Wisconsin Union Theater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wisconsin Union Theater is a performing arts center in Madison, Wisconsin, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Memorial Union (Wisconsin).
The Wisconsin Union Theater prides itself in its extremely diverse season. Every year, audiences can see performances in World Stage, Concert, Dance, Jazz and other special events.
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[edit] History
The theater opened in fall of 1939. Statewide radio broad casted the October 8th inaugural ceremonies, and the next three days saw four performances of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, starring the leading couple of the American Theatre, Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne.
Union Theater audiences have seen and heard some of the most famous public figures, actors, dancers and musicians in many performances over the last 60 years. Eleanor Roosevelt, Fritz Kreisler, Ella Fitzgerald, Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Frank Lloyd Wright, Yo-Yo Ma, T. S. Eliot, Jesse Jackson, Arthur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Frost, Itzhak Perlman, John F. Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, Martha Graham and Dave Brubeck have all appeared at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Over the years, eminent personalities have communicated from the stage with over ten million people.
Past administrators, publicists and technicians include Fan Taylor, Bill Dawson, Fred Buerki, Michael Goldberg and Ralph Sandler.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate is an important aspect of the Wisconsin Union Theater and allows students to participate in the programming and execution of performances.
Every year, students work with the Union Theater staff on artist booking, contracts, box office and front-of-the-house management, backstage and technical crews, production, business operations, and publicity.
[edit] The Union Theater today
In the 21st Century, the Union Theater continues to flourish with ideas and programs, energy and vision. The Union Theater remains warm, lively and inviting, while the magic of great performances and the ferment of ideas continue to fill it.
Madison World Music Festival
The annual Madison World Music Festival debuted in September 2004. A free event designed to expose Madison residents from music around the world, the event is free and open to the public. Past performers include Lila Downs, Whirling Dervishes, Balkan Beat Box and many more.
Isthmus Jazz Fest
The Isthmus Jazz Fest is offered each June and features free jazz music on the Union Terrace. The 2007 headliner was Madeleine Peyroux.
Concert Series
The Wisconsin Union Theater's concert series is a long standing tradition that is as old as the theater. Artists enter the theater each year and perform classical piano, violin, bass and flute, among many more. Past performers include Hilary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Emerson String Quartet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many more.
World Stage Series
The World Stage Series has featured artists from all over the world. Highlights include Youssou N'Dour, Lila Downs, Angelique Kidjo, Anoushka Shankar and more.
Isthmus Jazz Series
Remarkable jazz artists are part of the Union Theater season as well as at Jazz Fest each June.
Special events
Special performances from the 2007 - 2008 season include Andrew Bird, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and many others.
[edit] 2008 - 2009 season
Concert Series
Guarneri String Quartet
Trio Mediaeval (early music vocal)
Alisa Weilerstein (cello) & Inon Barnatan (piano)
Leon Fleisher (piano)
Danielle de Niese (soprano)
Ingrid Fliter (piano)
World Stage
Madison World Music Festival
Di Madre in Figlia (From mother to daughter) with Mondine di Novi Choir & Fiamma Fumana
Dervish with Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill
Dobet Gnahore
Isthmus Jazz Series
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Isthmus Jazz Festival
Special events
Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz
Neale Silva Young Artists Competition
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
Haydn and Mozart: Humor and Heartache
Basking in Beethoven
The Longevity of the Short Piece
Musical Pictures
Travel Adventure Film Series
Dennis Burkhart"Hawaii: Polynesian Paradise"
Buddy Hatton "China - The 21st Century"
John Wilson's "Tuscany"
Sandy Mortimer "Exploring Costa Rica"
Monty Brown "Scotland to Provence"
Mary Lee and Sid Nolan "Wine Regions in Australia and New Zealand"
[edit] External links
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