.org.

Little Women, Nov. 13-23, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: If there is a limit to what material can be turned into a musical, Broadway has not located it yet. Little Women, based on the iconic novel by Louisa May Alcott, puts fledgling writer Jo March’s aspirations and heartaches to song. As literary sisters to generations of American girls, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are relatable models as they cope with the Civil War, poverty, jealousy and loss. University Theatre performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on Nov. 22. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

The Gulf, through Nov. 22, Bartell Theatre: StageQ takes on this Lambda Literary Award-winner by Audrey Cefaly. The Gulf examines a committed lesbian relationship from the confines of a small rowboat. Out looking for fish, the two women converse, at first desultorily, then with deeper undercurrents. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Nov. 22) and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

inertia follies, through Nov. 23, Broom Street Theater: Directed by performance artist Chelsea Gaspard, “inertia follies” focuses on experimental performance art, “across multiple disciplines,” according to Gaspard. Gaspard will perform Molting in a Saturn Shell, about “the vulnerability of shedding layers of Self within a hostile environment.” The show will also include work by Malcolm McCanles, Andrieu Todd, Spenser Wise and Kate Wydeven, and Gaspard calls it a “living, breathing experiment, [that] will develop according to the selected artists.” Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Gutenberg! The Musical! through Nov. 30, Overture-Playhouse: If a couple of newbies staging an implausible Broadway musical sounds like a plot you’ve heard before (The Producers), you’re not entirely wrong. But unlike the protagonists in the storied Mel Brooks comedy, the two behind this unlikely show, Bud and Doug, truly believe in its worth. Gutenberg! The Musical!, about the inventor of the printing press and his love for his assistant, Helvetica, is a charmer. This Forward Theater production is directed by Jen Uphoff Gray; performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday (no shows Nov. 26-27), 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (no early show Nov. 8) and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. Nov. 28. Read Lauren Hafeman’s review here. Tickets at overture.org.

Planets as Stars, Nov. 14-22, ART House 360, Verona: Theatre LILA returns with Planets as Stars, a one-woman show from Gina Cornejo and directed by ART House 360 founder Jessica Lanius. Cornejo, an assistant director at American Players Theatre, is also a performer and storyteller as well as a “self-proclaimed professional feelings-haver.” This evening of immersive storytelling deals with intimate topics like divorce and later-life queerness, But also, dance breaks! Shows are at 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, plus 3 p.m. on Nov. 16. Tickets at theatrelila.com.

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Friday, Nov. 14, Overture Center-Capitol Theater, 7:30 p.m.: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra opens its Masterworks season with a concert titled “Eroica,” and a program spanning elegance, emotion and revolution. Guest violinist Lun Li will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, a work that still stops time with its lyricism. The program also features Rautavaara’s Suite for Strings and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica). Written as Beethoven was beginning to lose his hearing, Eroica was both a rebellion and a rebirth — a declaration that art and the human spirit could triumph over despair. Two centuries later, it still feels bold and defiant. (Note, originally announced guest artist Vladyslava Luchenko is unable to appear due to visa delays.) Tickets at overture.org. 

The Wood Brothers, Friday, Nov. 14, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 8 p.m.: The Wood Brothers don’t sit still inside Americana — they stretch it, twist it, and see what happens. Their new album, Puff of Smoke, throws brass, distorted keys, and even a hint of carnival calliope into the mix. Somehow, it all works. Live, the Grammy-nominated trio leans into that same spirit: part folk, part blues, part soul, all wrapped in a looseness that still feels razor-sharp. They’ve been at this for 20 years, and the joy shows. With Dug. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Billy Woods, Friday, Nov. 14, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Veteran underground hip-hop artist Billy Woods returned to record racks in May with Golliwog, a 19-track phantasmagoria of a record that rewards repeat listening. Influenced by fantasy/horror fiction and films, it’s a dark-humored, surrealist set that feels like a fitting soundtrack to 2025’s disorienting and disturbing news cycle. Also on the bill are Wino Willy & Matthew FOHDH, who released the collaborative album Matthew gets sick off cheap wine & prefers Gruaud Larose 1945 this summer. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Van Orman & Helwin, Friday, Nov. 14, Harmony Bar, 9 p.m.: If you’ve ever wondered how life in the mystical Driftless region of the state would impact a band’s music, this show is your chance to find out. Driftless musicians John Van Orman and Adam Helwin break out a wonderfully crazy hodge-podge of instruments to make their sound including Viennese guitar, gourd banjo, hurdy-gurdy, harmonium and jaw harp. Their backgrounds encompass sea shanty music and punk rock — both with an Irish bent. That melds well with Boiled in Lead members Drew Miller and Todd Menton, who will join for a quartet incarnation of the band for this concert.

150 Artists x 150 Years, Nov. 15-Feb. 28, Madison Public Library branches: As part of its 150th anniversary commemoration, Madison Public Library invited 150 artists to create a new art work; the catch was everyone was assigned a specific year, and had to base the art on a word that was newly added to a dictionary or the public lexicon in that year. The results can be viewed at Ashman, Central, Goodman, Hawthorne, Meadowridge, Pinney and Sequoya branches through February; receptions will take place from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10 a.m.-noon Dec. 6 at the Central branch.

Añamarié Edwards + Warren King, through Jan. 11, Watrous Gallery; reception Nov. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Head up to the third floor of the Overture Center for this fall-into-winter paired exhibit from two Milwaukee artists. Añamarié Edwards' “The Home of Joy” delves into what joy might look like for Black and brown communities, in paint and mixed media. Warren King’s “Homecoming” showcases his abstracted cardboard sculptures (mostly of human figures) that are influenced by the Chinese tradition of lacquerware. A reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 includes remarks from both artists, beginning at 6 p.m.

Watershed Reading Series, Saturday, Nov. 15, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 p.m.: This long-running series showcases local poet Anthony Immergluck, whose debut collection, The Worried Well, won the 2024 Autumn House Rising Writer Prize; novelist and short story writer Emily Mitchell, whose latest collection of literary speculative fiction, The Church of Divine Electricity, was published Nov. 4 by UW Press; and former Arts + Lit Lab education director Jenn Morea, who now lives in Chicago and whose poetry collection, The Hyacinth Letter, arrived in February. All three will read from their works.

Samara Joy, Saturday, Nov. 15, UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Samara Joy returns to the Wisconsin Union Theater, and if you haven’t yet heard the voice inspiring quiet awe, here’s your chance. The Bronx-born, five-time Grammy winner may just be the Ella Fitzgerald of our time — a singer whose tone feels both brand new and deeply familiar, like she’s been carrying these songs for generations. Her latest album, Portrait, shows how her artistry keeps expanding, pairing the warmth of classic jazz with her own lyrical voice. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Caravan, Saturday, Nov. 15, North Street Cabaret, 8 p.m.: If you’re a follower of Madison’s burgeoning jazz scene, you are familiar with Caravan (if not: Caravan is one of the city’s leading exponents of Romani jazz cross-pollinated with an eclectic range of other styles). But you haven’t seen them in concert unamplified and playing by candlelight. It should make for a memorable evening. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

VO5 20th anniversary, Saturday, Nov. 15, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: If you don’t know VO5, you really have to have been trying hard to not pay attention. The expansive band, complete with costumes, wigs and dancers, embraces the glittery/glam disco/funk side of the '70s with covers and original songs. For this “20th anniversary Disco Extravaganza” fete, expect special guest players, other surprises, and a little harmless mayhem. Bring your dancing shoes. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Sunday, Nov. 16, Orpheum, 2 p.m.: Last year, Capital City Theatre premiered this musical by Andrew Abrams and John Atkins that reimagines the classic Christmas film with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. In It’s a Wonderful Life, there’s plenty of music besides “Buffalo Gals,” with original songs “Angel Gets His Wings” and “You Can’t Keep the Bailey Boys Down.” And there’s an updated approach (the good kind) to gender and diversity. This is a one-show-only reprise for this holiday season, staged in the period-appropriate Orpheum. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

LunART Choir, Sunday, Nov. 16, WYSO Center for Music, 2:30 p.m.: A new voice is taking flight. The LunART Choir makes its debut with “Metamorphosis,” featuring music of resilience written and sung by women, and powered by the idea that change can be both painful and beautiful. The program features music by Abbie Betinis, Jessical Mayer, Anna Meredith, Moira Smiley, Tracey Wong, and 2026 LunART Festival composer-in-residence Libby Larsen — one of the defining classical voices of our time. A reception follows the performance. Tickets at lunartfestival.org.

Brass Queens, Sunday, Nov. 16, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Substitute the streets of New Orleans with the streets of Brooklyn and you have The Brass Queens, the hottest touring second line band out of the Big Apple. They absolutely devoured stages at last summer’s La Fete de Marquette, both with their own sets and in a delirious brass band mash up with Madison’s Mama Digdown's Brass Band. This will surely be a way to stave off the coming cold nights, aided by an opening set by Madi-Son Latin Project. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.

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