What to do in Madison this week: Sept. 21-24, 2026

Patti Smith, Phil Hanley and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Idea Fest, Sept. 18-26, UW campus + other locations: Idea Fest, organized by The Capital Times, is unapologetic about its focus on politics and activism. This year programmers have packed the slate with journalists, politicians, activists and thinkers that should make every policy wonk’s heart beat faster: Jacob Soboroff, Jonathan Capehart, Eddie Glaude Jr., Susan Glasser, Jane Mayer, Evan Osnos, Mikie Sherrill, Elissa Slotkin, Abigail Spanberger, Ben Wikler, Mark Pocan, Chris Van Hollen and more. On the arts side, the marquee draw is an evening with actor Jane Alexander, moderated by David Maraniss (Sept. 22). A concurrent photojournalism summit runs Sept. 24-25. Find a schedule and tickets at captimesideafest.com.
  • Ann Garvin, Tuesday, Sept. 22, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: A treasure of the near west side — we could be talking about either Ann Garvin OR Mystery to Me bookstore. Or both! Garvin veers a bit from her woman-centered, rom-com-adjacent recent novels (they’re funny, but not shallow) to thriller territory with Tell Two Friends (Lake Union Publishing). Garvin should be a delight in conversation with Jeff Oloizia, creator of the Writing Forward podcast about Wisconsin writers. Registration recommended and a livestream will be available; find links at mysterytomebooks.com.
  • Thinking About Music, Tuesdays, Sept. 8-22, Token Creek Concert Barn, DeForest, 7 p.m.: The Token Creek Chamber Music series is hosting Madison-based philosopher Phil Mack for a three-part lecture series considering music. If a symphony is played by different orchestras, is it the “same?” What about “Danny Boy” when interpreted by Conway Twitty rather than Dennis Day? And what about bird calls, or silence? Each presentation by Mack will be followed by time for discussion. Find info on weekly topics and tickets at tokencreekchambermusic.org.
  • Patti Smith, Tuesday, Sept. 22, Orpheum, 7 p.m.: Okay, she’s Patti Smith, so she can honestly do whatever she wants. This appearance in support of the paperback edition of her latest memoir, Bread of Angels, is a ticketed event that includes a copy of the book. No signings. No reception. No meet-and-greet. Smith will take the stage to perform what is billed as “an intimate evening of songs and stories.” Smith’s 2010 memoir, Just Kids, about the scene in NYC in the late 1960s and early 1970s, won the National Book Award; this one covers her childhood in New Jersey through her marriage to Fred Smith and, most revealingly, the “hiatus” years in Michigan, largely under the radar, raising her family. It’s honest and compelling work from the great punk/poet/prophet. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • Slick, Sept. 23-Jan. 31, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: This is the new exhibit at MMoCA that’s not the seeded AI experiment by Beeple. This one pairs works of art from MMoCA’s permanent collection (always good to see) with visiting works to create a basis for thinking about or reconsidering the body and representations of the body.
  • CodaFest, Sept. 23-26, Cafe Coda: Cafe Coda is among the businesses hit hard by the recent protest encampment on Williamson Street, and subsequent denial of emergency assistance for neighborhood businesses by the Madison Common Council. One way to help this vital community hub is to visit for a concert or community event, and there are many excellent opportunities coming up at the four-day CodaFest celebration. It kicks off Sept. 23 with a free day of activities honoring the 100th birthday of John Coltrane, with music, documentaries and more. Cafe Coda’s own woodwind master Hanah Jon Taylor leads his Artet for a 7 p.m. concert on Sept. 24, followed by a 9 p.m. show by percussionist Ronnie Burrage & the Holographic Principle. Sept. 25 features ensembles led by Frank Catalano and Eric Jacobson; Sept. 26 features matinee concerts by the Cool School kids' group Space in Time, and First Liberation Saxophone Choir; the evening features fest headliners Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Chico Freeman Quintet. Find info on tickets at cafecoda.club.
  • Isaac Fitzgerald, Wednesday, Sept. 23, Central Library, 7 p.m.: There is a certain kind of memoir/travelogue based on retracing the past — following the remnants of the Oregon Trail, or the route of Thoreau’s explorations on Cape Cod and in Maine, or the Lewis and Clark expedition. In American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed, Isaac Fitzgerald blends his own adventures with the history of John Chapman, the gardener who turned himself into a folk hero. Fitzgerald will be in conversation with producer and photographer Andy Adams at this Wisconsin Book Festival event.
  • Tom Maas, Wednesday, Sept. 23, Black Earth Lanes, 6:30 p.m.: Distilling is a longtime avocation for the Maas family; Tom Maas' father, Duane, built and worked in distilleries around the world, and his son, Nick, runs Dancing Goat Distillery in Cambridge. After graduating from UW-Madison, Tom Maas worked in the industry as well, for Jack Daniel, Canadian Club and Jim Beam; after being unexpectedly let go from the corporate world, he created a spirit sensation of his own. Tastes Like Money: RumChata and the Making of a Beloved Brand is a new book about Maas’ experience, and he’ll discuss and sign the book at this event. It’s followed by free bowling at cozy Black Earth Lanes.
  • Mumford & Sons, Wednesday, Sept. 23, Kohl Center, 7:30 p.m.: Mumford & Sons engineered new relevance with a slate of special guests (Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Chris Stapleton and Gigi Perez) on their recent studio album, Prizefighter, which was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, and it’s a vibe that meshes well with the band’s sepia-toned Americana indie spirit. Things skew more blues rock as the Marcus King Band opens. Tickets at uwbadgers.evenue.net.
  • Phil Hanley, Sept. 24-26, Comedy on State: Phil Hanley has worked as a model and is also an acclaimed author, of the memoir Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith. Thankfully for fans of comedy, he also still performs stand-up, because his take on the form is a one-of-a-kind blend of personal storytelling, concise one-liners, and quick-witted crowd interaction. Shows at 7 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 7 and 9 p.m., Sept. 25-26. Tickets at madisoncomedy.com.
  • Opera on the Point, Sept. 24, 26 and Oct. 3, Picnic Point, 7 p.m.: Whether you think you like opera or not, give Opera on the Point a try. Fresco Opera, the company that takes opera to unlikely stages — like suburban garages — has been mounting a yearly production of ghost stories paired with appropriate songs from various operas, in the circle at the tip of Picnic Point, complete with a roaring campfire. This year’s theme is “Into the Dark,” and organizers promise “strange creatures, legends, and encounters emerg[ing] from the woods.” It’s good fun. Park at the Picnic Point lot (Lot 130) and walk the mile to the end of the peninsula. There are some stone seats at the fire ring but it wouldn’t hurt to bring a camp chair (and a flashlight).
  • Do it to Julia! through Sept. 27, Broom Street Theater: It’s the year of dystopian drama! This retelling and homage based on the granddaddy of all totalitarian society novels, 1984, is told from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover, Julia. And it’s about time. With the focus on Julia and the pressure to conform, viewers may be reminded of the Apple TV series Pluribus but at the same time this remains your grandpappy’s 1984. Do it to Julia! stars Rose Popma as Julia and Matt Beyer as Winston; this Broom Street Theater production is directed by Melissa Minkoff. Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
  • Steady She Goes, through Sept. 27, Overture-Playhouse: Remember that sea shanty craze a few years back? It will have prepped you for the tunes in Steady She Goes. The romance of the sea. The thrill of dangerous winds and waves. Mutiny. These situations worked for Melville and audiences will be reminded of why in this true story. Mary Ann Brown Patten, back in 1856, took control of a merchant marine vessel when her husband, the captain, took ill. And move over, Ahab — she was 19 and eight months pregnant at the time. Brian Cowing directs Erica Berman’s script for Forward Theater; music arrangements are by Scott McKenna Campbell. This production is part of World Premiere Wisconsin. Read Charles Payne's review here. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, plus 2 p.m. on Sept. 19, 24 and 26. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Fellow Travelers, Thursday, Sept. 24, The Rigby, 8 p.m.: Milwaukeeans Fellow Travelers visit Madison the night before the release party in Brewtown for a new album, Don’t Fail Me Now. The singles released the last couple months find songwriter Max Niemann and company creating some meat-and-potatoes Midwestern roots music — in the tradition of landing possibly a bit too country for the rockers and too rockin' for the country kids. If you loved, say, Bottle Rockets, you wanna check ‘em out. It’s a whale of a triple bill also featuring Free Dirt and alewives, Madison bands working similarly twang-friendly yet intense angles on the rock spectrum.
  • Marjorie Prime, through Sept. 26, Bartell Theatre: When it was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the setting for Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime was the near future.” In Mercury Players Theatre’s new production, it’s basically set, well, now. Marjorie suffers from Alzheimer’s. Her son-in-law gets her an AI “hologram” of her late husband to help her failing memory. Her stories are not always real, but the AI takes them as truth. The play probes what makes a human “human” and a lot of other questions we find ourselves grappling with. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays (except 4 p.m. on Sept. 26) and at 4 p.m. on Sept. 20. Tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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