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!
By Madeleine Carr
Photo by Andy Manis
Did you know that some of the planning minds behind each Wisconsin Union Theater show belong to students?
That’s right! Each Theater performance is planned, prepped, and promoted by the talented student leaders of the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Performing Arts Committee (PAC).
While March 25 is saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins’s highly anticipated inaugural Wisconsin Union Theater performance, you may have already enjoyed a taste of his style from a few of our past performances. The jazz world is as connected as it is diverse!
Wisconsin Union Theater performances don’t just happen by magic. (Though, they may feel magical.) Each one requires a team of talented individuals who dedicate their time and hard work to ensure that every step of the process runs smoothly, both on and beyond the stage. One of these skilled team members is Christina Majchrzak, who began in the role as director of ticketing in September 2022.
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.
