What to do in Madison this week: Feb. 23-26, 2026

Felix Hell, Jacquelyn Mitchard and more Isthmus Picks

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Arts

  • \150 Artists x 150 Years, through Feb. 28, Madison Public Library branches: As part of its 150th anniversary commemoration, Madison Public Library invited 150 artists to create a new art work; the catch was everyone was assigned a specific year, and had to base the art on a word that was newly added to a dictionary or the public lexicon in that year. The results can be viewed at Ashman, Central, Goodman, Hawthorne, Meadowridge, Pinney and Sequoya branches through February.
  • Jacquelyn Mitchard, Tuesday, Feb. 24, Central Library, 7 p.m.: If you like your campus drama with a side of true-crime glare, Jacquelyn Mitchard is back with a story in which a university town turns into a pressure cooker. The Birdwatcher has it all: a grad student convicted of murder, related media frenzy, and one person who refuses to believe any of it adds up. Mitchard will discuss the novel with Madison novelist Ann Garvin as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.
  • Felix Hell, Tuesday, Feb. 24, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Time to pull out all the stops — literally. Organist Felix Hell returns to Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Organ Series with a program that will treat the instrument like an orchestra in disguise. The main event is Hell’s take on Beethoven’s Fifth: all that fate-knocking-at-the-door energy, but routed through pipes, air, and a room that can handle the blast. Add side trips through Bach, Mozart and Barber, and you’ve got a night that makes a strong argument for the organ as the original surround-sound system. Tickets at overture.org.
  • DakhaBrakha, Wednesday, Feb. 25, Atwood Music Hall, 8 p.m.: Ukrainian quartet DakhaBrakha dresses in ornate traditional costumes from their home country and makes energetic music drawing from tradition including a powerful percussive spine, tight harmonies and even throat-singing. The band has been playing gigs nearly non-stop since Russia invaded Ukraine to raise awareness of the dire situation there and raise funds for relief efforts. Tickets at theatwoodmusichall.com.
  • Orchid Escape, through March 8, Olbrich Gardens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: After the recent stretch of frigid temperatures, many may be thinking of escaping to somewhere warm. A retreat right here in town is Olbrich Gardens' Bolz Conservatory, with the annual “Orchid Escape” display through March 8. Along with a multitude of beautiful orchids, this year’s event includes a focus on insects that are part of the plants' ecosystem. Tickets for timed entry are required, and available at olbrich.org.
  • Joe Bonamassa, Wednesday, Feb. 25, Overture Hall, 8 p.m.: Guitar World magazine calls Joe Bonamassa “the world’s biggest blues guitarist,” and the man undoubtedly is helping keep the blues alive for new generations. Bonamassa has released umpteen studio and live albums that seamlessly blur blues and rock, and his career trajectory locally can be traced by the venues he’s played — beginning with Luther’s Blues in 1999 (when nobody even bothered to show up, Bonamassa told Isthmus in 2023), moving to the Orpheum in recent years, and now performing at Overture Hall. His latest album, last year’s Breakthrough, is one of a record 28 of his recordings to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Shemekia Copeland, Thursday, Feb. 26, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: The Chicago Tribune called Shemekia Copeland “the greatest female blues vocalist working today.” Her newest album, Blame It on Eve, is powered by Will Kimbrough’s production as well as an incredible array of artists who joined the project including dobro master Jerry Douglas and Alejandro Escovedo. Born in the late ‘70s and raised in Harlem, Copeland began her performance career at eight when she joined her father, blues man Johnny Copeland, onstage at the Cotton Club. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.
  • cullud wattah, Feb. 26-March 8, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: This is a significant play from UW-Madison and First Wave alumna Erika Dickerson-Despenza, dramatizing the mid-2010s water crisis in Flint, Michigan, that shocked the nation. When the city began drawing water from the Flint River without proper treatment, lead from old pipes began poisoning the population. The play centers on one family’s intersection with protest, trust and community, themes still highly relevant today. University Theatre performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m. March 7. Tickets at artsticketing.wisc.edu.
  • Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Thursday, Feb. 26, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: If you don’t come for the pointe, you’re literally missing the point. For more than 50 years, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has proven that the funniest way to subvert classical ballet is to master it first. “The Trocks” bring deliberate, highly trained chaos: an all-male troupe in tutus and toe shoes, sending up ballet’s most serious tropes with slapstick timing and staggering skill. Tickets at overture.org.
  • Sandra, Feb. 26-March 8, Slowpoke Lounge, Spring Green: Sandra is the second part of a trilogy of film noir-style thrillers by David Cale (the Two Crows company also staged Harry Clarke, the first play in the trilogy, last year). It follows a recently separated woman who travels to Mexico to search for her missing friend, Ethan, a young composer and pianist. And a special treat: It stars APT stalwart Colleen Madden playing all the roles. Two Crows company founder Marcus Truschinski says of Madden: “She shifts into all these characters, and there’s no space between her and the audience.” Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at twocrowstheatrecompany.org.

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