Children's Theater of Madison, Family Friendly, Theater Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

Playhouse Theater

Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved classic, this captivating musical follows a brilliant little girl with extraordinary powers who refuses to let her cruel parents—or a tyrannical headmistress—hold her back.

Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Primal Light

Overture Hall

This concert opens with a fresh take on the story of resurrection with lush layers of colorful sound evoking a cinematic feel. “Resurrexit” by Mason Bates will take you on a mystical pilgrimage with shimmering exotic tonalities that give way to contemplation and dramatic stirrings of rebirth.

Comedy, Family Friendly, Free Events, Improv Comedy, Kids in the Rotunda, Theater Whoopensocker

Rotunda Stage

Whoopensocker arts residency program and performing ensemble works with emergent readers and writers to create original theater pieces. This show is a combination of sketches, songs and physical theater. It is a fantastic culmination of creativity, celebrated with students, staff and community.

Children's Theater of Madison, Family Friendly, Theater Winnie the Pooh (And His Pals Too!)

MYArts Sunrise Theater

Step into the gentle world of the Hundred Acre Wood with this delightful Theater for the Very Young production created especially for two to five-year-olds. Perfect for a first-time theater experience!

Comedy, Variety Nurse Blake: But Did You Die? Comedy Tour

Capitol Theater

Nurse Blake is back with his hilarious new comedy tour with all new content, diving into the wildest things patients and their families say and do. From self-diagnosing Stage 8 Cancer with WebMD to hitting the call light like they are on a game show, nothing is off limits! 

2025/26 Season, Educational/Talks, Overture Presents An Evening with David Sedaris

Overture Hall

Join David Sedaris, author of bestsellers “Calypso,” “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” for a special one-night-only event. Sedaris will bring his signature humor and sharp wit to the stage for an unforgettable evening.

Educational/Talks, Free Events, Visual Arts Fall 2025 Exhibitions Reception

Overture Galleries

Join us for a reception and artist talks celebrating the Fall 2025 Overture Galleries. This season’s exhibitions consider the quiet forces that shape our landscapes.

2025/26 Season, Comedy, Overture Presents Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble

Capitol Theater

Get ready for an evening of sidesplitting laughter as Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, the dynamic duo from TV's "Whose Line is it Anyway?," take the stage in a one-night-only uproarious live show, “Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble.”

Theater Rodgers & Hammerstein: From Book to Broadway

Playhouse

"Rodgers & Hammerstein: From Book to Broadway" audiences will not only enjoy wonderful music — they will also learn about how Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted novels, short stories and autobiographies into Broadway entertainment. 

2025/26 Season, Broadway The Book of Mormon

Overture Hall

This outrageous musical comedy follows the adventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. This international sensation is widely regarded as the funniest musical of all time.

Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Music, Theater The Jerry Ensemble

Rotunda Stage

The Jerry Ensemble of Southern Wisconsin, a premier performance group representing the Jerry Awards, will perform Disney's "Finding Nemo KIDS!" Join us and witness the future stars of musical theater in action!

Comedy, Overture Presents, Variety Lucy Darling: You’re Welcome

Award-winning performer, charming socialite and cocktail enthusiast Lucy Darling continues her vivacious vagabond voyages with “You’re Welcome” — a touring variety show featuring her razor-sharp wit, unquestionable advice, skillful magic and delightful friends.

Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Variety Wayne the Wizard

Rotunda Stage

Get ready for spooky fun and silly surprises! Wayne the Wizard brings Halloween to life with colorful magic, comedy ventriloquism and lots of audience participation.

Classical Music WSMA High School State Honors Music Project Concerts

Overture Hall

Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Honors Music Project began in 1967 to provide musically accomplished youth the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the nation's finest conductors in a professional and highly disciplined setting. This year, more than 1,250 student auditions were performed for the privilege of being one of the 429 students selected for membership in the five prestigious High School State Honors ensembles.

2025/26 Season, Folk Music, Music, Overture Presents Mariachi Rock Revolution

Capitol Theater

Get ready for a rock-fueled, Mariachi-infused spectacle of sight and sound celebrating the tradition of Mariachi. This high-energy show unites arena-rock fans, abuelas raised on Vicente Fernández—and everyone in between.

James Watrous Galleries, Visual Arts Añamarié Edwards: The Home of Joy and Warren King: Homecoming

James Watrous Gallery

The James Watrous Gallery presents two concurrent solo exhibitions by artists Añamarié Edwards and Warren King steeped in themes of home, family, joy, identity, healing, migration, and community. 

Educational/Talks, Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda Zoozort

Rotunda Stage

Do you love learning about wildlife? Then join us for Zoozort's live animal program, where you'll discover special abilities, behaviors and habitats of some of the world’s most amazing animals.

2025/26 Season, Overture Presents, Variety Cirque Mechanics: Tilt!

Capitol Theater

Enter the world of Cirque Mechanics, where breathtaking acrobatics meet mechanical marvels in a one-of-a-kind circus experience. Inspired by American ingenuity, this high-flying spectacle blends raw, real-world grit with the wonder of modern circus.

2025/26 Season, Educational/Talks, National Geographic Live, Overture Presents A Pirate's Life with Archaeologist Lisa Briggs

Capitol Theater

Set sail on a thrilling adventure with archaeologist Lisa Briggs. Dive into the Mediterranean to uncover how pirates shaped the Roman Empire, meet China’s fierce Pirate Queen and step into the lab to track Blackbeard’s trail. History’s greatest treasures await—are you ready to hunt?

2025/26 Season, Cabaret, Music, Overture Presents Claybourne Elder: If the Stars Were Mine

Capitol Theater Stage

Broadway’s hunky gay ex-Mormon dad Claybourne Elder, star of “Company,” “Sunday in the Park…” and HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” presents a hilarious and heartfelt evening that’s part cabaret and part stand-up.

Forward Theater, Theater Gutenberg! The Musical!

Playhouse

Bud and Doug have poured their hearts (and not much research) into their brand-new, Broadway-bound musical about Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. A chaotic and hilarious celebration of big dreams, bad ideas and the magic of live theater. 

Classical Music, Madison Opera, Music, Theater La Bohème

Overture Hall

The greatest love story in opera, “La Bohème” remains eternally young. Set to a ravishing score, Puccini’s classic opera tells of the lives, loves and losses of a group of young artists in a Bohemian quarter of Paris. 

2025/26 Season, Dance The Rhythm Project

Promenade Hall

TNW Ensemble Theater's “The Rhythm Project” features a diverse array of Madison’s finest percussive dancers and musicians, with a recorded narration providing historical context and wry observations about these dance forms. 

Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Music Birds of a Feather

Rotunda Stage

Birds of a Feather (Little Miss Ann + Suzi Shelton) will perform classic favorites and new songs from their debut album "Rock Together," featuring themes of friendship, adventure and community.

2025/26 Season, Broadway, Six-Show Package Some Like It Hot

Overture Hall

Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, this four-time Tony Award®-winning musical follows two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they board a cross-country train, embarking on the trip of a lifetime.

Classical Music, Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Masterworks I - Eroica

Capitol Theater

“Eroica” kicks off the 2025/26 Masterworks Season in Capitol Theater, encapsulating the timeless beauty of classical music.