What to do in Madison this week: Fall Election, Nikkya Hargrove and more Isthmus Picks

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Petah Coyne, through Dec. 23, Chazen Museum of Art: “How Much a Heart Can Hold” showcases sculptor-photographer Petah Coyne’s work, some never before exhibited, focusing on the lives of women. Her large sculptures, made from such materials as cloth, human hair, scrap metal, wax, silk flowers and other found materials, sometimes hang from the ceiling. “Coyne looks at the woman as a heroine, cultural leader, dissident and activist,” says Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and exhibition curator, “and as a fellow creative who seeks to transform the deep aspects of consciousness and societal awareness.”

Mark Hembree, Art Stevenson, Dale Reichert, Ben Majeska & Ernie Brusubardis IV, Monday, Nov. 4, Up North Pub, 6:30 p.m.: Bluegrass fans already know the score on this Majeska Monday concert, which brings together a couple generations of Wisconsin players. For the uninitiated: Bassist Mark Hembree’s resume includes a stint in Bill Monroe’s band and co-founding the Nashville Bluegrass Band; guitarist Art Stevenson has led High Water for three decades, and is a co-host of Back to the Country on WORT-FM; and Dale Reichert plays banjo with Stevenson in High Water. The younger generation is represented ably by Armchair Boogie guitarist Ben Majeska, and Chicken Wire Empire fiddle-bower Ernest Brusubardis IV.

Driftless Film Festival, through Nov. 9, Mineral Point Opera House: The 28 selections in the 2024 Driftless Film Festival bring independent films to Mineral Point, with some focusing on the Driftless, the unglaciated area with quadrants in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Look for Adrianne & The Castle by filmmaker Shannon Walsh, about an Illinois artist’s passion project; Ride More Drift Less by Nicholas Kapanke, about cyclists riding the gravel roads of Minnesota’s Driftless area; and The Blacksmith’s Curse from Sam Sorenson, filmed right in Mineral Point. See the complete roster of films at driftlessfilmfestival.com.

Fall Election, Tuesday, Nov. 5, various locations, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.: Well…here we are again. As always, myvote.wi.gov is a handy one-stop reference to find your polling place and what’s on the ballot. In Madison, along with the inescapable presidential race, there are contests for U.S. Senate and House; other state and county offices are uncontested, except for Dane County executive. The ballot also includes a Republican-authored constitutional amendment regarding (already illegal) non-citizen voting, as well as taxing referendums from the city of Madison and Madison Metropolitan School District. Be prepared by studying the Isthmus Voter Guide (in English and Spanish), and get out there and vote. What could be more important on a Tuesday?

Nat Turner in Jerusalem, through Nov. 10, American Players Theatre-Touchstone, Spring Green: Nat Turner famously led an uprising of the enslaved that was one of the sparks for the Civil War. In Nat Turner in Jerusalem, playwright Nathan Alan Davis draws from a document written by lawyer Thomas R. Gray from a conversation with Turner in his jail cell the night before he is to be executed in Jerusalem, Virginia. This serious, tense, still work should be in good hands with James DeVita and Gavin Lawrence. Read Jonathan Shipley's review here. Through Nov. 10; the final performances are at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 7 p.m. on Nov. 6-7, 1 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 10, and 1 and 6 p.m., Nov. 9; tickets at americanplayers.org.

Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles, through Dec 1, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery: Get the feels for felt this fall. Felt happens when one accidentally or on purpose agitates wool, creating a dense mat of fabric (as anyone who has mistakenly washed a wool sweater in the machine can attest). It's one of the oldest “constructed” textiles. The UW-Madison’s textile program takes a closer look at felt in physical and sociological terms with “Feel the Beat: Felted Textiles,” which highlights the communal nature of creating felt in some cultures, with felt pieces from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, along with new works from makers in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Iluman, Ecuador. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Mike McCabe, Wednesday, Nov. 6, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: A longtime political reform activist (and long-shot candidate for Wisconsin governor in 2018), Mike McCabe has written two nonfiction books. Now he’s celebrating the publication of his debut novel. Miracles Along County Q follows Ray Glennon, who lives in a beleaguered country town called (of all things) Faith. When a series of confounding incidents that upend the community all share a common link — Ray — secrets are revealed. Seating for this free event is limited and reservations are suggested; it also will be livestreamed via Crowdcast. Find links at mysterytomebooks.com.

Nico Lang, Wednesday, Nov. 6, Crowdcast, 6 p.m.: During our current election cycle, it’s been impossible to avoid ads from right-wing candidates or their surrogates demonizing the trans community, and particularly trans youth. Heard far less often are the voices of trans individuals. Journalist Nico Lang, founder of Queer News Daily and a former deputy editor of Out magazine, documents the lives of trans youth, their families and communities in the new book American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era. Lang will discuss the book with author Hugh Ryan in this Crowdcast webinar hosted by A Room of One’s Own; register at crowdcast.io.

Patti Parks Band, Wednesday, Nov. 6, Red Rooster, 7 p.m.: Patti Parks is a nurse and musician who has for some years now combined the two in a musical therapy program she founded, Nurs’n Blues. Her 2024 album, Come Sing With Me, features 10 tracks of uplifting blues, soul and boogie highlighting Parks' expressive vocals (including a pair of duets with producer Johnny Rawls).

CHEW: The Culver's Story, Wednesday, Nov. 6, Goodman Community Center, 7 p.m.: This monthly meeting of the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW) is a presentation by founder and retired CEO of Culver’s, Craig Culver. It’s Wisconsin’s own fabulous fast food franchise, home of delicious — and the butter burger. The first Culver’s was in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and it is within living memory that one had to drive all the way there in order to have a butter burger; now more than 970 Culver’s franchises are sprinkled across 26 states. It was recently reported that Culver's will resist caving to automation and will rely on actual people; expect Culver’s perspective on that and more.

Nikkya Hargrove, Thursday, Nov. 7, Crowdcast, 6 p.m.: Just after graduating from college, Nikkya Hargrove was faced with a family tragedy: her mother, recently out of prison and struggling with substance abuse, died not long after giving birth to a son. Hargrove decided to petition for custody of her half-brother, a fight complicated by societal and family court misconceptions about her ability to be responsible for an infant as a young Black queer woman. The story is recounted in Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found, and Hargrove will discuss her new memoir with Women’s Medical Fund Wisconsin Executive Director Ali Muldrow in a webinar hosted by A Room of One’s Own; register at crowdcast.io.

Pride and Prejudice, Nov. 7-17, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: It’s one of the most beloved novels in English for a reason. Our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, is ahead of her time. When she decides that the eligible Mr. Darcy is an insufferable snob, she must learn much before everything comes to right. While Pride and Prejudice is in many ways an intricate dance in which the major characters figure out who should marry whom, it is much more than that, assaying class and gender roles with wit and perception. Performances of this University Theatre production are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7-17. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

Angry F*gs, through Nov. 16, Bartell Theatre: StageQ weighs in with a play smartly timed to election season. Topher Payne’s Angry F*gs, written in 2013, deals with violence and attitudes that have not changed in the 11 years since. When a friend is beaten up outside a gay bar, political speechwriter Bennett is outraged that it isn’t classified as a hate crime. This dark revenge comedy won the Gene-Gabriel Moore playwriting award. Shows at 7:30 p.m.Thursday, Friday and Saturday (except 2 p.m. on Nov. 16) and 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Murder Girl, Nov. 7-24, Overture-Playhouse: This is the world premiere of a new play by Milwaukee actor/playwright Heidi Armbruster, who often draws from classic murder mysteries and has previously adapted Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for the stage as well as crafting Mrs. Christie, a play about the novelist. In this comedy, Armbruster draws on the fact that Wisconsin is populated with both supper clubs and famous serial killers. The plot: Siblings who have inherited a supper club in the northwoods find things turning dark. American Players Theatre favorite Sarah Day is in the cast of this Forward Theater production. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m., Nov. 16 and 23. Tickets at overture.org.

The Blue Comet, through Nov. 9, Bartell Theatre: This forgotten comedy by Eden Phillpotts was performed in England in the 1920s, but never produced in the United States. A sci-fi comedy of manners, The Blue Comet centers on an English country family who is grappling with two potential catastrophes: the arrival of the comet — and a relative from Australia. The final performances of this Madison Shakespeare Company production are at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7-8 and 5 p.m. on Nov. 9. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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