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!
Story by Erika Peepo
When you come to a Wisconsin Union Theater performance, you likely learn something about the performer on stage. But what do you know about the people sitting around you in the audience? After distributing a series of surveys this fall, we wanted to share some of the interesting things we learned!
The Wisconsin Union Theater team is honored to welcome audience members to its upcoming event featuring Best New Artist winner Samara Joy in Shannon Hall for and at a livestream of the performance on May 4.
“If you want to firm up your body, head to the gym. If you want to exercise your brain, listen to music,” states an article from John Hopkins Medicine.
Whether you’re on stage or in the audience, the performing arts are known for inspiring powerful emotions and showcasing culture. Research shows that music, in particular, also has the capability to heal and protect our minds.
By Amanda Stezenski
Part of Imani Winds’s vision is to “steer the national conversation on instrumental music by commissioning composers of new music, training and mentoring the next generations of musicians, and implementing projects that highlight and strengthen the rich diversity of chamber music.”
By Abby Synnes
It might be hard to believe, but the fact that Pilobolus is named after a species of fungus isn’t the most unique thing about the renowned dance troupe.
American roots music, a broad category encompassing bluegrass, gospel, old-time, blues, Cajun music, and Native American music, can trace its origins back to America’s earliest colonial days. From the start, the music reflected the country’s cultural diversity, blending influences from Europe, Africa, and beyond. American Patchwork Quartet’s members refresh and reimagine centuries-old American folk songs while incorporating their own cultural and musical voices.
By Amanda Stezenski
On Nov. 5, Sō Percussion and Caroline Shaw will perform works from their newest album, “Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part.” The pieces reflect Sō Percussion’s “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker) and Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning compositional expertise.
By Abby Synnes
In 1989, while most of his young peers were in the throes of the “terrible twos,” musician Cory Henry was learning to play the piano and the Hammond B3 organ. At just six years old, he played his first show at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater in New York City to a mesmerized crowd. Now, at age 35, Cory has channeled his multidimensional musical talent into a wildly successful career as a singer-songwriter, pianist, organist, and record producer.
By Amanda Stezenski
Oct. 14-16
The annual UW Family Weekend is quickly approaching and packed full of fun events! Stop by Memorial Union and Union South to check out some of our favorite places to grab a bite to eat, enjoy the views from the Terrace, and close out the family celebration on Oct. 16 with a jazz concert by vibraphonist Joel Ross and his band Good Vibes.
Joel Ross Good Vibes: Sunday, Oct. 16 | 7:30 p.m. in the Play Circle at Memorial Union
By Abby Synnes
It’s never too early or too late for UW–Madison students to find their place on campus. Whether they’ve just begun their first year as a UW–Madison student or it’s their final semester, why not make the Wisconsin Union Theater their new home away from home?
