What to do in Madison this week: Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2026

John Green, 'Don Juan' and more Isthmus Picks

by

Arts

  • Election Protection in Dane County, Tuesday, Sept. 29, Pinney Library, 6:30 p.m.: The U.S. Constitution mandates that elections are administered by states, not the federal government. Are the states up to the task of countering federal interference? Learn more about the local effort at “Election Protection in Dane County,” this forum from the League of Women Voters of Dane County. Speakers include Scott McDonell, Dane County clerk; Sam Liebert, director of the Wisconsin branch of the nonpartisan nonprofit All Voting is Local; and Barb Feeney, former LWVDC president. RSVP at lwvdanecounty.org (a Zoom option is also available).
  • Don Juan, Tuesday, Sept. 29, Arts + Literature Lab, 7 p.m.: Falconbridge Players are at it again. The scrappy troupe concentrates on play readings — scripts spoken with feeling but without staging — of less well known works that are classics or newly out of copyright. Here they sink their teeth into the legend of the lothario Don Juan, in a comedic version penned by Molière. The great French satirist’s works seem tailor-made for audiences familiar with APT, here convening on Main Street.
  • PhotoMidwest Biennial Exhibition, through Feb. 26, Biopharmaceutical Technology Center Gallery, Fitchburg: Every two years, the volunteer collective PhotoMidwest puts out a call to regional photographers for a special exhibition juried by a guest curator; this year that task was undertaken by Karen Irvine, deputy director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. The exhibit in conjunction with the Promega Art Showcase is only part of PhotoMidwest’s fall festival slate, also including exhibits at the UW Arboretum, Pyle Center, Abel Contemporary Gallery and PhotoMidwest’s own gallery space. Find the full schedule and related events at photomidwest.org.
  • Erika Meitner, Tuesday, Sept. 29, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Erika Meitner’s seventh book of poetry, Assembled Audience, focuses on people who gather — to celebrate and mourn, to protest and witness, to eat and play. The three dozen pieces here (many of which first appeared in a different form or with different titles in journals and anthologies) explore how the bold act of congregating is not only a survival mechanism but also a form of resistance. Meitner is professor of English at UW-Madison, where she oversees the Creative Writing Program, and her poetry has won multiple awards. This event is part of the ongoing Wisconsin Book Festival programming.
  • Slick, through 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.
  • Cirque Us, Wednesday, Sept. 30, Madison Circus Space, 7 p.m.: The touring circus arts collective Cirque Us is back for one night only with their show “Cirque Us Stories.” It’s a program pulling together kid-friendly elements from the company's other circus creations into a “thrilling narrative about community and identity,” as described by the ensemble. Tickets at thecirqueus.com.
  • D. Leah Steinberg, Thursday, Oct. 1, Lake City Books, 6:30 p.m.: The name D. Leah Steinberg may not be familiar, but how about Clyde Stubblefield? Madisonian and famed “funky drummer,” Stubblefield played for James Brown and for years had regular club gigs in Madison. He is the most sampled drummer in the world, hence giving hip-hop its backbone. Steinberg has written Clyde Stubblefield: Rhythms of the Funky Drummer, the first biography of the music legend, detailing his life from a difficult childhood in Tennessee, to his on-the-job musical education to reminiscences from those who knew him. Steinberg will discuss the project at Lake City. RSVP at lakecitybooks.com.
  • John Green, Thursday, Oct. 1, Overture-Capitol Theater, 7 p.m.: This is a huge get for the Wisconsin Book Festival (in partnership with A Room of One’s Own) — and the perfect pregame for the fest’s 25th annual four-day Fall Celebration from Oct. 15-18. John Green, known for his bestselling young adult (The Fault in Our Stars) and nonfiction (Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection) books, is on the road promoting his first novel for adults, Hollywood, Ending. It’s the story of two young actors cast in a buzzy Andy Warhol biopic and explores the challenges of finding someone to trust in an untrustworthy world. Pre-signed copies of Hollywood, Ending will be distributed free to attendees. Doors open at 6 p.m., so plan to arrive early!
  • Nick Brown Band album release, Thursday, Oct. 1, Bur Oak, 7 p.m.: Longtime Madison music fans have likely heard Nick Brown play and sing in covers-focused bands such as longtime Crystal Corner resident honky-tonkers Brown Derby or, more recently, Canyon Arrow and This is Gary. For his eponymous solo/band project, Brown writes songs that are empathetic, wryly humorous, and economically drilled down to seemingly small details that combine to paint a big canvas. The new album Short Long-Term Memory continues Brown and band’s winning streak, featuring 10 new songs featuring beautifully laid-back country-folk playing and Brown’s burnished vocals and keen storytelling. With Bigtooth. Tickets at theburoakmadison.com.
  • Michael Mayo, Thursday, Oct. 1, UW Memorial Union-Play Circle, 7:30 p.m.: Singer and composer Michael Mayo is among a new generation of artists reviving the art of the jazz vocal. Mayo put his elastic tenor to good use on the 2024 album Fly, which featured both original songs and creative reinterpretations of classic melodies by Miles Davis (“Four” picked up a Grammy nod), Thelonious Monk, and others. For a sample of what he can do live, watch Mayo’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

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