Stage
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Mary Ellen Matthews
“It’s nice to have some good news for a change”
With hopes that safe gatherings can resume this fall, Overture Center announces it’s lost 2020-2021 season will be back next year; Gwendolyn Rice runs down the shows. Read more
Forward Theater Company
Scratching the surface
The Niceties was originally inspired by the 2016 controversy surrounding a memo to Yale students from the administration that urged them not to don racially offensive costumes for Halloween. Read more
Jan 27, 2021
Julia Luebke
Theater in the Before and After times
Isthmus theater critic Gwendolyn Rice takes stock of the year in theater, sharing her favorites shows from 2020, both live and online. Read more
Dec 31, 2020
Courtesy APT
A potent homage
There is no room for cynicism in any part of this dazzling homage to the holiday classic film. APT actor Nate Burger takes on 55 parts! Read more
Dec 9, 2020
Bold women in ballad
Unique, thoughtful, and inspiring pieces were specially commissioned for this concert, which delves into the lives, goals, obstacles and successes of a handful of bold women who dared to pursue their dreams. Read more
Nov 27, 2020
The hero we need now
Madison comedian Alan Talaga has come up with a hero’s journey for a most unlikely hero. That’s right. Paul Blart is back…to save us all? Read more
Nov 23, 2020
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Opera in the pandemic
University Opera director David Ronis moved mountains to be able to put together a video performance of “I Wish It So: Marc Blitzstein — The Man in His Music” with graduate student performers. It’s available for one day only on Oct. 23. Read more
Oct 19, 2020
Hannah Jo Anderson
The wisdom of the forest
With the season shut down due to COVID-19, American Players Theatre has created a moving audio soundscape, “If These Trees Could Talk.” Patrons listen to a combination of poetry and storytelling as they wander the paths. Read more
Sep 25, 2020
4:30 PM
Zoom/Kanopy Dance Company
Teaching to keep Kanopy alive
With Overture Center shut down until at least the end of 2020, Kanopy Dance Company’s rigorous online Academy is keeping the troupe alive through creative collaborations. Read more
Sep 22, 2020
2:00 PM
Forward Theater Company
The lifespan of an artform
Forward Theater’s “The Lifespan of a Fact” is more than a new way to make a play. It’s a demonstration of the resilience of artists and the dedication of audiences. Read more
Sep 17, 2020
1:50 PM
Zoom/Summit Players Theatre
All the world’s a stage — and now, a classroom
Summit Players Theatre, Wisconsin’s traveling Shakespeare company, has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by presenting online educational materials for students. Read more
Sep 12, 2020
5:00 AM
facebook.com/BartellTheatre
It’s official: No theater at the Bartell until next year
Although productions are off, the Bartell Theatre’s spaces are available for rent for non-public events such as small rehearsals or broadcast recordings. Read more
Aug 17, 2020
11:45 AM
Gwyn Gilliss
Quanda Johnson reads James Baldwin
Isthmus planned to run a profile of UW-Madison doctoral candidate Quanda Johnson in March, before COVID-19 scrapped a performance of “An Evening with James Baldwin.” Catherine Capellaro shares the interview here, as the show is restaged online. Read more
Aug 11, 2020
4:35 PM
