The green room. Every venue in show business has one. It's a place for performers to relax before, during and after a show and the energy varies, depending on which artist walks through the door: Excited, nervous, calm. We welcome you to join us and take a look at what goes on behind the scenes look at the theater. Welcome to the green room!
Before select shows at the Wisconsin Union Theater, we invite you to join fellow theater-goers for a drink in Memorial Union’s Shannon Sunset Lounge. Located just outside the main entrance of Shannon Hall, the Lounge offers comfortable seating, a cozy fireplace, and a stunning view of Lake Mendota, making it the perfect place to start your evening at the theater.
Founded in 2019, the Black Arts Matter (BAM) Festival is an interdisciplinary arts festival dedicated to building community around Black artistry. Festival Founder and Artistic Director Shasparay started the festival while studying at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree with a major in theater and a minor in African American studies. She is also an accomplished performance artist who ranked the 10th best slam poet in the world in the 2018 Individual World Poetry Slam Competition.
By Amanda Stezenski
Pacho Flores with the UW–Madison Symphony Orchestra | March 5, 7:30 p.m.
Mead Witter Concert Hall at the Hamel Music Center
Presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater in partnership with the Mead Witter School of Music
By Amanda Stezenski
Brentano String Quartet | Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. CDT
Shannon Hall at The Wisconsin Union Theater and Virtual Attendance Option
By Abby Synnes
Legendary soprano Renée Fleming has dazzled audiences with her majestic voice and poise ever since her professional debut in 1986. Renée’s extensive list of accomplishments include:
By Amanda Stezenski
What does the world look like to you? How is that shaped by where you come from? These questions shaped “Metamorphosis,” a program that Third Coast Percussion (TCP) and Movement Art Is are presenting on January 27, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall at the Hamel Music Center
“Metamorphosis” wholly blends the worlds of contemporary percussion and movement.
The New York Times said, “[Third Coast Percussion] play as if they’re a single, eight-armed organism.”
By Amanda Stezenski
Behind the scenes of Wisconsin Union Theater performance planning are hardworking student leaders, like Henry Ptacek, the director of the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Performing Arts Committee (PAC). The Committee plans and promotes events for the historic Wisconsin Union Theater stages, ranging from modern dance and classical concerts. We had the opportunity to ask Henry about the Committee's work and plans.
How is the semester going?
By Amanda Stezenski
The Vijay Iyer Trio
Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. | Wisconsin Union Theater’s Play Circle
Daryl Johns, the bassist and heartbeat of The Vijay Iyer Trio, will play on a borrowed lion head bass during the ensemble’s Dec. 3 performance in the Play Circle at Memorial Union. So what is a lion head bass? It is a string bass with a scroll masterfully carved into the shape of a lion. Although it does not affect the sound, it exemplifies the ornate craft of instrument-making and the artists who own them.
By Amanda Stezenski
This October, the Wisconsin Union Theater’s partnership with Art + Literature Laboratory continues for another season with the return of the DIG Jazz series featuring local artists and composers. To treat yourself to a Friday evening (or three) of jazz in the the Wisconsin Union Theater's intimate Play Circle Theater for our 2021 DIG Jazz Series, click here. You can read about the full line-up below.
