What to do in Madison this weekend: Canoecopia, Charity Jamboree and more Isthmus Picks

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Note: Public Health Madison and Dane County allowed the most recent face covering public order to expire on Feb. 28. Many venues and businesses may continue to maintain individual requirements for masking, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or a negative test for entry. Before heading out for any in-person event, confirm it is still taking place and check for any attendance guidelines on the relevant business websites or social media accounts.

USA Curling Mixed Doubles National Championship, through March 13, Capitol Ice Arena, Middleton: After seeing America’s top-ranked curlers compete on the world stage in this year’s Winter Olympics, get a dose of up-close curling action right here in your own backyard. Watch America’s top mixed doubles teams (including Madison’s own Olympian siblings, Matt and Becca Hamilton) battle in Middleton to determine which duo will advance to the 2022 World Mixed Doubles Championship. Competition begins at 9 a.m., March 10; and 11 a.m., March 11-13 (note updated schedule). The winners will represent the United States in Geneva, Switzerland, starting April 23. Find ticket options at tickets.capitolicearena.com; livestream coverage can be found on the USA Curling YouTube channel.

Into the Magic, March 10-13, Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum: This Disney on Ice touring production for all ages features characters from Coco, Moana, Tangled and more classic family films. Shows at 7 p.m., March 10-11; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., March 12; and 1 and 5 p.m., March 13. Tickets here.

Jill Gutowitz, Thursday, March 10, Crowdcast, 7 p.m.: Writer Jill Gutowitz's first book, Girls Can Kiss Now, collects personal essays examining how popular culture acts as both an influence on and reflection of society's values, and how it can intersect with an individual's own path to self-discovery. Associated Press reviewer Molly Sprayregen describes it as “laugh-out-loud” and “a thrillling excavation of lesbian pop culture.” Gutowitz will discuss the just-published collection with Christina Tucker (host of the Wait, Is This a Date? podcast) during a livestream hosted by A Room of One's Own; register here.

The Mytilenian Debate, through March 13, Overture Center-Playhouse: Forward Theater presents the first full production of The Mytilenian Debate, a new play by poet, award-winning author, and Forward writer-in-residence Amy Quan Barry. The story examines questions of identity and familial expectations that arise between a Black woman struggling to start a family and her father, whose much younger girlfriend has become pregnant. While far less violent than the history that inspired its name — an ancient Greek Athenian Assembly action that ended in mass slaughter and enslavement of citizens of the city-state of Mytilene — Barry’s play tackles complex subjects. Performances at 7:30 p.m., March 10-11; 2 and 7:30 p.m., March 12; and 2 p.m., March 13. Find tickets at overture.org.

A Piece of My Heart, March 10-11, UW Vilas Hall-Hemsley Theatre, 7:30 p.m.: University Theatre will perform the two-act A Piece of My Heart, written by UW-Madison alumna Shirley Lauro. The play tells the true stories of six women — five nurses and a country singer — who were sent to Vietnam during the war. The experiences of each woman before, during and after their respective tours are detailed. Sacrifice and human loss portrayed in the play characterize the period of history as harrowing and intense. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.

NASSIM, through March 12, Overture Center-Promenade Hall: Playwright Nassim Soleimanpour created White Rabbit Red Rabbit while he was barred from leaving Iran as a conscientious objector to military service. That play has since been performed around the world in many languages — with each performance featuring an actor who had not read the script before. Soleimanpour brings that concept to NASSIM, in which a guest starts each night's performance and navigates through the play in collaboration with Soleimanpour himself. Madison's guests are drawn from the business and arts communities; upcoming shows feature Latino Chamber of Commerce CEO Jessica Cavazos (March 10), Wisconsin Public Radio host Anne Strainchamps (March 11), poet and author Oscar Mireles (2 p.m., March 12) and CUNA Mutual Foundation Vice President Angela Russell (7:30 p.m., March 12). Find tickets at overture.org.

Gaelic Storm, Thursday, March 10, Barrymore Theatre, 8 p.m.: Regular visitors to Madison and the upper Midwest in the vicinity of St. Patrick's Day, Gaelic Storm is back for their first Madison show since 2019 on the aptly-named “We Missed You Tour.” Gaelic Storm's lively take on Irish music is rowdy enough for the rockers and rooted enough for the traditionalists. (They even have a Packers-esque scarf in their merch for this tour, as modeled on the group's Facebook page by co-founder Patrick Murphy.) Tickets at barrymorelive.com. Hot tip: Make a night of it by catching Killarney Blarney playing next door at the Atwood before (starting at 7 p.m.) and after the Barrymore concert.

Silk Stranger, Lunar Moth, Supper Club, Thursday, March 10, The Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Three Madison-based bands come together for an evening of rock, pop and roots music. 2022 WSUM-FM Battle of the Bands contestant Silk Stranger, a self-described “genre-fluid rock band,” has reunited after a short hiatus with more fervor than ever. Lunar Moth, a garage rock trio with influences from psych and doom metal, released their first full-length album, Honestly, Maybe, in 2021. The group's newest single, “Toaster Bath,” a satirical Valentine's Day release, chides that “If you want to stay looking good, all you need’s a toaster bath.” Rounding out the night is Americana quintet Supper Club, who most recently released “Nowhere To Go,” a single reminiscent of early pandemic days.

Canoecopia, March 11-13, Alliant Energy Center: The pandemic was good for outdoor sports like paddling, as the public was itching to get out and do...something! That enthusiasm is expected to stick around and should attract a whole new crew to the big paddlesport expo Canoecopia. It’s back in person this year, and there will be gear and info at vendor booths, presentations (skills, tips, destinations, fishing, cooking, camping and more). Hours are 3-8 p.m., March 11; 9 a.m.-6 p.m., March 12; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., March 13. Find tickets and information on a virtual option at rutabaga.com.

Charity Jamboree, Friday, March 11, Harmony Bar, 5 p.m.: The Charity Jamboree is an annual bash making its return to action in 2022 following a pandemic-enforced off year. Hosted by the People Brothers Band, the concert is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Foundation, Carbone Cancer Center and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Head out to the Harmony early and stay all night for good-feeling grooves from PBB along with sets by Lost Highway Allstars, The Lower 5th and MoonHouse.

Anders Svanoe album release, Friday, March 11, Arts + Literature Lab, 7 p.m.: Madison's Anders Svanoe is a master of the big bad baritone saxophone, proving time and again the instrument's versatility with his sonic experimentation and willingness to tackle a range of musical styles. Svanoe has a couple new albums coming out this spring, the first of which is the fifth volume in the State of the Baritone series. El Dragón features new compositions by Svanoe in a Latin jazz style (a setting familiar for Svanoe as a member of the Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Band). The ensemble for this concert will feature an all-star lineup of percussionist Arno Gonzalez, drummer Francisco Martinez, bassist John Mesoloras, and guitarist Louka Patenaude. Watch for a second new album, the more free jazz-oriented Mantis, later this spring.

Madison Symphony Orchestra with Gil Shaham, March 11-13, Overture Hall: Violin virtuoso Gil Shaham returns to Madison as guest soloist with the mighty Madison Symphony Orchestra. For Shaham's previous MSO collaboration, he performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major; this time, the featured work is Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Minor. It's certain to be an unforgettable concert. The program also includes Isle of the Dead (Rachmaninoff) and the Háry János Suite (Kodály). Performances at 7:30 p.m., March 11; 8 p.m., March 12; and 2:30 p.m., March 13. Find tickets at overture.org.

Calabasas Street, March 12-27, Madison Youth Arts Center-Starlight Theater: Children's Theater of Madison recognizes the importance of bilingual performances with this one-act play by José Cruz González. Calabasas Street highlights storytelling in Latino/a culture, and questions our societal suspicions of lonely older women. Ultimately the neighborhood learns the importance of friendship and that things aren't always what they may appear to be. Performances at at 2:30 and 7 p.m., March 12 & 19; 1 p.m., March 13; 3 p.m.; March 20 and 27; 7 p.m., March 25; and 2:30 p.m., March 26; a sensory-friendly performance (designed for youth on the autism spectrum or with sensory or communication needs) is at 1 p.m., March 20.

The Kissers, Saturday, March 12, High Noon Saloon 5 and 8 p.m.: The Irish are fun to celebrate and to celebrate with. These are the people who gave us Guinness, Joyce, Yeats, U2, and those “Kiss Me, I'm Irish” buttons. The Kissers draw on the spirit of traditional Irish music while incorporating rock verve. Here, in advance of St. Paddy's Day, are two shows; the afternoon performance is family-friendly; the evening show is for ages 21 and up, and includes a set by guests The Currach. For longtime fans, a heads-up: Former member Nathan Palan will be joining the band for these shows.

The Hunter Will Get You, Saturday, March 12, UW Cinematheque, 7 p.m.: Jean-Paul Belmondo on the big screen? We're there. The Hunter Will Get You (L'Alpagueur) finds Belmondo in action star mode as a bounty hunter tracking down a bank robber who also kills all witnesses. This 1976 film was Belmondo's second with director Phillipe Labro.

Bruce Cockburn, Saturday, March 12, Barrymore Theatre, 8 p.m.: COVID-19 spoiled Bruce Cockburn’s plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his self-titled debut album in 2020, so the 76-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist — a frequent visitor to Madison — is giving it another shot with his “2nd Attempt” 50th Anniversary North American Tour. In December, Cockburn released a career-spanning compilation titled Greatest Hits (1970-2020), and despite not having a single chart in the States since 1991’s “A Dream Like Mine,” he remains prolific. His music, a seamless and timeless blend of folk and rock, still resonates and is arguably more vital than ever.

Nequient, The Central, Bashford (Sarah Longfield canceled), Sunday, March 13, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: Prepare yourself for an evening of unconventional Midwestern metal that will include the brusque chaos of Chicago’s Nequient, as well as experimental grinders The Central and the grungy, brash Bashford (both from Madison). While all three are worthy and have their own fanbase, the highlight is the headliner. Madison native Sarah Longfield — propelled to guitar geekdom via her YouTube channel — is renowned for her deft two-handed tapping style and mastery of the seven- and eight-string guitar, even earning accolades from Guitar World magazine as one of the world’s best players. Although Longfield can surely shred, her sound reaches far beyond metal, and her ethereal musical diversity is part of her appeal.

Glad Rags, Sunday, March 13, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: Chicago's Glad Rags is on the road in support of their debut LP, All of Them, and the sound is truly — as described by founder Mabel Gladly — a coming together of synth pop, experimental jazz, disco and more, but with a distinctly jarring '20s sound as the songs grapple with of-the-moment topics like cancel culture. It's the kind of music that thrives in live performance. Madison's LINE and MQBS open.

We hope it’s handy for you to find Picks grouped together in a single post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to note that Sarah Longfield will no longer be on the bill on March 13.