Yearly Archives: 2022

Presented by Studio Dansu

Directed by Jayme Shimooka

Join us for a contemporary retelling of The Nutcracker with Tchaikovsky’s beloved score. When Clara receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, her dreams take her on a grand adventure. Follow Clara and her Nutcracker Prince to the wondrous Land of Sweets, Land of Amusements, and Land of Flowers where a fantastic cast of characters awaits. Meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, mischievous mice, brave toy soldiers, and so many more! Dozens of local young performers join Dansu Dance Company onstage for these holiday performances. It’s a spectacular holiday treat for the entire family!

General Admission: $20

Kids under 10: $16

All ticket sales are non-refundable, but tickets may be exchanged at no charge for a different performance of the same show. Contact the box office to make an exchange.

If you are unable to use your tickets, they may either be given to a friend or converted into a tax-deductible donation to the Bartell. Thank you for supporting live local theatre!

Should this performance need to be cancelled or rescheduled due to public health concerns, you will be notified via email. Check the Bartell website for up-to-date show info.

Presented by Frandutopia

Written and Directed by Frandu Smith

Frandutopia, the morbidly funny, multi-volume chef-d’oeuvre of local comedian Frandu Smith (The Adaptors), has hit the Madison stage five times before, delighting audiences with its passion, drama and human touch. This year, the hilarious Nick Hart (Conan) returns to feature at Frandutopia’s sixth episode: Frandu’s Death Party!

This year’s show is a fundraiser for Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, DAIS, which works to make Dane County, WI, a safer, more just, more equitable place for people who have experienced domestic violence, their children, and the people who love them. DAIS is the only domestic violence shelter in all of Dane County.

A Silent Auction will be held at intermission.

Reserved Seating – Masks are optional for this production

Presented on the Drury Stage

Presented by Studio Dansu

A ballet based on the folktale of the Firebird, a powerful good spirit whose feathers supposedly convey beauty and protection upon the earth. The heroic Prince Ivan fights the evil sorcerer Kashchei and his monsters, from whom Ivan must rescue the princess he loves. It is only through the intervention of the Firebird, whose life he spares early in the ballet, that Ivan is able to destroy Kashchei and have good win over evil.

Great for Kids and Families!

Firebird will be performed on the Drury Stage with assigned seating.

Tickets: Adults $20 Kids under 10: $16

By Martin Sherman
Directed by Sean Langenecker

What would you do if your existence suddenly became illegal; if your way of life and who you loved was deemed a crime punishable by torture and death?

Bent is a story of losing everything and then finding one thing in the midst of insurmountable persecution and oppression. This unlikely love story gives us a seldom viewed perspective of queer life in Nazi Germany after The Night of the Long Knives.

Bent strips humanity to its core and leaves a stark reminder of the delicate and precious natures of freedom and love, which still reverberate today.

For more details on the cast/crew, check out the program.

We require all patrons to wear a mask for this production

This production includes simulated violence with knife, gun, and body contact.

There will be nudity and explicit adult situations.

Cast

Max – Patrick O’Hara
Rudy – Lennox Forrester
Wolf – Patrick Mahoney
Greta – Matt Reines
Freddie – Joel Davidson
Horst – Edric Johnson
Director – Sean Langenecker
Producer – Lesemann Marshall
Stage Manager – Steppe
Construction – Russel Wolff
Lighting Designer – Tom Litrell
Props Designer – Michelle Dayton
Costumes Designer – Marie Schulte
Sound/Music Composition – John Feith
Rigging – Spike Garrett
Intimacy Coordinator – Simone LaPierre
Fight Captain – Patrick Mahoney

Presented by Studio Dansu

Come support our Dansu Campers with this informal performance and see how hard they worked in their one week camp! This week they are performing Aladdin Jr.

This production of Aladdin Jr. is based on the 1992 Academy Award winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show about the ‘diamond in the rough’ street urchin who learns that his true worth lies deep within.

The story you know and love has been given the royal treatment. Aladdin and his four friends, Babkak, Omar, Kassim and Nazim are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the Genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of Princess Jasmine and her father the Sultan, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character.

With expanded characters, new songs, and more thrills, this new adaptation of the beloved story will open up A Whole New World of magic!

Free Event ($5 Donation suggested)

This general seating event will be performed on the Evjue Stage

presented by Helfinstine Productions

Standup Comedy comes to the Bartell Theater featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent from Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago including THREE winners of the annual Madison’s Funniest Comic Competition.

Enjoy live piano, beer and wine, and a night of hilarity.

Featuring:
Charlie Kojis (Madison’s Funniest Comic 2016)

Rory Rusch (Madison’s Funniest Comic 2019)

Reier Cammerman

Jared Porter

Ton Johnson (Madison’s Funniest Comic 2022, Aug 26th ONLY)

Craig Smith (Aug 27th ONLY)


Hosted by Robert Helfinstine.

Madison Theatre Guild regretfully, must postpone our production of Primrose this season. We will remount the production in our 2023-2024 season.  For those who have purchased tickets, they can be refunded or turned into a donation.  Please join us for our up coming productions – www.madisontheatreguild.org or www.bartelltheatre.org.

MTG would like to thank everyone who expressed interest in the show. We are diligently working to reschedule.

Book & Lyrics – Nick Schweitzer
Music – Ted Reinke

Stage Direction by Jim Chiolino
Music Direction by Eric Sayre

Presented by Fred Astaire Madison West

Our yearly Showcase for all Fred Astaire Madison West students, some of the best amateur dancers in the country! Student showcase will be followed by an all-professional show by the Fred Astaire staff! If you love Dancing with The Stars, you’ll love this production!

Summer Showcase 2022 will be performed on the Drury Stage.

Approx. Run-Time: 2 hrs 30 mins (including 2 intermissions)

Tickets: $30

Written by Jordan Harrison
Produced by StageQ Inc

When the men of a small, Prohibition-era town decide to put on a play dressed in “fancy-type, women-type clothes,” the whole community is affected: gender lines blur, eyebrows raise, identities explode, and life is forever changed. A thoughtful and hilarious Midwestern fable about the woman in every man and the man in every woman.

Cast
Miles — Donnovan Moen
Dorothy — Mikayla Mrochek
True — Davis Williams
Lorna — Leigha Vilen
Casper — Shawn D. Padley
Zina — Abby Pawelski

Venue: Evjue Stage
Performance Time: 2 hours, plus 15-minute intermission
General Seating

StageQ Sliding Scale Ticket Prices: Choose the price that is right for you!

Accessible Level: $15
Suggested Level: $20
Superstar Level: $30
Legend Level: $50*

*All Legend Level patrons will be automatically added to the Friends of StageQ roster for this current season and receive all the benefits of at the Friend level.

COVID-19 UPDATES: (as of 5/2022)
StageQ requires all audience members to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Please join us for our 75th season celebration!

June 11th, 2022 4-8pm

Free to all!

Your evening of entertainment will include FREE drinks and food from Banzo, a silent auction, a live performance from MTG’s first production (The Late George Apley – 1946), a sing-a-long…and lots of laughs!

RSVP requested by May 27, 2022 info@madisontheatreguild.org

We can’t wait to see you there!

Madison Theatre Guild Board of Directors

The Amazing Acro-Cats is a troupe of rescued house cats who put on a one-of-a-kind performance for thousands of people across the United States. These talented felines roll on balls, ride skateboards, jump through hoops, and more. The grand finale of the show features Tuna and the Rock Cats, the only all-cat band in the world! The band includes Roux (guitar), Bowie (drums), and Nue (keyboard). There’s even a special guest joining in on their set – Cluck Norris, a chicken playing the tambourine and cymbal! An Amazing Acro-Cats live show is family friendly and approved for all ages!

While audience members marvel at the tricks these cats are able to perform, they also learn that it is possible to train a cat! Samantha Martin is Chief Executive Human of Tuna and the Rock Cats Rescue and leader of the show. In her time running the rescue, she has found homes for over 300 cats and kittens, while encouraging and supporting clicker training – the fun and positive method using a clicker to train cats and other pets – which encourages responsible pet ownership in the process. Through the live shows and her rescue, she’s “saving cats, one click at a time!”

The Amazing Acro-Cats will be purrforming on the Drury Stage.

Approximate run-time: 2 hours (no intermission)

The Amazing Acro-Cats are suitable for all ages! .

Pricing:

Very Important Cat People (VICP) Level 1: $55 (First Row)

Very Important Cat People (VICP) Level 2: $40 (rows 2 – 4)

General Seating: $30 (all other rows)

For questions concerning wheelchair- and handicapped-accessible seating and pricing, contact the box office at (608) 661-9696.

Written and Directed by:

Deborah Hearst & Dana Pellebon 

Music Direction by: Iva Ugrcic

Our identities are grounded in our relationships and connections with others. So what happens when those threads become untethered?

Created by Deborah Hearst and Dana Pellebon, this piece is an exploration of those disrupted identities and how we can begin to weave a new portrait of ourselves in the wake of so much change.

This Production will have general seating and take place on the Evjue Stage.

Due to the personal nature of the narratives in this production,  we recommend the audience be 10 years and up.

All audience members age 5+ must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination (either a physical CDC vaccination card or a photo of it on your smartphone) or have a negative test within 48 hours of showtime.

All ticket sales are non-refundable. If you are unable to use your tickets, they may either be given to a friend or converted into a tax-deductible donation to the Bartell. Thank you for supporting live local theatre!

Should this performance need to be cancelled or rescheduled due to public health concerns, you will be notified via email. Check the Bartell website for up-to-date show info.

Written by: We don’t know yet!

Directed by: Ditto!

A group of writers, directors, and actors meet on December 30th to pick names and writing challenges out of a hat. They rehearse all day on the 31st, and take the stage at 8:00pm – ready or not! Just 24 hours from pick-to-page-to-stage! Proceeds – as always – will benefit the Bartell.

A co-production of Mercury Players and KnowBetter Productions

Performed on the Drury Stage

Written by Nick Schweitzer and Steve Noll

Directed by Steve Noll

The Panto strikes back! Mercury’s first panto sequel takes us back to that galaxy far, far away: A bounty hunter with a bucket stuck on his head meets the Baby Yoda who just might melt it off. Adventures await them, especially when other streaming shows get jealous and invade their galaxy. 

Presented in PantoVision. 

IMMATURE AUDIENCES ONLY! PARENTAL DISCRETION DISCOURAGED!

TICKETS FOR KIDS 12 and UNDER will be $10 for any performance.

Performed on the Drury Stage

Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Co-Directed by Brandon Hartman and Steve Noll

Musical Direction by Lizzie Haller

Choreography by Heidi Hakseth

Live on Stage! The pop culture Broadway musical comedy invades the Bartell Theatre in a family-friendly fantasy production. Join the famous grumpy ogre, a wise-cracking donkey, and a princess who’s no damsel in distress. Add in a love-struck dragon and a villain with a tiny issue, and you have a magic formula for songs and comedy for all ages. 

A Co-Production of Mercury Players Theatre and OUT!Cast Theatre

Performed on the Drury Stage

All audience members age 5+ must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination (either a physical CDC vaccination card or a photo of it on your smartphone) No exceptions.

Should this performance need to be cancelled or rescheduled due to public health concerns, you will be notified via email. Check the Bartell website for up-to-date show info.

Presented by United in Music, Inc.

With Jason McKinney & Christopher Bagley

Performed at the Bartell Theatre on the Drury Stage

THE STORY: A powerful chronicle of the life of Paul Robeson, taking us from his childhood in New Jersey to his adult life as one of the most recognized figures in the world. An All-American athlete (15 varsity letters – football, basketball, track, baseball) and valedictorian at Rutgers and a lawyer (Columbia Law School), Robeson faces the racism prevalent during the twentieth century. As an actor and singer, Mr. Robeson becomes one of the most recognizable figures in the world. He uses these forums as an artist to become a human and civil rights activist, speaking against racism and oppression in the United States and abroad. However, it is primarily his sympathetic stance with Communism that causes the US Government to effectively silence him during his prime earning and performing years.

In this production, Jason McKinney portrays the great Paul Robeson. He uses his immense talents as a vocalist and actor to bring the powerful Robeson to life. Mr. McKinney will make you laugh, smile, cry and most importantly, think! He is accompanied by Christopher Bagley, portraying the role of Robeson’s musical collaborator, Lawrence Brown.

Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert, Music by Arthur Sullivan

Directed by Donald Dexter

Music Direction by Christopher Ramaekers

Performed at the Bartell Theatre on the Drury Stage

Arthur Sullivan’s exhilarating music and W.S. Gilbert’s wicked-funny wit impale the Victorian horror genre in Ruddigore, or The Witch’s Curse.  Musicians, singers, and dancers take the stage to perform this rarely produced and hilarious tale of madcap macabre.  As Douglas R. Miller of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players said of Ruddigore, “Melodrama and satire both function through distortion to the extremes; Gilbert has fused the two into a high comedy of extreme characters and circumstances.” 


While a belief in spectral intervention is not as common as it once was, we are still the anxious children of our parents. Even after our parents are gone, we still have a nagging dread of disappointing them, coupled with the worry that our most personal desires are an affront to society. The operetta’s love story parallels the ghost story in that two young people who ought to be in love are not allowed to be, due to a strict interpretation of Victorian etiquette. By taking these notions to farcical extremes, Gilbert creates a comical catharsis that liberates us from our fears.


Sir Arthur Sullivan’s music for Ruddigore is in turn romantic, melodramatic, and humorous. Some consider this score to be the finest that he composed for any of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.

Given the status of COVID-19 in our community and for the safety of our audience, Madison Savoyards, Ltd will require masks be worn at all times while in the Bartell Theatre.

Are you ready for a big season? You can’t tear down our excitement!

You’ll be green with envy when you hear all our shows. Musicals, plays, festivals…oh my!

Join us in-person at the Bartell Theatre or online via Facebook Live to learn about all the shows our resident companies will put on this coming year.

Madison’s Home for Theatre is back in full swing and we can’t wait for you to be a part of it.

Written & Directed by Various Artists
Produced by StageQ Inc

*CapitalQ Theatre Festival is made possible by contributions from Jim Hartman’s State Farm Agency and the New Harvest Foundation.

StageQ is proud to present the inaugural “CapitalQ Theatre Festival.” A fresh, new spin on the perennial favorite, “Queer Shorts,” this festival runs a single weekend and is filled with new and original short plays and 1-Act Plays submitted from local and national playwrights. Along with FREE theatre workshops and masterclasses open to the public, this weekend will celebrate original queer stories told by up-and-coming queer writers and allow you to learn more about how theatre is made. Be a part of a new Pride Month tradition!

All performances will last about 60 minutes.

ALL MASTERCLASSES & WORKSHOPS ARE FREE!!! – NO TICKET NEEDED
Festival Passes required for ticked performances, see prices below.

Venue: Drury & Evjue Stages
General Admission Seating

Festival Schedule:

Friday, June 24th:

7:30pm – EVJUE STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE A
“Wedlocked (and Loaded)” by William Lynch
“Yours/Mine” by Tony Foster
“Theresa’s Breasts” by Amber Palmer

7:30pm – DRURY STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE C
“Falling Skies” by Brayden Frascone
“Dash Climbs a Rope” by James Still
“The Agency” by Mark Evan Chimsky

Saturday, June 25th:

12pm – ACTING MASTERCLASS
led by Stephen Montagna

12pm – STAGE MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS
led by Chris Diorio

​2pm – EVJUE STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE B
“Walt Whitman and the Great Comet of the Apocalypse” by Garrett Bell
“Molinda Falls” by Ken Preuss
“The Test” by Richard Slusarczyk

2pm – DRURY STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE D
“Condors” by LZ Zephyr
“Three is Not a Crowd” by Dawn Richberg
“Three Scorpions Walk Into a Bar” by River von Waldron

7:30pm – EVJUE STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE B
“Walt Whitman and the Great Comet of the Apocalypse” by Garrett Bell
“Molinda Falls” by Ken Preuss
“The Test” by Richard Slusarczyk

7:30pm – DRURY STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE D
“Before the Holy Temple” by David Hopes
“Condors” by LZ Zephyr
“Three is Not a Crowd” by Dawn Richberg
“Three Scorpions Walk Into a Bar” by River von Waldron

Sunday, June 26th:

12pm – DIRECTING MASTERCLASS
led by Stephen Montagna

12pm – PLAYWRITING MASTERCLASS
led by Danielle Dresden

​2pm – EVJUE STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE A
“Wedlocked (and Loaded)” by William Lynch
“Yours/Mine” by Tony Foster
“Theresa’s Breasts” by Amber Palmer

2pm – DRURY STAGE – FESTIVAL SHOWCASE C
“Falling Skies” by Brayden Frascone
“Dash Climbs a Rope” by James Still
“The Agency” by Mark Evan Chimsky

Festival Passes:

Single Show Pass: $15
Two Show Pass: $20
Three Show Pass: $25
Four Show Pass: $30

COVID-19 UPDATES: (as of 3/2022)
StageQ requires all audience members to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Studio Dansu Logo

Come support our 9 students who are excited to be back onstage as a company for the first time since 2020 as they perform pieces from local and national choreographers. Our theme this year contemplates the desire to travel that many of us have had over the past two years. Places we miss, places we hope to go, or any adventures along the way.

Local Choreographers: Jayme Shimooka, Kooy Buie, Lauren Lynch, Caylin McGlynn, Brooke Schroeder, and Tania Tandias

National Choreographers: Leigh Brockman Horowitz (St. Louis, MO), Alicia Sunshine Depry-Gbaho (St. Louis, MO), and Amanda Kolsch (New York City, NY)

Great for Kids and Families!

Wanderlust will be performed on the Drury Stage with assigned seating.

Tickets: Adults $20 Kids under 10 $16

COVID-19 UPDATES: (as of 12/2021)
The Bartell Theatre requires all audience members 5 and up to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Masks fully covering the nose and mouth are required for everyone 2 and up at all times while inside the Bartell.

By Desmond Hawkins

Directed by Desmond Hawkins & Jayme Shimooka

It’s the last day of Summer Camp and nothing can seem to go right for the Green Leaves as the self-appointed Head Junior Camp Counselor. The honeybees and buttercups are at war with each other, and there are also the questionable salmon s’mores…

Last Day of Camp will be performed on the Drury Stage with assigned seating.

Tickets: Adults $20 Kids under 10 $16

COVID-19 UPDATES: (as of 12/2021)
The Bartell Theatre requires all audience members 5 and up to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Masks fully covering the nose and mouth are required for everyone 2 and up at all times while inside the Bartell.

By Will Eno

Directed by Suzan Kurry

Our third scheduling of this wonderful play. Bob Jones and his wife Jennifer meet their new next-door neighbors, John and Pony Jones – no relation. Funny, moving, and weird, the Joneses discuss their lives, giving an inside look at the people next door, the truths we think we know, and the secrets we never imagined we all might share. Described as “like a sitcom broadcast from a weirder, more melancholy world.”

The Realistic Joneses will be performed on the Evjue Stage with general-admission seating.

Tickets: $20, Wednesday $15

By Christopher Durang

Directed by Betty Diamond

Broad comic acting is raised to the level of high art. “… deliriously funny… a heedless good time,” raved the NY Times!!

Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, PA, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances for their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house. Also on scene are sassy maid Cassandra, who can predict the future (of course), and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina, whose prettiness somewhat worries the imperious Masha. Tons of fun, even if you can’t tell your Seagull from your Uncle Vanya.

Check out the Program!

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be performed on the Drury Stage with assigned seating.

Tickets: $20; discounts available to groups of 10 or more

All audience members age 5+ must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination (either a physical CDC vaccination card or a photo of it on your smartphone) or have a negative test within 48 hours of showtime. .

By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Scott Albert Bennett
Performed at the Bartell Theatre on the Evjue stage

Oscar Wilde’s “Trivial Comedy for Serious People” takes another turn!

Cecily and Gwendolen are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack has wooed Gwendolen as “Earnest”, while Algernon has also posed as “Earnest” to win the heart of Cecily, Jack’s ward. When all four arrive at Jack’s country home on the same weekend, pandemonium breaks loose!

This farcical comedy about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers’ entanglements still has bite, as it lampoons the Victorian upper class and exposes their hypocrisy.

Our production will be cast gender fluid to further expose the rigidity of gender roles and expectations in turn-of-the-century culture… and today. Wilde found great pleasure in making fun of the Victorian upper class, and they enjoyed being made fun of by Wilde… that is, until directly after Earnest premiered and he was exposed as a homosexual. Wilde never apologized for his relationships with men and his ultimate message about being true to ourselves despite what society expects or demands makes The Importance of Being Earnest as relevant today as when it was first presented.

Cast!
John Worthing, J.P. (Jack) – Sarah Edlund
Algernon Moncrieff – Sarah Hassam
Rev. Canon Chasuble – Colleen Murphy
Merriman/Lane – Eliza Howard
Lady Bracknell – Rebecca Raether
Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax – Jillian Weingart
Cecily Cardew – Nick Kaprelian
Miss Prism – James Rowe

For more details, check out our program!