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Archive for the ‘Free admission’ Category
The UW Russian Folk Orchestra will perform at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 13th in Tripp Commons in the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street.
The performance is part of World Languages Day for the Commnity, which will take place from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 13th in the Memorial Union. World Languages Day features workshops and performances highlighting diverse languages, cultures and societies from around the world. A complete schedule of events is available on the UW-Madison Language Institute website.
World Languages Day for the Community is FREE and open to audiences of middle-school age and older. Advanced registration is not required.
Ever wonder why butter makes a better burger? Or what makes frozen custard different from its ice cream cousins?
Learn about the history and tradition behind these tasty Wisconsin treat traditions from a leading expert — Craig Culver — by attending the next “Wisconsin’s Best” lecture at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16th at the Ebling Symposium Center, 1550 Linden Drive.
After the lecture, you’ll have an opportunity to sample some Culver’s products.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested so that there are enough post-lecture treats for everyone in attendance.
And now for a few words from the folks at Broom Street Theater: “There’s a killer on the loose and nobody knows who it could be. Fingers get pointed at some of the community’s children. Could an innocent child be guilty of such heinous acts? Is it the evil gardener? Discover the answer in “Muffy the Bitch,” one of the plays from Broom Street’s 40 plus years’ worth of theatrical entertainment.
See the movie about the play when Broom Street Theater presents “Muffy the Bitch,” a video/DVD of a live performance of Callen Harty’s 1997 play inspired by “The Bad Seed,” at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 7th. The screening is part of BST’s Sunday Night at the Movies Screenings, held the Sunday after each new play opens throughout the season
Admission is free, but a $5.00 donation is suggested (and they may pass the hat, too).
Broom Street Theater is located at 1119 Williamson Street (it has never been located on Broom Street).
NB: The 1997 production featured actors Jackie Baker, Alan Bickley, Maritza Bryant, Ron Collins, Luke Delwiche, Mark Edwards, Buck Hakes, Lauri Harty, Shelley Johnson, Amanda Jones, Jamie McCanless, and Isa Norwood and was directed by Harty. According to a contemporary review by Nadine Goff, “Muffy the Bitch is 85 minutes of fun, laced with lots of bad puns, a few malapropisms and a tasty sprinkling of piquant social commentary.” She called Amanda Jones as Muffy “perfect” and went on to say of the other actors, “Harty has managed to recruit a virtual galaxy of stars.”
Attend the free International Festival at the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 6th and enjoy, “a rich tapestry of performances, crafts and foods with sounds, smells and flavors as colorful as the vibrant costumes that adorn the performers.”
Now in its 29th year, the festival gives “full-throated voice to languages, cultures and people from around the world, even as all the performers currently call Dane County home.
In addition to a wide variety of performances, there will be an International Cafe, featuring foods prepared by local restaurants, as well as the Italian Women’s Goup and Italian Workmen’s Club. A complete menu is available online as a PDF download.
 Photograph of cellist Perry Karp by Katrin Talbot
Cellist Perry Karp will perform a free concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 5th in Mills Hall.
The program will begin with the “Suite No. 1 in G major for solo cello” by J. S. Bach. This will be followed by the “Sonata in D minor for violin and piano, Op. 121″ by Robert Schumann, transcribed for cello by Friedrich Gruetzmacher and Parry Karp. (This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Schumann.) The program concludes with the “Sonata in F major for cello and piano, Op. 99″ by Johannes Brahms.
Pianist Eli Kalman will join Karp for the Schumann and Brahms sonatas.
Mills Hall is located in the Mosse Humanities Building, 455 North Park Street on the UW-Madison campus.
 Wollersheim Winery will host its annual free Open House event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday March 6th and Sunday, March 7th.
Guests at the Open House will be able to learn about grapevine pruning and attend demonstrations about cooking with wine conducted by Chef Paul Short. They will also be able to visit the winery’s modern fermentation facilities and historic underground aging cellars. Bottling line demonstrations and interactive displays are available for families to enjoy along a self-guided tour.
The Wollersheim website has a complete schedule of events, including times.
According to Wollersheim’s March 2010 newletter, “Along the tour you’re invited to taste six of our wines, including our Prairie Sunburst Red 2009 and Domaine du Sac 2008, both estate-grown wines.”
Directions to the winery are available on its website. For additional information, call (608) 643-6515.
Olbrich Botanical Society invites you to “warm your winter day” with a concert by Yid Vicious at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 28th in the Evjue Commons at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue.
According to its website, “Yid Vicious was formed in 1995 in Madison, WI in order to ameliorate the woeful dearth of klezmer in America’s otherwise pleasant heartland. Klezmer is Yiddish folk music, music for dancing and celebrating, and no band has caused more dancing and celebrating than Yid Vicious.”
The concert, part of Olbrich’s Winter Concert Series, is free, but a $1 donation is suggested.
 Jerry Hui
Composer-conductor Jerry Hui will present a free lecture-recital on Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Eight Songs for a Mad King” at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 26th in Mills Hall.
According to the event’s organizers, “Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Eight Songs for a Mad King” stirred up much controversy immediately after its 1969 premiere. Written for and premiered by a legendary actor-singer Roy Hart, this piece is a vocal tour-de-force depiction of madness. The character is inspired by King George III, who allegedly went mad.”
Featured performers include: Morgann Davis, flute; Ching-Hsie Hsu, clarinet; Ian Disjardin, percussion; Mary Perkinson, violin; Emily Gruselle, cello; Jeff Gibbens, piano; Ching-Chun Lai, conductor; and Jerry Hui, voice.
This performance is part of a lecture-recital, during which the piece will be discussed first, then performed.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations will accepted.
Mills Hall is located in the Mosse Humanities Building, 455 North Park Street on the UW-Madison campus.
Kathleen Kline, co-author of “People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish,” will share the history and lore of the lake sturgeon in Wisconsin at the the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW) meeting at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3rd at the Goodman Atwood Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street.
Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW) is “an informal, non profit, educational organization dedicated to the celebration of food, ethnic cuisines, and culinary customs from all parts of the world.” This event is free and open to the public. Annual membership is encouraged.
More information about “People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish” and its contributors is available from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Disclosure: Madison on the Cheap has an affiliate relationship with the Amazon.com. If you click through on a link in this post and purchase something, we will receive a small commission. We only post what we think are good deals, but once in a while it’s nice to share something that may generate some money for our coffee fund. This book is also available from local booksellers and copies will be for sale at the CHEW event.
 Li-shan Hung at 900 University Bay Drive hosts some of the area’s most talented musical artists every from 12:15 p.m. until 1 p.m. on Fridays from October through May.
On Friday, February 26th, pianist Li-Shan Hung and violinist Kwangwon Kim will perform music of Mozart, Messiaen and Brahms
Bring your bag lunch and enjoy complimentary coffee (and sometimes dessert) while you enjoy this FREE concert in a historic building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee is presenting a free screening of “Planet B-Boy” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 25th in the Memorial Union Play Circle.
A 2007 documentary, the “Planet B-Boy” website says it is “… set in the International world of B-boying – the urban dance more commonly known as “breakdancing.” Weaving between the vivid backdrops of Osaka, Paris, Seoul, and Las Vegas, unforgettable images frame the intimate stories of dancers who struggle for their dreams despite being misunderstood by larger society and even their own families. Planet B-Boy features electrifying dance performances and astonishing displays of power and grace, showing how a street dance from New York has evolved into an inspiring art form for a new generation around the world.”
If you want to attend this screening, arrive early, since seating is limited.
The Ashman Anime Club will present a free screening of “My-Otome” at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, February 26th at the Alicia Ashman Library, 733 North High Point Road.
Register online or call 824-1780 to reserve a seat.
The Ashman Anime Club was created to give people a place to gather, watch, and talk about Japanese animation. Films are shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Refreshments are served at each meeting.
The club is aimed primarily at teens and adults. People under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or have a signed parental permission slip.
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters is hosting a a free public reception for the exhibition “Stitched Ground: Four Artists Embroider the Land” from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 26th at the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State Street. During the event, there will be a gallery talk led by guest curator Jody Clowes at 6:30 p.m. The exhibition artists will also be present. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served in the Wisconsin Studio on the third floor, near the gallery.
“Stitched Ground: Four Artists Embroider the Land,” which runs from February 23rd–April 11th at the James Watrous Gallery, is a collaborative endeavor with the UW–Madison Design Gallery. Clowes conceived “Stitched Ground” as an exploration of landscape through the painstaking and richly textured medium of fabric and embroidery.
According to the Wisconsin Academy press material, “Each of the four artists in the show—Terese Agnew of LaFarge and Chris Niver of Milwaukee, and Madison-area artists Leah Evans and Sarah Gagnon—use needle and thread to create work that, while unabashedly beautiful, remains detached from the conventions of both landscape painting and pictorial embroidery.”
 Christian Lander and Elon James White
Did the election of Barak Obama as president herald the beginning of a “post-racial” era in the United States?
Hear what bloggers Elon James White (“This Week in Blackness”) and Christian Lander (“Stuff White People Like”) have to say as they ponder this question in their “hilarious, stereotype-shattering” joint presentation “Post-Racial Comedy Tour” at the Wisconsin Union Theater, 800 Langdon Street at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24th.
This free event is part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Distinguished Lecture series.
 Maestro John DeMain Registration is now open for the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s open rehearsal on Thursday, March 18th, featuring Patrick Strub, conductor and Jonathan Biss, piano
The Madison Symphony Orchestra is one of the few orchestras in the nation that allows the public to attend its dress rehearsals free of charge. Take advantage of this opportunity to experience a working symphony in action. Registration is required and opens one month prior to each rehearsal. Space is limited, so don’t wait until it’s too late.
Participate in a traditional Moonshine ritual from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 19th in the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space in Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue.
The event will feature UW-Madison Dance Department faculty member Chris Walker, a dancer and choreographer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, and friends, including acclaimed African-American student artists.
“Moonshine is a community gathering that traditionally occurs on the full moon,” explains Walker. “Community members would gather under the light of the moon and share in songs, dance, poetry and storytelling. Elders would gather the younglings and cultural histories would be passed down in the form of exciting stories, songs, rhythms and movement. Others would get creative and perform neo-traditional and choreographed dances, while some would share their well rehearsed skills in oration in the form of spoken word and poetry.”
Come prepared to engage in and witness African and African-Caribbean dance, hip hop, spoken word, poetry, drumming, chanting, singing and more at this celebration of Black History Month.
The event is free and open to the public.
The 12-member UW-Madison Black Music Ensemble will perform at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 18th in Morphy Hall in a free concert sponsored by the UW-Madison School of Music.
Working under the direction of Richard Davis, the Black Music Ensemble “is a small, audition-only collection of both vocalists and instrumentalists devoted to studying the music of black composers; namely, jazz composers,” according to a description on the ensemble’s web page.
During this concert, the 12-member Black Music Ensemble will perform works by Wayne Shorter, Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, John Coltrane and many others. The band currently consists of four vocalists, one of whom doubles on trombone; sax, guitar, bass, upright bass, drums and three pianists.
Morphy Hall is located in the Mosse Humanities Building, 455 North Park Street.
Admission to the Wisconsin vs. Northwestern wrestling match at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 19th is free if you print the Wisconsin Badgers Facebook page that features a special voucher and bring it with you to the match.
You don’t need to be a member of Facebook to access the voucher.
The Wisconsin vs. Northwestern wrestling match will be held at the UW Field House, 1450 Monroe Street.
 Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie
Andrew Abrams, artistic director of Madison’s Four Season Theatre, says, “Don’t miss the free Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley Masterclass at the Wisconsin Union Theater from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, February 19th.
Award-winning Broadway performers. Mazzie and Danieley will work with three singers: Tamara Brognano, who played Mother in the Four Seasons Theatre’s production of Ragtime; Lorah Haskins, a recent college graduate; and Nathan Fossbinder, a sophomore at La Follette High School who is working on a production of the new Kander and Ebb musical, “Curtains.”
Abrams says, “Mazzie and Danieley will mostly do ‘acting in a song’ work with the singers and help them with how to approach a song, the journey, etc.” At the end of the masterclass, they will do a short Q and A about their careers, performing on Broadway, and “anything anyone ever wanted to know about the business.”
The masterclass is a free event and open to the public.
Audience members should enter through the main Wisconsin Union Theater lobby.
Mazzie and Danieley will be in Madison to perform “An Evening of Broadway” onstage with the Four Seasons Theatre orchestra and chorus conducted by Abrams. This one night only special event which features music from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kander & Ebb, Ahrens & Flaherty, and more, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, February 19th in the Wisconsin Union Theatre, 800 Langdon Street. Tickets are $18-$35 ($10 for UW-Madison students with a valid i.d.). For ticket information, call the Wisconsin Union Theater Box office at (608) 265-2787.
 Ladies Must Swing Enjoy an evening of dancing and great music with friends — all at no charge! — when Ladies Must Swing performs at a free concert at the Monona Terrace Exhibition Hall A from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17th as part of the Winter/Spring 2010 “Tunes at Monona Terrace” series.
Ladies Must Swing is an all-woman band that enjoys “a sense of reprising the great tradition of “Girl Bands” from the 30s and 40s (see “Some Like It Hot”).”
Themed menu specials, snacks, beer, cocktails, and soft drinks are available for purchase beginning at 5 p.m.
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center is pleased to help sponsor this program, as well as numerous other free events made available to the public each year. Parking is available for $4 in the Monona Terrace parking ramp at One John Nolen Drive. For further information call (608) 261-4000 or visit the Monona Terrace website.
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DISCLAIMER We post deals as we find them, but schedules sometimes change and everything has an expiration date. Prices and promotions are always subject to change without notice. It's always wise to call ahead and make certain a bargain is still available or an event has not been canceled.
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