In the basement of Vilas Hall — a rather blocky cement building known by undergraduates for its maze-like hallways, mice and mismatched couches — a group of dedicated students work, sometimes late into the night, to perfect their craft. These students study theater, a constantly changing art form that comes… Read more »

Richard Simmons, the flamboyant man known for his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” fitness videos and striped shorts, should be proud to know that he not only influenced thousands of people to lose weight, but also dramatically changed the life of one Green Bay native, Erin Kay Van Pay. While attending… Read more »

It started with a love between a boy and a guitar and bloomed into “A Love Electric.” Todd Clouser, a Minneapolis-born musician, comes to the High Noon Saloon Feb. 21 to show Madison exactly how his love for music led him to become one of the big names in the… Read more »

With an inspiring mix of acoustic piano and circuit-bending, jazz pianist Marco Benevento will take the stage in a solo concert at Redamte Coffee House Friday. Innovative and imaginative, Benevento takes jazz to a whole new level by mixing his piano skills with raw sound from amplified instruments such as Casio keyboards… Read more »

Enjoy a “Tale As Old As Time” as “Beauty and the Beast” comes to the Overture Center next week. This Broadway musical, which has been touring since January 2010, will perform eight shows during its five-day run. The same creative team that worked on the original “Beauty and the Beast”… Read more »

Listen up, Madison — Friday and Saturday nights (Dec. 2 and 3), the University of Wisconsin MadHatters are performing at the Orpheum Theater at 8 p.m. The premier men’s a cappella group at UW has put together roughly an hour and a half of all types of music, including Christmas,… Read more »

Poetry on the bus lines, sidewalks, radio; poetry ingrained in everyday life — such is the world Fabu Carter Brisco envisions. Carter Brisco, known simply as Fabu, is Madison’s current Poet Laureate. She is the third person to hold the position of Poet Laureate for the city of Madison, following… Read more »

Fans everywhere have been listening to Drake’s new album, Take Care, after it was leaked on the internet just over a week before its official Nov. 15 release date. Take Care is Drake’s second album; his first album, which debuted in 2010, was titled Thank Me Later. Though Drake is… Read more »

The UW department of theater and drama has taken a journey into a land of myth and fable with its latest production, “Ti-Jean and His Brothers,” which opens Friday in Hemsley Theater. “Ti-Jean and his Brothers,” by Caribbean playwright David Walcott, is a West Indian fable about a group of… Read more »

Since its 1998 rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” went viral on YouTube in 2006, the a cappella group Straight No Chaser has been gaining popularity all over the Midwest. The group will appear for the first time in Madison tonight at the Overture Center. The 10-man a cappella group… Read more »

The Majestic is gearing up for a night of raw sound and dance music Thursday as Digital Tape Machine and Umphrey’s McGee team up for a live concert. A rather new band on the scene, Digital Tape Machine has been together for a less than a year. “We really just… Read more »

Irish singer/songwriter Imelda May started performing in pubs and bars in Dublin when she was just 16 years old. Tonight, 21 years later, Imelda May will perform in Madison at the Majestic Theater. Imelda May’s show is a unique blend of many different types of music. “I’d say it’s… Read more »

It’s Saturday night in Madison and some students are getting pumped up for an intense night of … ballroom dancing? That’s right — the University of Wisconsin Madison Ballroom Dance Association holds a social dance open to all UW students and UWMBDA members every weekend. Those who have never learned… Read more »

Producer David Selznick needs a blockbuster and he needs it now. Forward Theater Company tells the (mostly) true-to-life tale of the chaotic, frenzied and hilariously funny five-day rewrite of the famous screenplay “Gone with The Wind,” in Forward Theater Company’s production of “Moonlight and Magnolias.” One of the most popular… Read more »

This weekend, University Theatre undergraduates and graduates will explain exactly why “You Can’t Take it With You.” The show opens Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mitchell Theatre. This classic comedic play, written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, originally opened in 1936 and won the 1937… Read more »

“Going to St. Ives” takes global ideas about dictatorship, genocide and responsibility, and places them in the every-day setting of two people quietly sipping tea. Thought-provoking and realistic, “Going to St. Ives” is a play about two mothers who come from different backgrounds and try to relate to each other… Read more »

University Theater students spread the message of acceptance and self-confidence in this year’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show.” “Accept yourself exactly the way you are, with no apologies. That’s what this show says,” director Dennis Courtney said. “The Rocky Horror Show” emphasizes that it is okay to be different… Read more »