1. Fondy Winter Farmers Market
JAN. 3, 10, 17, 24, AND 31 | THE TABLE
Fondy Market’s season doesn’t end in the winter – it just moves indoors. You can still find greens during the cold months, and local baked goods, honey, soaps and more are plentiful. And don’t forget to swing by the other winter farmers markets.
2. Hidden Wilderness of Lois Bielefeld
JAN. 9-FEB.-28 | PORTRAIT SOCIETY GALLERY
In their photo project “its own pristine devices,” Milwaukee artist Lois Bielefield shines a spotlight on the overlooked spaces created by highways and interchanges. What’s revealed are habitats of trees and grasses – and nature’s constant presence.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. The Fisherman’s Daughters
JAN. 9-MARCH 1 | MILWAUKEE REP
Two estranged sisters must come together when their family home is caught up in the plans to create Peninsula State Park. This musical is making its Milwaukee debut after its premiere in Door County.
4. Milwaukee Musaik and Violins of Hope
JAN. 11 | WILSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Violins of Hope, a residency of instruments from the Holocaust, continues with a performance by Milwaukee Musaik, a long-running chamber ensemble.
5. Cardboard Piano
JAN. 11-FEB. 1 | RENAISSANCE THEATERWORKS
A secret wedding in Uganda is interrupted by a child solider seeking shelter. Milwaukee theater mainstay Elyse Edelman directs this tragic play.
6. ‘An Evening With Pat Murphy’
JAN. 15 | WILSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
After a historic season, the Brewers’ gruff, witty and winning manager Pat Murphy takes the stage for an in-depth interview and an audience Q&A. Pocket pancakes not included.
7. Waukesha Janboree
JAN. 16-25 | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Freezing weather means the fun’s just getting started in Waukesha. Ice skating, ice sculpting, a laser light show, an Alaskan malamute dog pull and beer gardens (naturally) are among the many activities warming up the city.
8. Museum Days
JAN. 22-FEB. 1 | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
What better way to chase away winter doldrums than a trip to a museum? Dozens of local institutions centering on art, history and nature offer free or discounted admission during this over-a-weeklong promotion.
9. Cate Le Bon
JAN. 23 | VIVARIUM
The Welsh art-rocker’s latest album, Michelangelo Dying, has guitars melting like mercury and soft and fluid vocals sorting through heartbreak. Songs like “Heaven Is No Feeling” bottle up that haze and energize it.
10. Amadeus
JAN. 23-FEB. 8 | BROADWAY THEATRE CENTER
In 18th-century Vienna, composer Antonio Salieri is overcome with jealousy at the rise of the talented and ill-mannered Mozart. A live chamber orchestra accompanies this production by Skylight Music Theatre.
11. Woodland Pattern’s Poetry Marathon
JAN. 24-25 | SAINT KATE – THE ARTS HOTEL
Poets by the hundreds will read for 24 hours. The celebration of lyricism brings together word-lovers from all over and benefits Milwaukee’s storied poetry bookstore and cultural space.
12. Lovabye Dragon
JAN. 24-FEB. 15 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
A girl and a dragon fly on an adventure in this First Stage musical, adapting Barbara Joosse’s “Girl and Dragon” books with help from the Port Washington-based author.
13. John Mulaney
JAN. 25 | RIVERSIDE THEATER
What’s new, pussycat? For star comedian John Mulaney, it was last year’s offbeat talk show “Everybody’s Live.” Now, he’s returning to Milwaukee with fresh material.
14. ‘Encore’
JAN. 30-FEB. 8 | BAUMGARTNER CENTER FOR DANCE
Milwaukee Ballet’s annual mixed repertory showcase is like a sampler platter of the dance world. What heightens this blend of classical and contemporary work is the intimate setting.
15. Steely Dane
JAN. 30 | PABST THEATER
Few cover bands achieve premier-status like this 13-piece Wisconsin-based Steely Dan tribute. For the first time, they’ll play through the entire album of Aja and singer Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly.
16. Right in the Eye
JAN. 31 | THE ORIENTAL THEATRE
Over a century later, the fantastical silent films of Georges Méliès continue to capture imaginations. (Think of the rocket landing on the eye of the moon.) This screening sets 12 of his pioneering works to live music.
17. Lynden’s Winter Carnival
JAN. 31 | LYNDEN SCULPTURE GARDEN
Outdoor artmaking is at the heart of this annual bash: Candle, kite and tree sculpture workshops fill the schedule. But there’s still plenty of room for weather-permitting activities like ice-skating and snowshoeing, not to mention a scavenger hunt.
