For most University of Wisconsin students, Madison is somewhat of a mystery. Yeah, we all know University Avenue, Breese Terrace, and State Street. But have you ever wondered why all those other streets are there and what they are there for?
No, they are not just there to make the walk home longer — though in an odd way they do, and not just in the literal sense.
Benson Gardner, producer of the local documentary "Street Quest," asserts streets can get in our way figuratively, too.
According to Gardner, roadways make a good metaphor for life, in that they represent the different paths, detours and curves that life can take. They can also represent the barriers in life, as Benson sees it, because traffic can prevent you from crossing the street for a cup of coffee. "Street Quest" focuses on Madison's streets and hits various topics along the way.
"Streets take you on journeys through time," Benson says, "yet they are static."
One street can represent a lot of different things for a lot of different people and can take numerous people to numerous locations, yet it is a physical object that never goes anywhere.
Take University Avenue: It's a boundary between campus and the rest of Madison, it's a path to and from class, it's a street that takes you to the grocery store, or a divided highway that can take you to Middleton, and it's the road you take to church on Sunday.
"Street Quest" follows "six enthused Madisonians [who] wondered 'Where are our city's oldest streets? And what were they before they were streets?' Thus begins a wild ride through Madison's past, after which you'll never view Madison — or any other city — quite the same."
Gardner, an alum of the local comedy scene and the local "Splu Urtaf Show," brings his comedic background to this historical documentary of Madison's streets. He promises that "Street Quest" will be a new, fast-paced spin on the typically bland historical documentary genre.
While most historical films come off as bland and repetitive, "Street Quest" takes influences from some of the brainier reality TV shows like "Project Runway" and "Top Chef" and explores the creative process of history in a new way. The documentary deliberately attempts to make history vibrant and contemporary, and serves as "a crash course in how Madison was formed."
The film follows the curious group through the process of historical research in a new way — somewhat like Britain's "Time Team," Gardner says.
"You'll hear the memories of a local Ho-Chunk artist, learn which downtown street was originally supposed to have a canal next to it, and of course, see stretches of the oldest thoroughfares in Madison and Dane County."
The film sounds very promising and is bound to go off on some funny and interesting tangents. The six friends making the film are interested in numerous aspects of Madison, and use its roadways to explore local history and discover some local quirks.
The entire "Street Quest" crew — Benson Gardner, Brad Knight, Ray O'Neill, Veronica Rueckert, Phil Ryan, and Sheila Shigley — will be on hand for the screening on Thursday and will hold a Q&A afterward. The film is supported by the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Wis-Kino, and WYOU Community Television.
(Orpheum Theatre, Thursday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., $4)
