World Premiere Wisconsin

Bad in Bed (A Fairy Tale)
2023-03-09 19:30, 2023-03-10 19:30, 2023-03-11 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Bartell Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
MADISON THEATRE GUILD
— By Karen Saari —
Charles’ third wife has just informed him she’s leaving. As he reels from the news and the reason she gives, he spends a weekend with his best friend Jack and their college friend Betsy, an up-and-coming author. Betsy, who once dabbled in witchcraft, reveals a secret from their college days that could be the reason for Charles’ failed relationships. Can Betsy help Charles win back his wife? Maybe, with the help of a Finnish coven.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Friday, March 3 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, March 4 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, March 5 @ 2pm
Wednesday, March 8 @ 7:30pm
Thursday, March 9 @ 7:30pm
Friday, March 10 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, March 11 @ 2pm

The Heart Sellers
2023-03-10 20:00, 2023-03-11 15:00, 2023-03-11 20:00, 2023-03-12 14:00, 2023-03-12 19:00, 2023-03-14 19:30, 2023-03-15 19:30, 2023-03-16 19:30 and 5 more dates | Stiemke Studio, 108 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER
— By Lloyd Suh —
Finding Direction in the Land of Opportunity.
Funny and deeply moving, this World Premiere by Lloyd Suh (“The Chinese Lady”) gives voice to the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s when the landmark Hart-Celler Act granted thousands of professional workers a new path to citizenship. But for new Americans Jane and Luna, life in the USA with their workaholic husbands has left them feeling isolated and invisible. One Thanksgiving – over sips of wine and a questionable frozen turkey – they reminisce and dream of spreading their wings together in the land of opportunity: disco dancing, learning to drive and even a visit to Disneyland. With grace and dignity, this powerful play asks: “Would you give up your heart to make a new home?”

SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Tuesday February 7 @ 7:30PM
Wednesday, February 8 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, February 9 @ 7:30PM
Friday, February 10 @ 8PM
Saturday, February 11 @ 3PM
Saturday, February 11 @ 8PM
Sunday, February 12 @ 2PM
Sunday, February 12 @ 7PM
Tuesday, February 14 @ 6:30PM
Wednesday, February 15 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, February 16 @ 7:30PM
Friday, February 17 @ 8PM
Saturday, February 18 @ 3PM
Saturday, February 18 @ 8PM
Sunday, February 19 @ 2PM
Sunday, February 19 @ 7PM
Tuesday, February 21 @ 7:30PM
Wednesday, February 22 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, February 23 @ 7:30PM
Friday, February 24 @ 8PM
Saturday, February 25 @ 3PM
Saturday, February 25 @ 8PM
Sunday, February 26 @ 2PM
Sunday, February 26 @ 7PM
Tuesday, February 28 @ 7:30PM
Wednesday, March 1 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 2 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 3 @ 8PM
Saturday, March 4 @ 3PM
Saturday, March 4 @ 8PM
Sunday, March 5 @ 2PM
Sunday, March 5 @ 7PM
Wednesday, March 8 @ 1:30PM
Wednesday, March 8 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 9 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 10 @ 8PM
Saturday, March 11 @ 3PM
Saturday, March 11 @ 8PM
Sunday, March 12 @ 2PM
Sunday, March 12 @ 7PM
Tuesday, March 14 @ 7:30PM
Wednesday, March 15 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 16 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 17 @ 8PM
Saturday, March 18 @ 3PM
Saturday, March 18 @ 8PM
Sunday, March 19 @ 2PM
Sunday, March 19 @ 7PM

Hoops [Preview]
2023-03-10 20:30 | Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N Broadway Theatre Center, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
MILWAUKEE CHAMBER THEATRE
— By Eliana Pipes with original music by B~Free from the HOOPS Project by Nicole Acosta —
Local art begets local art as multi-disciplinary Milwaukee artist Nicole Acosta’s internationally acclaimed HOOPS Project comes to the stage.
Hoop earrings express complex, layered, and beautiful individual and community identities across cultures and generations. Through in-depth interviews crafted into an evening of monologues in the tradition of theater documentarians like Anna Deavere Smith, Eve Ensler, and KJ Sanchez, HOOPS centers stories of visibility and individuality, community and collectivism, and survival and transcendence in a space to celebrate culture as it explores the potent resonance of these symbols to those who identify most strongly with them.

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:
Friday, March 10 @ 7:30PM – Preview Night
Saturday, March 11 @ 8PM – Opening Night
Sunday, March 12 @ 2PM
Monday, March 13 @ 7:30PM (Pay What You Choose Night)
Wednesday, March 15 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 16 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 17 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, March 18 @ 4PM
Saturday, March 18 @ 8PM
Sunday, March 19 @ 2PM
Wednesday, March 22 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 23 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 24 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, March 25 @ 4PM
Saturday, March 25 @ 8PM
Sunday, March 26 @ 2PM
Wednesday, March 29 @ 1PM
Wednesday, March 29 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, March 30 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 31 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, April 1 @ 4PM
Saturday, April 1 @ 8PM
Sunday, April 2 @ 2PM

Hoops
2023-03-11 22:00, 2023-03-12 14:00, 2023-03-15 19:30, 2023-03-16 19:30, 2023-03-17 19:30, 2023-03-18 16:00, 2023-03-18 20:00, 2023-03-19 14:00 and 13 more dates | Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N Broadway Theatre Center, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States

A PERLIOUS GAME by Michael Lucchesi
2023-03-12 15:00 | Interchange Theater, 628 N 10th St, Milwaukee, WI, United States
VILLAGE PLAYHOUSE
— by Michael Lucchesi —
A Perilous Game is the story of those who resisted the Nazis within Germany, including Wisconsin’s own Mildred Fish-Harnack. Imagine if Kurt and Sara Muller and de Brancovis from Watch on the Rhine and Rick Blaine, Ilsa Lund, Ugarte and Victor Lazlo from Casablanca all showed up to a party at Rob and Laura Petrie’s house from The Dick van Dyke Show.

Hoops [Pay What You Choose]
2023-03-13 19:30 | Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N Broadway Theatre Center, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States

Così fan tutte: REMIX
2023-03-17 19:30, 2023-03-19 14:30, 2023-03-24 19:30, 2023-03-26 14:30 | Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts, 121 E State St, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
FLORENTINE OPERA COMPANY
— By Nicolas Lell Benavides and Kelley Rourke —
Debating the nature of attraction, fidelity, and perception of gender, events at a college party cause six college students to question everything they know about each other – and themselves. This English-language modernization of a Da Ponte and Mozartian classic will delight with a 1980s nostalgia and clever twist.

SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Friday, March 17 @ 7:30PM
Sunday, March 19 @ 2:30PM
Friday, March 24 @ 7:30PM
Sunday, March 26 @ 2:30PM

A Crooked French Affair
2023-03-23 19:30, 2023-03-24 19:30, 2023-03-25 19:30, 2023-03-26 14:00 | Goodrich Little Theatre, 72 W 9th St, Fond du Lac, WI, 54935, United States
FOND DU LAC COMMUNITY THEATRE
— By Kim Ruyle —
Perry, a wannabe playwright/director, has written his first play, A Crooked French Affair, ostensibly a dramatic romance set in the royal court of Louis the 15th. When he pitches his play to the dysfunctional Board of Directors of the Pity Falls Community Playhouse, it throws them into a conniption fit. Against all odds, Perry’s play is selected, and now the real work begins with the cast of amateur, inept actors, who work on a set and in costumes designed by recruits from the local junior high school. Complicating everything is an undercurrent due to the affair between Perry’s wife and the husband of Avis, a board member who is recruited to play a part in Perry’s play. On opening night, the production loses its way yet creates a stunning audience reaction and a fortuitous discovery for Perry.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Thursday, March 23 @ 7:30PM
Friday, March 24 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, March 25 @ 7:30PM
Sunday, March 26 @ 2PM

Tidy [Preview]
2023-03-24 19:30, 2023-03-25 16:00 | Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, United States
RENAISSANCE THEATERWORKS
— By Kristin Idaszak —
A woman stands in the middle of a room. She is an island in a sea of stuff – her stuff. It’s a disaster. Fortunately, she’s a detective and she has just read Marie Kondo’s self-help book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
As she excavates her mountain of possessions, she uncovers a terrifying mystery. Can she follow the series of clues and solve the puzzle in time to save the planet? TIDY examines the holes in our lives we try to fill with consumption, how we decide what to keep and what to leave behind, and who and what will survive mass extinction? And will it spark joy?
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Friday, March 24 @ 7:30 PM – PREVIEW
Saturday, March 25 @ 4PM – PREVIEW
Saturday, March 25 @ 8PM – OPENING NIGHT & RECEPTION
Sunday, March 26 @ 2PM
Wednesday, March 29 @ 7:30 PM – Wine Wednesday
Thursday, March 30 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, March 31 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 1 @ 4PM
Saturday, April 1 @ 8PM
Sunday, April 2nd @ 2PM
Wednesday, April 5 @ 7:30 PM – Wine Wednesday
Thursday, April 6 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, April 7 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 8 @ 4PM
Sunday, April 9 @ 2PM
Wednesday, April 12 @ 1 PM
Wednesday, April 12 @ 7:30 PM Wine Wednesday
Thursday, April 13 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, April 14 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 15 @ 4 PM
Sunday, April 16 @ 2 PM

YOU DON'T DESERVE TO DIE by Art Kopischke
2023-03-25 19:00 | Jean Weidner Theatre, 2350 Weidner Center Drive, Green Bay, WI, 54311, United States
UW-GREEN BAY THEATRE & DANCE
— By Art Kopischke —
In Koepsell House, 5 college students who live together in a vegan co-op try to make a small difference as they plan their annual Earth Day party. But they begin to question the real effects of their actions when a food ethics discussion divides them. In Ephraim, Wisconsin, Kyle returns home to care for his dying father only to become trapped in his taxidermy basement workshop by a violent April snowstorm with his childhood friend, two hunters, and a mysteriously omniscient singing Dead Deer. Five actors play the characters of each distinct world as, through ultimate catastrophe, their lives begin to reflect each other’s.
On WPW Backstage by Mike Fischer
Slouching Toward Bethlehem
Fiddling While Rome Burns? – Art Kopischke’s Play Explores How Progressives Process Climate Change

Tidy [Opening Night & Reception]
2023-03-25 20:00 | Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, United States

Tidy
2023-03-26 15:00, 2023-03-30 19:30, 2023-03-31 19:30, 2023-04-01 16:00, 2023-04-01 20:00, 2023-04-02 14:00, 2023-04-06 19:30, 2023-04-07 19:30 and 7 more dates | Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, United States

THE BARBER AND THE UNNAMED PRINCE by Gavin Lawrence
2023-03-27 19:00 | American Players Theatre | Touchstone Theatre, 5950 Golf Course Road, Spring Green, WI, 53588, United States
AMERICAN PLAYERS THEATRE
— By Gavin Lawrence —
Winter Words, is returning to the Touchstone – in-person for the first time since early 2020! Its arrival is thrilling, and just in time to celebrate new works for a new year. A tradition for APT artists and guests alike, Winter Words provides room to explore stories that are new to us, with laser-focus on the language.
A local icon’s death signals the end of an era and the beginning of a new look for a once-predominantly African American neighborhood in Washington, DC. A world-premiere from the incredible Gavin Lawrence.
On WPW Backstage by Mike Fischer
Winter’s Content Makes Glorious Summer – American Players Theatre Previews Tomorrow’s Classics Today

Tidy [Wine Wednesday]
2023-03-29 19:30, 2023-04-05 19:30, 2023-04-12 19:30 | Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, United States

New Works Festival
2023-03-31 20:00, 2023-04-01 14:00 | Otteson Theatre at Carroll University, 238 N. East Avenue, Waukesha, WI, 53186, United States
CARROLL UNIVERSITY
— By Multiple Playwrights —
ADULTS IN SPACE: Phillip Steenbekkers
COME, SIT, SPEAK: Isabella Salefski
ESTO TAMBIEN PASARA: Jessica Mayer
FUCKIN’ UMBRELLA: Skylar Campbell
LIGHT SWITCH: Anna-Christina Starszak
MRS. MOVING ON: Libby Miller
SEVEN: Ryan Rehak
STICKY: Grace Stormer
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Bekah Sprouse
WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS: Lizzie Sage
The NEW WORKS FESTIVAL is a compilation of 10 student-written 10-minute plays. There is a little something for everyone featured here. From recent graduates of the Star Fleet Academy on their first mission to siblings discovering the horrors of real life.

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:
Friday, March 31st at 8 PM
Saturday, April 1st at 2 PM

Artemisia
2023-04-13 19:30, 2023-04-14 19:30, 2023-04-15 19:30, 2023-04-16 14:00, 2023-04-19 19:30, 2023-04-20 19:30, 2023-04-21 19:30, 2023-04-22 14:00 and 4 more dates | Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
FORWARD THEATER COMPANY
— By Lauren Gunderson —
Forward Theater is proud to present the World Premiere of ‘Artemisia,’ a new play by Lauren Gunderson (author of ‘Silent Sky’ and ‘I and You’). Artemisia Gentileschi was the most celebrated female painter of the 17th century, yet her name is remembered by few. A work of humor and warmth that celebrates the courage, artistry, and humanity of a woman who attacked the glass ceiling with every brush stroke.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Thursday April 13 @ 7:30 PM
Friday April 14 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday April 15 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday April 16 @ 2PM
Wednesday, April 19 @ 7:30 PM
Thursday, April 20 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, April 21 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 22 @ 2PM
Saturday, April 22 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 23 @ 2PM
Tuesday,, April 25 @7:30 PM
Wednesday, April 26 @ 7:30 PM
Thursday, April 27 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, April 28 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 29 @ 2PM (ASL performance)
Saturday, April 29 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 30 @ 2PM

DEAR THEO: THE LETTERS OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
2023-04-13 19:30 | ArtLitLab, 111 S. Livingston, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
FERMAT’S LAST THEATER CO.
—
Melvin Hinton will read from the letters, Maggie Schenk will narrate, with violin music from Diana Wheeler and many, many images.
No artist is held in higher esteem than Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. His paintings appear not only on museum walls but on tee shirts, coffee mugs, and posters around the world. But to know the paintings and drawings is to know only one aspect of his genius. He wrote an estimated 2000 letters in his short life, more than 600 to his brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris, who often supported Vincent financially and carefully preserved their correspondence. Many of them contained sketches as well. The letters document Vincent’s turbulent emotional life, his wide and deep reading, and his artistic development. And his belief, despite a lack of commercial success, that he was in fact, a great artist. “You know the fireflies in Brazil that are so luminous that in the evening ladies stick them into their hair with pins. It’s very fine, fame, but see, it is to the artist what the hairpin is to those insects.” —Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, 1888
On WPW Backstage by Mike Fischer
The Arts Generate A Lot of Money. So Why Are So Many Artists Broke?
Ways of Seeing: Reflections on Fermat’s DEAR THEO and Forward’s ARTEMISIA

It’s All Overboard
2023-04-14 20:00, 2023-04-15 20:00, 2023-04-20 20:00, 2023-04-21 20:00, 2023-04-22 20:00 | Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson St, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
BROOM STREET THEATER
— By Lisa Sipos —
A cruise-ship romantic comedy; but what happens when true love is sitting on the other side of the political aisle? A recent widower and a divorcee find themselves unraveling an evil plot that must be stopped before the victim says “I do.” Can our hero save the day and his relationships?
NOTE: the doors to the theater (and the box office) open at 7:45 pm. We don’t have a waiting area in the theater, so the doors are locked once the show begins at 8:00. We ask people to arrive at Williamson Street earlier than they think they need to be since it’s a popular place and parking can take some time.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Friday, April 14 @ 8PM (opening)
Saturday, April 15 @ 8PM
Thursday, April 20 @ 8PM
Friday, April 21 @ 8PM
Saturday, April 22 @ 8PM
Thursday, April 27 @ 8PM
Friday, April 28 @ 8PM
Saturday, April 29 @ 8PM
Thursday, May 4 @ 8PM
Friday, May 5 @ 8PM
Saturday, May 6 @ 8PM (closing)

La Follette High School's Devised Theatre Production
2023-04-15 18:00 | La Follette High School Auditorium, 702 Pflaum Road, Madison, 53716
LA FOLLETTE HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA
— by La Follette High School Drama Students —
La Follette High School Drama students had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Forward Theatre professionals to create their own theatrical production. With the help of Forward, they were able to experience the complexities of the sides of theatre they don’t often see. They worked as one collaborative group to put on a showcase of their creativity with the sponsorship of Forward Theatre’s World Premiere Wisconsin.

Joe Hill: A Song of Protest
2023-04-20 19:00, 2023-04-21 19:00, 2023-04-22 16:00, 2023-04-23 14:00 | The Prairie Theater, UWO/FDL Campus, 400 University Dr., Fond du Lac, WI, 54935, United States
UW-OSHKOSH /FOND DU LAC THEATRE
— By Anthony Wood —
His music gave a voice to the voiceless. His indomitable spirit inspired millions to march against their oppressors. But just after sunrise on November 19, 1915 Joe Hill was executed by a firing squad at the Utah State Penitentiary, convicted of a murder that many say he couldn’t have committed. Who was this enigmatic man– charismatic leader, cold-blooded killer, or both? Experience his saga through song and story as we delve into the mystery of one of the most important figures of the Twentieth Century.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Thursday, April 20 @ 7PM
Friday, April 21 @ 7PM
Saturday, April 22 @ 4PM
Sunday, April 23 @ 2PM
Thursday, April 27 @ 7PM – Pay What You Can
Friday, April 28 @ 7PM
Saturday, April 29 @ 4PM
Sunday, April 30 @ 2PM

Hush the Waves
2023-04-21 19:30, 2023-04-22 19:30 | Bartell Theatre, Drury Stage, 113 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
STROLLERS THEATRE
— By Sam White —
Two women, a generation apart, struggle with the challenges of teenage pregnancy – one in 1948, the other in 1978. Though their lives were similarly changed, their worlds stand in stark contrast as both face the shame, conflict, and social stigmas unique to their generation. Through a magical connection, they reach out to each other across time and space to help the other cope, survive, and flourish. Hush the Waves comes from true stories of acclaimed WI author Sam White’s life, with universal themes, events, and outcomes that explore common threads shared by more families than one might believe.
SHOW DATES & TIMES:
Friday, April 21 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, April 22 @ 7:30PM
Thursday, April 27 @ 7:30PM
Friday, April 28 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, April 29 @ 7:30PM
Sunday, April 30 @ 2PM
Thursday, May 4 @ 7:30PM
Friday, May 5 @ 7:30PM
Saturday, May 6 @ 2PM

BITh (Bizarre Intrusive Thoughts) by John Van Slyke
2023-04-22 15:00 - 16:00 | Bradley Symphony Center | Conference Room, 212 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, 53203, United States
PINK UMBRELLA THEATER COMPANY
— by John Van Slyke —
BITh (Bizarre Intrusive Thoughts) is a play for five adults of varying ages and genders. The audience is invited into Dee’s home while Dee and three intrusive thoughts, also named Dee, detail the physical, mental and emotional challenges of an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. As Dee’s inner life tangles with the external, Dee fears for the relationship with their neighbor, O.
Weaving heady issues with playful language, BITh uses music, storytelling, shadow puppetry, and lip-syncing to navigate Dee’s (Dee 2-4, as well) changing world and mind–and a battle with something known as The Shadowman. BITh is intended for preteen-adult audiences.
On WPW Backstage:
Shedding Light on the Shadowman: John Van Slyke Takes on OCD in New Pink Umbrella Play

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL by Idris Goodwin
2023-04-26 19:00 | Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 West Walnut St., Milwaukee, WI, 53212, United States
FIRST STAGE
— By Idris Goodwin —
On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, play in the freshly fallen snow in the woods when they stumble upon the gravestone of a young girl, Avery Moore. Strange things begin to happen, and Iris and Daniel research the area to find answers. They learn of their town’s history of segregation, and become determined to restore Avery’s grave and pay proper respect for her and others buried there. A ghostly tale with a historical twist, this empowering tale examines the connection of past and present, friendship, and forgiveness. For families with young people ages 10 and up.
On WPW Backstage by Mike Fischer
The Great Awakening: First Stage and Black Arts MKE Dream a New Tomorrow for Black America
