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Photo credit: Tyler Nelson
Anna Lardinois runs the Gothic Milwaukee tour company.
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Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Rep
Mark Clements, the Milwaukee Rep's artistic director
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Photo Courtesy of Inspiration Studios
Ronni Shmauz - City Lights
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Courtesy of Milwaukee Paranormal Conference
All Month
Gothic Milwaukee Walking Tour
It seems like every old building in Milwaukee has some kind of ghost story to it. One of the local ghost lore experts who has studied them is Anna Lardinois, who runs a tour company called Gothic Milwaukee and is the author of Milwaukee Ghosts and Legends. Lardinois leads walking ghost tours that explore the Downtown area, and another that voyages into the Yankee Hill area. Things are a little different because of the pandemic. Lardinois is leading limited, private tours with a maximum of eight people, a good option if you want to have a family adventure. “I want to do a full reopening in October, but I’m not sure if it’ll be possible,” Lardinois explains. Check out gothicmilwaukee.com for updated info.
DJ Bizzon Soul Sunday Brunch, Wayback When-Day and The QuaranTURNUP (Streaming Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays)
One of Milwaukee’s hardest working DJs isn’t letting a lack of local club nights deter him, as DJ Bizzon has turned his regularly scheduled events digital, broadcasting via Twitch and launching a Patreon with exclusive content. With a different theme every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday night, join him for a variety of dance parties from the comfort of home. You can stream his sets at twitch.tv/djbizzon. Sundays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m, Wednesdays 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays 8 p.m. to 10 p.m on Twitch.
ACA Music & Entertainment’s Tuesday Night Jazz (Streaming Tuesdays)
Missing Jazz in the Park this year? Emanating from the North Coast Center for the Arts performance space, ACA Music & Entertainment have been producing regular weekly live streams to keep jazz artists playing during the pandemic. All the proceeds from the shows benefit the artists, and their October lineup includes Cosmic Endeavors Collective, Doorstoppers, Dan Schneck and Friends, as well as the Andrew Trim Group. It starts at 7 p.m. on Facebook.
Non-Pop! (Streaming Wednesdays)
Non-Pop!, the combination of live artwork and DJ sets cultivated by local artist Moses and his associates, had recently moved to club Site 1A before quarantine shut things down locally. Fortunately, the group has been able to turn that weekly club night into a streaming experience, blending music and art into something unique, emanating from several Milwaukee locations and featuring some of the city’s top DJs and visual artists. Non-Pop! can be streamed at twitch.tv/yononpop at 5 p.m. on Twitch.
Cactus Club’s Digital Dream (Streaming Saturdays)
A longtime hub for local music, Cactus Club has shifted programming online (on Vimeo) in addition to regular carryout orders from their Bay View location. Digital Dream is an online streaming series, encompassing not only live performances, but also DJ sets, film screenings and more. October will feature a MKE Live: Groove Edition show from Isharai Artist Management, as well as weekly DJ sets from local acts entitled “REACHout Radio.” You can get the full schedule of digital programming at cactusclubmilwaukee.com.
The Cooperage’s Covid Couch Series (Streaming Saturdays)
The Cooperage had become one of Milwaukee’s biggest live music destinations within the last few years, hosting a variety of notable local and touring acts in their Walker’s Point location. The venue’s Covid Couch Series is a weekly concert via Instagram Live, bringing a high-quality show to your phone with the intimacy of an at-home performance. The streams can be found on The Cooperage’s Instagram page: @cooperagemke.
First Stage, The Quest for Solomon’s Treasure (Streaming Sept. 20-Nov. 1)
With the help of their playwrights-in-residence and taking advantage of the online platform, the children’s theater company has devised an uncommon season starting with John Maclay’s The Quest for Solomon’s Treasure. Rather than resorting to filmed theater, the company chose to explore new opportunities given by the virtual medium. The piece will be a seven-episode web series focusing on local history—the Solomon in question is Solomon Juneau, one of Milwaukee’s founders. Each episode will feature a different young performer, as well as a number of clues for audiences to put together. John Gurda consulted on the history.
Inspiration Studios, “Vacation Vibes” (Through Oct. 31)
West Allis painter Ronni Shmauz has been described as a “folk artist,” but self-taught—beyond the bounds of the academy—is probably a better way of understanding her work. In the past, she has painted mannequins, gourds, windows and deer skulls, as well as canvases. “I love to find the beautiful diversity in nature and in people; to see the beauty in our uniqueness and to respect our Earth and all of its beauty,” Shmauz once explained. Her current exhibition is at Inspiration Studios, a community-oriented gallery and performance space, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis.
Racine Art Museum, “Wisconsin Photography 2020” (Through Nov. 28)
After a six-month hiatus, the Racine Art Museum opens to the public again with one of its mainstay exhibitions. “Photography 2020” features 83 works by 29 artists, selected from 103 individual submissions. The juried exhibition began in 1979, and over the past 40-plus years, it has offered opportunities to local photographers and for the museum to fortify its permanent collection. With the assistance of this year’s juror, Lisa Volpe of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, RAM acquired works by Michael Knapstein, Elizabeth Kazda, Azure Bielefeldt, Dean Segal and Timothy Abler. This diverse array of photographic viewpoints includes majestic cornfields, explorations of individual identity and abstract configurations of household objects.
Friday, October 9
The Mod Violets live streaming from Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
With yearning harmonies and minor keys, Milwaukee’s Mod Violets are known for sharp, guitar-driven melodies and reflective lyrics veiled in an aura of psychedelia. But the first song recorded for the next album, “Get For Gone,” sounds more like the happy side of the British Invasion. “It’s the poppiest, most optimistic thing I’ve ever written,” says guitarist-vocalist Mark Lonteen. He penned the lines (“love is there for those who gave it”) after the pandemic began. “I didn’t want to write anything despairing,” he says. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Streaming October 9-10
Milwaukee Paranormal Conference
Somehow, it seems entirely natural when a paranormal event goes virtual. This year’s Milwaukee Paranormal Conference is a showcase of things that are fleeting and furtive, not really there but there anyway. The program for Friday, Oct. 9, features ghost stories around the digital campfire, trivia and online concerts by Wisconsin alt-rock-pop band Sunspot and other performers. On Saturday, Oct. 10, speakers and panels will take up UFOs, ghosts, cryptozoology and similar topics. “Though we miss the in-person interaction this year, an advantage of this set-up is that the online conference is free,” says organizer Tea Krulos. “We’ll have a couple of guests who might have found it challenging to get to Milwaukee, but we are able to work with them to have an online appearance.” Other dimensional visitors? We’ll see. For more, visit milwaukeeparacon2020.heysummit.com.
October 9-11
Covered Bridge Art Studio Tour
No reservations, no tickets—just watch for the red arrows and flags in this self-guided tour of art studios on Ozaukee County. The Cedarburg Artist Guild invites the public to a day in the country to meet artists (and yes, maybe purchase their work). The studio spaces are as varied as the art and include a restored 19th-century barn and stone house, a spare bedroom in a suburban ranch home, an industrial garage, a 1850s stone woolen mill, a walk-out basement—maybe even a tent. All creative spaces where sculpture, jewelry, photography, woodworking, pottery, weaving, leatherworks, stained glass, encaustics, collage, prints, fiber arts and paintings are produced. For more information visit cedarburgartistsguild.com.
Streaming October 15-29
Milwaukee Film Festival
“Thankfully, we still have some time to answer this question,” executive director Jonathan Jackson told the Shepherd Express in May when asked if this year’s festival will be live or virtual. The answer is virtual, but with virtually little change in the caliber and diversity of offerings. The schedule will be announced on October 5, and films can be accessed on demand, including through Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV and ROKU. As their website states, “Screenings will be a little less crowded this year, and your seat might not have a cupholder.”
Streaming October 16-November 12
Skylight Music Theatre, Being Earnest
One likes to think that Oscar Wilde would have had a grand time in the ’60s. Not so much for the politics—he might have satirized pretensions on all sides—but the Carnaby Street colors and euphoria over new possibilities that emerged from the counterculture. Skylight brings this sensibility to the fore with its online musical version of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. His witty-catty dialogue rings true amidst the production’s mod setting and music inspired by the bands of Swinging London.
Streaming Friday, October 16
Milwaukee Rep’s Curtain Call Ball
The Rep moves its biggest fundraiser online with its virtual Curtain Call Ball. The fundraiser will provide much-needed funds, as well as celebrate the 10th anniversary of artistic director Mark Clements. “While we can’t gather in person, if there is one thing I know, it’s that Milwaukee Rep can put on a show, be it in person or online,” says executive director Chad Bauman. “I’m looking forward to gathering virtually with friends and supporters of a theater that we all hold dear and that needs support now more than ever before.” Beloved Milwaukee Actor James Pickering will emcee the livestreamed event featuring performances by national and local thespians including Michael Doherty (The Nerd), Kelley Faulkner Always… Patsy Cline), Gavin Gregory (Ragtime), Zonya Love (The Color Purple) and more. For information on Curtain Call Ball, the Rep’s other virtual programming and its “2020/21 Season Reset,” visit milwaukeerep.com.
Streaming Saturday, October 24
Battle of the Culture Presents Battle of the Performances
Local podcast Battle of the Culture has created a platform for local hip-hop artists to showcase their lyrical abilities. On Saturday, Oct. 24, they’ll be launching the first installment of their Battle of the Performances live stream. The show will include performances, as well as interviews and music videos from Milwaukee hip-hop acts and artists from throughout the Midwest. Head to battleoftheculturepodcast.com for more information.
Streaming October 25-November 4
Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival
The 23rd annual event has gone virtual this year with the year’s five selections hailing from Israel, Germany, Italy and Norway. As usual, Jewish characters are shown in situations that touch the human spirit and address matters of universal concern. The Crossing concerns Norwegian resistance during World War II, Aulcie is a biography of basketball legend Aulcie Perry, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a children’s story, Thou Shalt Not Hate is a moral drama and The Electrifiers is a rock musical. Each will be followed by a Zoom talkback. All films will be available for a 72-hour period on Eventive and wrap-up with an exclusive talkback program on Zoom on its last day. Films open at 12:01 a.m. on their opening day and close at 11:59 p.m. on their closing day. For more information, visit jccmilwaukee.org.