2014 Spring Arts Guide

With the coldest, quietest stretch of winter finally behind us, the 2014 arts calendar is now in full swing. The coming months bring with them a spate of gallery openings, theater productions, dance performances and classical programs. For our annual Spring Arts Guide, we’ve compiled an extensive list of the cultural events that should keep you plenty busy until summer arrives.

For the 2014 Comprehensive Spring Arts Guide Calendar, click here.

ComedySportz

Every third Thursday of the month

T.I.M. (The Improvised Musical)

420 S. First St.    

“Lumberjacks in Love! Go!” You might hear similarly wild suggestions shouted from the crowd at T.I.M. (The Improvised Musical) at Milwaukee’s ComedySportz. The show’s seven-member cast then creates an entirely improvised musical theater-style production devising lyrics, dance numbers and plot twists on the spot, aided by new songs improvised by the show’s four-piece band. Though the show has run now for more than two years, each performance is entirely new and unpredictable. This fun take on long-form improv is a great night out with tickets costing only $5 and a show that never gets old. (Erin Heffernan)

Dance Revolution

TBD

MKE Follies

Dance Revolution invites performers of all kinds to partake in their bi-monthly variety show, MKE Follies. Dancers, musicians, poets, comedians and the like can polish their talents without the pressures of a big stage. Part of the purpose of MKE Follies is to foster networking within the local arts scene and to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. Become a performer or connect with Milwaukee’s aspiring artists. Keep an eye out for proposal deadlines and scheduled performances. (Brandon Miller)

Haggerty Museum of Art

Jan. 22-May 18

Brian Ulrich: Copia—Retail, Thrift, and Dark Stores, 2001-2011

Marquette University, 530 N. 13th St.

Photographer Brian Ulrich went on a pilgrimage of American consumer culture. In this decade-long, three-phase project Ulrich captured three stages of American stores in light of the Great Recession. The first chapter, Retail, captures candid scenes of bustling malls and shoppers in big box stores early in the decade. Then, in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis, Ulrich switches focus to shoppers navigating thrift stores’ wares to cut costs. The third chapter includes photos of abandoned stores and “dark malls” that speak of the lasting effects of the plummeting economy. The photographs create a vivid narrative of American culture, consumerism and change, showing our recent economic strain in a new and visceral way. (E.H.)

Boulevard Ensemble Studio Theatre

Feb. 5-16

Shooting Star

2252 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

A couple of old college lovers find themselves snowed-in at an airport overnight. Naturally, they’re going to have kind of a deep conversation about the past in this romantic comedy by Steven Dietz (perhaps best known recently for Yankee Tavern, which Milwaukee Repertory Theater staged some time ago). On one of the smallest stages in town, the intimacy of the emotional comedy playing out between two actors is capable of being strikingly vivid, as the Boulevard has proven in the past. (Russ Bickerstaff)

Off the Wall Theatre

Feb. 6-16

Glengarry Glen Ross

127 E. Wells St.

David Mamet’s signature sharp (and often expletive-laced) dialogue won Glengarry Glen Ross the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Inspired by Mamet’s time in a real estate office in Chicago in the ’60s, the story follows four increasingly desperate salesmen as they jockey to keep their jobs and their livelihood, becoming obsessed with getting the right “leads” and “closing.” As they fight to retain their dignity in a cutthroat office, the desperation leads to bribery, lies, backstabbing and a lot of great argumentative banter. It will be interesting to see what Off the Wall does with such a tense and stirring classic. (E.H.)

Alchemist Theatre

Feb. 7-22

The Chairs

2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Some time ago, a certain theater company made the announcement that they were looking for a couple of actors and a whole bunch of chairs. A man and a woman just might be rearranging chairs at the end of the world as Eugène Ionesco’s The Chairs shuffles about the stage of the Alchemist Theatre this February. Leda Hoffman, who recently helmed King Lear for the Alchemist, directs this strikingly clever drama. (R.B.)

Walker’s Point Center for the Arts

Feb. 7-March 22

“The Price of Freedom”

839 S. Fifth St.

In conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ 48th Annual Conference, WPCA presents a multi-artist ceramics exhibition centered on the topics of guns and gun control. Membership/Exhibitions Coordinator Mary Overman notes, “This issue has swept our society with heated discussions and passionate cries for new regulations. We are more than ever at a crossroads about the role of the gun in our society.” Visit WPCA March 19-22 for events linked to the conference. (Selena Milewski)

The Quasimondo, Milwaukee Physical Theatre 

Feb. 13-March 1

Love and Cthulhu

The Milwaukee Fortress, 100 A E. Pleasant St. 

The imagination of H.P. Lovecraft spawned a world inhabited by titanic horrors. Ancient deities that lurk beneath the Earth cause those who catch an unfortunate glimpse to become mad with terror. In Love and Cthulhu The Quasimondo re-imagines the mythos with a theatrical take. Artistic Director Brian Rott is directing this original production by The Quasimondo’s distinguished core ensemble. Weaving together a few of Lovecraft’s classic tales, the company will embellish with music, dance, puppetry and full body casts. Follow your curiosity (for the occult) and behold the pure and unspeakable horrors that await. (B.M.)

Marquette Theatre

Feb. 13-23

Almost, Maine

Helfaer Theatre

525 N. 13th St.

Almost, Maine has become an increasingly popular production for companies, high schools and colleges across the country in recent years. The 2004 play makes a good fit for Wisconsin in February. The romantic stories of nine couples are fitting for Valentine’s Day and snowmobiles and a cold setting in a fictional Maine town will likely match a snowy Milwaukee. Originally written for just two actors, each scene features a couple in the same moment just before the Northern Lights play across the sky. The production will enlist six student actors who take on multiple roles to bring this sweet romantic comedy to life. (E.H.)

Windfall Theatre

Feb. 14-March 1

The Petrified Forest

Village Church Arts, 130 E. Juneau Ave.

Windfall Theatre presents a drama set in the 1930s, the story of a restless alcoholic drifter who wanders into a roadside diner in the Petrified Forest of Arizona. The drifter in question was inspired by famed bank robber John Dillinger (and the story became a movie starring Humphrey Bogart). The rest of the diner is populated by emotionally sophisticated portrayals of people engaging in an intricately rendered interpersonal dynamic. Windfall’s studio theater should be a welcome home for just such an intricate story. (R.B.)

Charlie’s Chocolate Cabaret

Feb. 14

The Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Alice Wilson-Stuart’s variety theater outfit welcomes Valentine’s Day with a burlesque and variety show inspired by Roald Dahl’s sweetly bizarre children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Acts perform in costume and style inspired by Dahl with a loose overarching narrative to set them solidly in the motif. Charlie’s all grown up and audiences are invited to join him. No golden ticket required. It’s a sweet theatrical confection that arrives at just the right time of year. (R.B.)

In Tandem Theatre

Feb. 21-March 16

Chesapeake

Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St

We’ve all had political frustrations, but Matt Daniel’s one-man performance in Chesapeake goes beyond the typical disgruntled citizen. In this show a liberal performance artist, angered by a conservative senator’s attempts to cut public funds, decides to seek revenge and capture his beloved dog. As the story spins into chaos, the two thoroughly different figures confront each other for interesting and unexpected results. (E.H.)

Schauer Arts and Activities Center

Feb. 21-April 13

“Spring Exhibition 2014: Wisconsin Watercolor Society Exhibit”

147 N. Rural St., Hartford

“Watercolor is a very versatile medium,” says Robyn Wilkinson, director of marketing at Schauer Arts. “Every artist is painting with watercolor, but they each have their own subjects, techniques and viewpoints.” Come take part in this magnificent journey of watercolors created by gifted member artists of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society. A few of the fine exhibitors include David Bielot, Everett Powell and Connie Glowacki. The opening reception takes place Friday, March 28. (Amanda Sullivan)

Racine Art Museum        

Feb. 23-June 8

“Collection Focus: Sergei Isupov”

441 Main St.

RAM invites you into a world of provocative, symbol-rich porcelain with its mid-career retrospective of the internationally acclaimed Sergei Isupov. In conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, RAM features more than 20 pieces, including a selection of his renowned painted porcelain sculptures as well as works on paper. Drawing on themes of relationship, gender, identity and the natural world, the artist creates striking human-animal composite forms, as unforgettable as they are provocative. (S.M.)

Wisconsin Philharmonic

Feb. 23

“Viva Verdi, Viva Vivaldi”

Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 19805 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield

The Wisconsin Philharmonic showcases some of the most beloved Baroque music that most classical music lovers probably have on CD but should hear live in concert. These are Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons violin concertos, his best known and most characteristic work. Also on the program is a rarely performed gem, the orchestral version of the String Quartet in E minor by Vivaldi’s countryman, Giuseppe Verdi. Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond leads the orchestra. (John Jahn)

Acacia Theatre

Feb. 28-March 9

Searching for David’s Heart

Concordia University’s Todd Wehr Auditorium, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon

Based on the young adult novel from 1998, Cherie Bennett’s comic drama follows 12-year-old Darcy on her search for the recipient of her late brother’s heart. She strives to understand the meaning of her brother’s accidental death as she journeys across the country in her quest. The spacious stage of the Todd Wehr auditorium should bring a feeling of vastness and depth to the story of one girl’s travels. (R.B.)

Latino Arts

Feb. 28-June 6

“Martín Soto: Boricua Fame & Bomba Negra”

1028 S. Ninth St.

Latino Arts presents works by Chicago-based and internationally acclaimed artist Martín Soto. The exhibition includes approximately 30 works in oil, acrylic and mixed media, all focused on the traditional Puerto Rican dance Bomba Negra—an intimate style involving call and response between drummer and dancer. It is Soto’s hope that “viewers connect with the paintings energetically, physically, kinetically—that in viewing the paintings, their bodies mimic the movement of the paintings to understand the stories and situations depicted.” (S.M.)

Broadway at the Marcus Center

March 4-9

Flashdance—The Musical

Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St.

She’s just a steel town girl on a Saturday night looking for the fight of her life. She has danced into the danger zone where the dancer actually becomes the dance. She’s a maniac…and so on. A popular musical based on a film of the same name by the somewhat acceptably sleazy Joe Eszterhas, Flashdance is really more of a tribute to that specific pop feeling of the ‘80s. What a feeling. (And, y’know…bein’ is believin’.)  (R.B.)

Danceworks Performance Company and Present Music

March 6-9

Temptation’s Snare

Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St.

Danceworks and Present Music team up to revive The Soldier’s Tale, a Stravinsky classic with new choreography by Dani Kuepper and additional scoring from Sleeping Giant composers collective. Jason Powell (Fortuna creator) will also guest narrate. Stravinsky’s teeming theatrical work “to be read, played and danced” is based on a Russian folktale about a soldier’s encounter with the devil. After succumbing to avaricious temptation, the soldier tries desperately to escape the devil’s antics. Get caught in Temptation’s Snare with two of Milwaukee’s highly respected companies. (B.M.)

Charles Allis Art Museum

March 7-June 29

“Forward: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now”

1801 N. Prospect Ave.

The Charles Allis’ biennial, juried “Forward” exhibit provides a vibrant cross section of our state’s art community. Registrar and Curatorial Assistant Jenille Junco describes this year’s juror, Laurie Winters, as “an ideal candidate to select the artwork included in the exhibition” because of her 15 years at the Milwaukee Art Museum and new directorship of the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Attend the opening on Friday, March 7, from 6-8:30 p.m., to vote on the Viewers’ Choice Award. (S.M.)

Racine Symphony Orchestra

March 9

“Afternoon Introductions”

First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave., Racine

This delightful program reads like a primer on classical music history. Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 7 in C Major, “Le Midi,” is less about the afternoon of a day (as its name would imply) than about the operatic and symphonic styles of the late-Baroque era. Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor displays the composer’s idiomatic and highly personal piano writing with its lovely, lyrical, ornamented melodies. Finally, Gabriel Fauré’s “Masques et Bergamasques” Suite, Op. 112, is an elegant, nostalgic balm for the shell-shocked survivors of the recently concluded World War I. (J.J.)

Frankly Music/Miró Quartet

March 11

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 E. Knapp St.

The Miró Quartet has captivated both audiences and critics alike since its 1995 inception at the Oberlin Conservatory. Founded by violinist Daniel Ching, the dynamic group is rounded out by violinist William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele. The string quartet has won several international chamber competitions along with prestigious awards and has toured worldwide, performing at historical concert halls and numerous festivals. As a part of the Frankly Music series, these suave gentlemen will perform the quartets of Haydn, Schubert and Philip Glass in what is guaranteed to be a stunning concert. (B.M.)

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

March 13

“ACME Songs Still Sung”

901 15th Ave., South Milwaukee 

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is comprised of the most versatile players on the New York scene. Its members cross-pollinate a number of projects, performing in different styles (and even different roles) with other contemporary ensembles like the Wordless Music Orchestra, while also collaborating with indie artists like Grizzly Bear. They come together in ACME to perform the works of notable contemporary composers. In “Songs Still Sung,” the chamber group will honor overlooked Polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg with a performance of his Piano Quintet Op. 18. Also featured is Olivier Messiaen’s unsettling Quartet for the End of Time. (B.M.)

Skylight Music Theatre  

March 14-30

Hydrogen Jukebox

Cabot Theatre, 158 N. Broadway

It was during the 1988 presidential election when Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg befriended each other at a New York bookshop. The two artists discussed how the candidates (George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis) ignored certain social topics and wrote a chamber opera depicting American life from the ’50s through the ’80s, Hydrogen Jukebox. Sex, war, drugs, philosophy and environmentalism, the foundations of the counter-culture movement, will be brought to song in a story that follows the lives of characters from the Beat era. (B.M.)

Alverno Presents

March 15

“LeeSaar The Company: Grass and Jackals”

Pitman Theatre, 3400 S. 43rd St.

LeeSaar creates world-class dance in more ways than one. First, the NYC-based contemporary dance troupe is critically acclaimed in all corners of the dance world, known for unpredictable choreography that fluctuates between the beautiful and the grotesque. But the company also draws from influences far across the globe. Founded in Israel by Lee Sher and Saar Harari in 2000, LeeSaar’s take on the innovative “Gaga” style of movement draws dancers from Taiwan, Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Canada and Israel. This March, Alverno Presents will bring this international act to town for one night, giving Milwaukee’s dance enthusiasts the chance to see LeeSaar’s latest, thoroughly original work. (E.H.)

Festival City Symphony

March 16

“Timeless Romance”

Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St.

This concert follows the standard “overture-concerto-symphony” pattern, but focuses entirely upon the beautifully polished oeuvre of Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn’s most enduring works overflow with energy, drama, invention and ebullience, as will become apparent to concertgoers. First comes the elfin magic of his “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Overture, Op. 21; then the pillar of the concerto repertoire, the Violin Concerto in E Minor; and finally, Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56, the “Scottish” symphony he was inspired to compose following a trip to the British isles. (J.J.)

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

March 19-May 25

“Species and Specimens”

2220 N. Terrace Ave.

In this exhibition, 11 diverse UW-Milwaukee Ceramics program faculty and alumni artists will present multiple perspectives on human interaction with the natural environment, all aptly counterpointed by Villa’s unique interface. As Curator Karen Gunderman says in her gallery guide statement, “Species and Specimens turns to contemporary ceramic artists who deploy the medium to present both timely and timeless viewpoints on the complex interplay among humans, animals and the world we share.” Coinciding with this exhibition is the 48th Annual Conference of the National Council on Education in Ceramic Arts (March 19-22), during which the museum will be part of the kick-off exhibition bus tour. (A.S.)

We Six

March 20

“All Our Own”

Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, 1584 N. Prospect Ave.

Every season the jazz faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory plans concerts revolving around various themes. The most cherished is the night when they feature new compositions written by their own. We Six will cover a variety of styles from hard bop to Latin, demonstrating their skills as composers while creating fresh new vehicles for improvisation. We Six’s supreme musicianship makes this feature a must as it exposes the extemporaneous performers’ lyrical side. (B.M.)

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

March 21-23

“Beethoven: Symphony No. 9”

Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.

Beethoven’s musical stories are replete with surprises, beauty, wonder and revelation—never more so than in his final symphony wherein he upped the ante by introducing vocal soloists and a full chorus. The MSO under Edo de Waart performs Beethoven’s immortal Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, a work of visionary scope and proportions that represented the apogee of technical difficulty in its day. Later in the season, the MSO also takes up Beethoven’s third and seventh symphonies. (J.J.)

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

March 23-Aug. 31

“Arts/Industry: Collaboration and Revelation”

608 New York Ave., Sheboygan

Art and industry intermingle in the innovative residency program Ruth DeYoung Kohler founded at Kohler Arts in 1974. To celebrate the program’s 40th anniversary, DeYoung Kohler curates a grand retrospective titled “Collaboration and Revelation.” More than 300 artworks culled from hundreds of artists who participated in the residencies will be on display, all of them designed in the Kohler Company foundry, pottery and enamel shops. Included are pieces by Clayton Bailey, Phoebe Cummings, Michael Dinges, Molly Hatch, Beth Lipman and Arnie Zimmerman. (Peggy Sue Dunigan)

Unruly Music

March 27-29

“Spring 2014 Festival”

UW-Milwaukee, Music Recital Hall, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.

Unruly Music leads the way in cutting-edge programing, enlisting top contemporary performers as envisioned by UWM faculty member Chris Burns. The upcoming “Spring 2014 Festival” features three nights of new music performed by Zeitgeist, The Bent Frequency Duo and Wrack. Included are compositions written by students and faculty members as well as a Thomas Pynchon-inspired “free jazz phantasmagoria” from Wrack frontman Kyle Bruckmann. Entice your ears with some of the innovative sounds progressing today’s contemporaries. (B.M.)

Florentine Opera

March 28 and 30

Julius Caesar

Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.

This brand-new production of Handel’s timeless Italian opera tells one of history’s most intriguing love stories. The production will feature soprano Ava Pine (Pamina in the Florentine Opera’s The Magic Flute in 2009 and Blanca in Río de Sangre in 2010) as the beguiling Cleopatra opposite new Florentine performer Deanne Meek as Julius Caesar. The production promises all the spectacle of the romance with added power provided by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Handel’s masterful work. (E.H.)

Catey Ott Dance Collective

“LIVING IT UP (and dOWN)