What to do in Madison this weekend: Native Art Market, 'Gutenberg! The Musical!' and more Isthmus Picks

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We’re Building the Wrong AI, Thursday, Nov. 6, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 3:30 p.m.: Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere, but actually intelligent conversation about it is not as easy to find. Sendhil Mullainathan, an author and professor of economics and electrical engineering at MIT, brings the latter to this year’s UW La Follette School of Public Affairs Hilldale Lecture. His talk, “We’re Building the Wrong AI,” explores two possible futures: one where AI makes life easier and work more meaningful — and one where it mostly automates away both. The title of Mullainathan's lecture reveals his concern, but there’s still time to right the ship. Register at lafollette.wisc.edu.

Carrie Voigt Schonhoff, Thursday, Nov. 6, Ruby Rose Gallery, Cambridge, 6 p.m.: Over the past six years, Madison-area poet and musician Carrie Voigt Schonhoff has published three collections of her work: 2019’s Liminal Artistry, 2022’s The End of the Beginning, and now Shadow Work. Widowed in 2012, Schonhoff explores themes of healing, transformation and courage. Her newest pieces reflect Schonhoff’s own moments of nostalgia, melancholy, joy and personal growth while also channeling a universality that even non-poetry fans can embrace.

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.

Make America Gay Again, Thursday, Nov. 6, Crucible, 7 p.m.: Cheshire Cat Comedy presents “Make America Gay Again,” a glitter-drenched recurring showcase of queer joy mashing up music, drag and razor-sharp comedy. Hosted by Chicago drag queen and stand-up dynamo Derry Queen, the lineup also features some of the Midwest’s funniest and fiercest performers: Manny Petty, Shawn Banks, Vanessa Tortolano and Sasha Rosser. Expect enough sequins to qualify as a fire hazard. Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Gutenberg! The Musical! Nov. 6-30, 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. Tickets at overture.org.

Cowboy Mouth, Thursday, Nov. 6, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: In its three decades, Cowboy Mouth has cheerfully jetted its way through a variety of genres, from country to punk. That eclectic energy is there in its latest album and first release in 11 years, Cover Yo' Azz, which aimiably re-imagines songs from REM, The Replacements, Queen, Frank Sinatra, The Who, Cher, Rodney Crowell, Ian Hunter, Fats Domino, and Hootie & the Blowfish. While a countrified “Fat Bottomed Girls” is maybe more of a hoot than hip, the band’s cover of The Who’s “The Real Me” legit slaps. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.

Women Beware Women, through Nov. 8, Bartell Theatre-Drury Stage: One of the bloodiest and most violent of the Jacobean tragedies, Women Beware Women, was penned by Thomas Middleton, a contemporary of Shakespeare. Bianca elopes with the insecure Leantio, which is only the beginning of an exploration of sexual jealousy, women’s agency, and male lust for power. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, but a whole lot darker. The final Madison Shakespeare Company performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6-7 and 5 p.m. Nov. 8; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Whoopensocker’s 10th Anniversary Extravaganza, Friday, Nov. 7, Madison Youth Arts, 6:30 p.m.: Whoopensocker is a fun program coordinated by departments in the UW-Madison School of Education, which places teaching artists in residencies at local elementary schools. Students learn to write sketches, songs and other short performance pieces, which are then performed by the teaching artists for both school and public shows. This anniversary performance features audience favorites from the last 10 years of student creations, followed by a Q&A session. Find tickets at ericahalverson.com.

Derrick Adams, through Dec. 19, Tandem Press: Multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams has been working with Tandem Press since 2019. “Silver Lining” will collect the work created during that time, prints full of vibrant color and the joy of living. The gallery will be open as part of MMoCA's citywide Gallery Night event, from 5-9 p.m. on Nov. 7; regular gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

The Gulf, Nov. 7-22, 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.

Jeff Daniels, Friday, Nov. 7, Atwood Music Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Jeff Daniels’ two prime time Emmy awards (for The Newsroom and Godless) and five Golden Globe nominations tend to overshadow his devotion to writing and performing music. The Michigan native began composing songs in the ‘70s while waiting for the phone to ring with acting opportunities, and never stopped. His lilting folk songs have a Midwestern heart that frame pictures of his experiences roaming the upper peninsula. Daniels puts to music what novelist Jim Harrison records in prose. With Whitney Mann. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.

La Bohème, Nov. 7 & 9, Overture Hall: Opera can be like sushi — an acquired taste. But everyone likes a spring roll, and La Bohème is just that. Puccini’s masterpiece goes down easy: gorgeous melodies you already half-know, young artists chasing love and rent in Paris, and heartbreak that still feels fresh more than a century later. It’s opera’s greatest love story, sweeping, soaring, and impossible not to get caught up in. Madison Opera brings it back this fall — the perfect entry point if you’re new, and a forever favorite if you’re not. Read Dan Koehn’s preview here. Performances at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 9; tickets at overture.org.

inertia follies, Nov. 7-23, 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.

Marshall Tucker Band, Friday, Nov. 7, Barrymore, 8 p.m.: You don’t hear much about the Marshall Tucker Band these days. The last studio album these guys released was 2007’s The Next Adventure, and just one original member (lead vocalist Doug Gray) remains. But with a legacy of rustic country-rock classics from its '70s heyday (“Take the Highway,” “Can’t You See,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Heard It In a Love Song”) the little band that could from Spartanburg, S.C., is still going strong on its “All Our Friends Tour” — making music that spans generations. Fun fact: “Marshall Tucker” was never in the band; the name refers to a blind piano tuner from Spartanburg. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Power of Dusk, Friday, Nov. 7, Mickey’s, 10 p.m.: Hailing from Champaign, Illinois, comes Power of Dusk, a five-piece blending punk/metal guitars and some thoughts on politics and society. They’re hitting Madison just ahead of the release of a strong new 7-inch EP, What We Deserve. They’re joined by two Madison bands who also offer new records: Bashford, who unleashed an excellent second outing for the Big Neck label, Wannabe, in October; and Heather the Jerk, whose Very Motorcycle 7-inch is also just out via the Italian Goodbye Boozy label.

Winter Art Fair Off the Square, Nov. 8-9, Monona Terrace: While the summer art fairs downtown usually grab the headlines, the winter art fairs — here, the Off the Square fair from the Wisconsin Alliance of Artists & Craftspeople — have a number of things to recommend them. A) Indoors, bug-free, temperature controlled. B) Close to the holidays and conveniently held at just that panic moment when you realize it is November already and you have literally no presents for anyone. C) Just fun to stroll and buy, because, art! There’s also kids' activities and a silent auction. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 9; find a brochure with more info at artcraftwis.org.

Native Art Market, Saturday, Nov. 8, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: More than 40 Native artists will show and sell their work at this year’s market, with contemporary and traditional versions of Indigenous beadwork, quillwork, weaving, leather work, metals, basketry, clothing, and more. (Find a list of artists, curated by Dakota Mace and Paige Skenandore, at artlitlab.org.) The market is followed on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. with a free, ticketed performance by Bizhiki, which blends Ojibwe powwow music with electronic and indie music.

Katie Venit, Saturday, Nov. 8, Lake City Books, 11 a.m.: In her debut picture book, Forts, Eau Claire-based author Katie Venit assures readers young and old that it’s okay to need time alone. A “fort” can be a “hideout behind a waterfall,” a “kingdom under the kitchen table” or other “tiny worlds within this world, safe as coat pockets.” Venit’s boo­k — richly illustrated by Kenard Pak — follows a creative young girl who finds forts just about anywhere. In the end, she lets in someone special to share the magic. This might be the kind of perfect family outing you’re looking for on a fall Saturday morning.

Jam 4 Cans, Saturday, Nov. 8, VFW Post 7591, noon-10 p.m.: This annual event hosted by radio station Q106 brings together a variety of regional country bands to raise funds (and nonperishable food donations) for local food pantries — a major need in our time of federal government disarray. This year’s lineup is headlined by the Rusty Hearts, a Madison-area band mixing old school honky tonk and a bit of rock, and the day also includes sets by RailHopper, Diamonds & Lead, and others.

Homiefest, Saturday, Nov. 8, Rigby Pub, noon-midnight: This homegrown music festival coordinated by Wisconsin artists (including Madison’s Excuse Me, Who Are You?) always serves as a handy primer on the regional emo and adjacent music scene. This year's Homiefest brings 16 bands on two stages including local faves such as EMWAY, Dear Mr. Watterson and Combat Naps, plus a rare show by Rockford veterans Joie de Vivre and a visit from New Jersey’s No Good With Secrets (another project by Madison James of Ogbert The Nerd). Find tickets at brownpapertickets.com.

Yo Quiero Dinero, Saturday, Nov. 8, Madison Youth Arts, 4 p.m.: Storytelling has become perhaps the art form of the decade, and the bilingual event “Yo Quiero Dinero: Our Stories Have Value,” hosted by Midwest Mujeres, focuses on the experiences of women of color. Onstage, they reclaim their narratives, “overcoming fear, building confidence, and reimagining wealth.” This year’s keynote speaker is Jamie Perez, founder of Beyond Words Productions and a former reporter for WISC-TV. Also appearing onstage: Olivia Buenrostro-Soto, Gina Guerrero, Stephanie Habeck, Jenise Judon, Francelia Lara, Aida Leflore, Tennisha Loggins and Stephany Penate. The event begins at 4 p.m. with networking and refreshments; performances start at 5 p.m. Find tickets and more information at midwestmujeres.com.

Artful Women, through Dec. 6, University Hospital; reception Nov. 8, State Line Distillery, 4-6 p.m.: A surgical waiting area at a busy hospital may seem an offbeat choice for an art gallery, but it makes sense. It’s a great place for art to do what it does: distract, engage, refresh. “Artful Women” is a juried show and sale and a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Women’s Network and University Hospital Art Fund. In a move to someplace more festive than a hospital, the reception will take place 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at State Line Distillery, with refreshments and a virtual gallery slideshow. Find more info at wiwomensnetwork.org.

May & the Ladies, Saturday, Nov. 8, Communication, 7 p.m.: May Klug is a Minneapolis-based pop phenom whose synth-driven tracks lean hard into house music but get playful as well. May & the Ladies will be joined by locals including rapper Basal Jones, Grace Olson’s pop rock project Norris Court, singer-songwriter Chakari Daezhare, and The Jaws of Life. It’s an entire program celebrating queerpop, hip-hop, and rock 'n roll. Tickets at communicationmadison.com.

Optometri, Sunday, Nov. 9, Harmony Bar, 5 p.m.: Russian rockers Optometri were a favorite of music scene cognoscenti in the '00s after the band took up residency in the Madison area upon becoming stranded in the United States. Sing-along hits such as “We Will Bury You” and “Love is Not a Potato” have been sorely missing from local stages for many years, but that is about to change with this reunion show, which doubles as a benefit for WORT-FM. (Note: Resemblance of Optometri to members of Theramones, Hirt Alpert, Yid Vicious and other Madison bands is only your imagination.)

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