The culture new year truly begins in September. After summer hibernation, Milwaukee’s art scene comes alive in full force, with a jam-packed slate of must-see events from world-premiere performances to monumental exhibitions. Here’s your inside look into the fall season.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Theater
1. Prelude to a Kiss: A Musical
SEPT. 10-OCT. 19 | SHARON LYNNE WILSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
This world-premiere musical is based on the Tony-nominated 1988 play of the same name. A kiss from a guest at Peter and Rita’s wedding sends the couple on a supernatural journey that tests the limits and lengths of their love. Due to construction
at its theater complex, Milwaukee Rep will perform at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield.
2. An Iliad
SEPT. 19-OCT. 6 | MILWAUKEE YOUTH ARTS CENTER
In a twist on a timeless epic evoking parallels to today, a poet fatigued by a cycle of violence shares tales from the Trojan War. Her words are backed by a live score from Milwaukee musician Klassik, who also takes the stage as the Muse.
3. Oliver!
NOV. 15-DEC. 29 | SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Two dozen young local actors will lend their talents to the larger ensemble in the musical theater standard Oliver! Just like in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, the lead character escapes a workhouse and joins a motley crew of pickpockets.
4. The Moors
OCT. 20-NOV. 10 | RENAISSANCE THEATERWORKS
Another spooky, humorous play comes to Renaissance Theaterworks by way of Witch playwright Jen Silverman. This time, a young governess and a moorhen arrive at a secluded Brontë-esque manor and quickly get entangled in the lives of two sisters, a maid and a mastiff.
5. The Tempest
DEC. 6-15 | MILWAUKEE YOUTH ARTS CENTER
A storm is brewing in this Shakespeare comedy, one started by a sorcerer banished by his brother. Their confrontation brings romance and reconciliation for a cast of characters played by First Stage’s Young Company, a skilled group of up-and-coming high school performers.
Dance
6. Insite: Cycles
OCT. 18-19 | DAVIDSON PARK
Wild Space Dance Company explores the wheel of time through the wheels of motorcycles. Its latest site-specific performance draws from the history of Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee at the company’s new Davidson Park.
7. Casanova
NOV. 1-3 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Kicking off Milwaukee Ballet’s season of “Love & Lust” is this salacious tale about a Parisian priest turned socialite whose passions send him on a tumultuous rise and fall. It’s choreographed by former Genesis audience award-winner Kenneth Tindall.
8. The Hip Hop Nutcracker
NOV. 22 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet is remixed into a hip-hop extravaganza MCed by old-school rapper Kurtis Blow. Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker Prince still battle mice and dance with sweets, but with the dance moves and colorful graffiti of New York’s ’80s hip-hop culture.
Music
9. Esperanza Spalding
SEPT. 17 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding has made an award-winning career expanding the alchemy of contemporary jazz. She brings a two-musician, two-dancer show to Milwaukee on the heels of a collaborative album with Milton Nascimento.
10. Gemma New Conducts Sibelius
OCT. 11-12 | BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
First performed in 1902, the second symphony of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius turned into a symbol for his homeland’s fight for independence. Gemma New – principal conductor of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – leads the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra through the triumphant piece and two other works.
11. P!NK
OCT. 23 | FISERV FORUM
So what? She’s still a rockstar. Pink’s bringing her hits to Milwaukee, and you can expect the aerial antics that have become a staple of her shows. Openers include Irish rock band The Script and DJ KidCutUp.
12. Holy Lift Off!
OCT. 31 | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Experimental composer Terry Riley left an indelible mark on classical, rock and electronic music in the ’60s and ’70s. His latest work is two years in the making, consisting of eight flutes reading from sketchbook illustrations, and Milwaukee’s Present Music is one of the first groups to perform it.
13. Madama Butterfly
OCT. 18-20 | MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
This reimagining of a tragic Puccini classic takes place in post-WWII Japan, when a young girl marries an American naval officer and anxiously expects his return. Director Mo Zhou flips the original by countering Asian stereotypes and giving its female characters more agency.
14. The Commercialists: Charlie Brown Christmas
DEC. 4 | BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER
The Commercialists have turned their performances of Vince Guaraldi’s enduring soundtrack into a local holiday tradition. The night includes vocals from local singer Donna Woodall and a complimentary festive cocktail.
Art
15. Paul Swaydan Grebel: Rooms
SEPT. 14-OCT. 12 | TORY FOLLIARD GALLERY
What’s in a room? Still-life painter Paula Swaydan Grebel captures the pleasant comfort and quiet of domesticity through gentle shading and evocative strokes, creating empty living rooms that invite you to take a seat.
16. Weaving a Legacy: Ho-Chunk Black Ash Basketry
THROUGH NOV. 10 | MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
Esteemed artist Tom Jones curates and crafts a sweeping history of Ho-Chunk basket-weaving, featuring almost 200 baskets from over 40 Ho-Chunk artists. The centuries-old practice is in danger as ash trees vanish due to invasive species.
17. Magic Mud: A Ceramic Survey
NOV. 22-JAN. 10, 2025 | PORTRAIT SOCIETY GALLERY
This display of ceramics is a collaboration with Project Onward, a studio in Chicago that supports artists with disabilities. The show mixes pieces from the studio’s ceramics program with ones from Wisconsin artists.
18. Wisconsin Photography 2024
THROUGH NOV. 26 | RACINE ART MUSEUM
Shots from the state’s sharpest photographers are curated in an annual juried exhibition surveying the artform in Wisconsin. Winning photos will be purchased for the Racine Art Museum’s collection.
19. Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History
OCT. 25-FEB. 23, 2025 | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Robert Longo shows the power of images, best exemplified by the contorted larger-than-life figures of his famous Men in the Cities drawings. His work from the last 10 years makes up this exhibition with a focus on monumental contemporary events.
20. Cut & Paste: A Solo Exhibit by Ellia Ana Hill
DEC. 6-FEB. 21, 2025 | LATINO ARTS
Paper, scissors and glue are the bread and butter of Milwaukee Puerto Rican artist Ellia Ana Hill. Her imaginative handcrafted illustrations can be found in her own bilingual children’s books and make up the fabric of her solo exhibit at Latino Arts.
Books
21. Awkward Nerd Book Fair
SEPT. 18 | THE COOPERAGE
Take a trip back to your elementary school’s book fair at this literary (and boozy) marketplace. Meet local authors, listen to storytelling, do a tarot reading and find a nook perfect for poring over your books.
22. Nghi Vo
OCT. 10 | BOSWELL BOOK CO.
Milwaukeean and Hugo Award-winning author Nghi Vo swings by the local bookstore to discuss her newest standalone novel, The City in Glass. In it, a fantastical city gets caught in the tangle between a demon and an angel.
