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M A RCH 12-1 8 , 2020 / VO LU M E 45, ISSU E 11 / M A DISO N , W ISCONSI N

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CONTENTS VOL 45, ISSUE 11 MARCH 12-18, 2020 ■

4 SNAPSHOT

Corps stories

Returned Peace Corps volunteers share tales of transformation. 6-8 NEWS

Professional courtesy Madison police get ready to help staff the DNC in Milwaukee.

9 10 11 11 24 34 34 34 35

MADWEEK FEEDBACK OFF THE SQUARE THIS MODERN WORLD ISTHMUS PICKS CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD P.S. MUELLER SAVAGE LOVE

10 OPINION

VICTORIA DAVIS

Foxconn con?

It looks like the state might pay millions in tax credits for seasonal workers. 18-20 BOOKS

Flashpoint

Kate Elizabeth Russell’s My Dark Vanessa heads into tricky territory.

LITTLE BIG JUNE 5 TOWN • 2020 • BREESE STEVENS FIELD | MADISON, WI

PURCHASE TICKETS @ AMFAMCHAMPIONSHIP.COM

Coronavirus delay

The pandemic holds up release of The Lacquered Talisman. 21 STAGE

Wannabe parents

13 COVER STORY

Expecting Isabel explores infertility.

Outreach to all

21 SCREENS

Women in love

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a simmering romance set in 17th century France. 30-31 FOOD & DRINK

How Willy rolls

The east side has a new Japanese restaurant with an expansive menu. 32 EMPHASIS

Green is for courage

Fellow Flowers provides symbolic inspiration and running gear for women.

PUBLISHER

Get ready folks! Come April you should receive an envelope from the U.S. Census Bureau in the mail. It’s critical that all residents fill out the 2020 survey so that we get our fair share of federal funds and representation in Congress. Some people, understandably, are reluctant to share information with the government, including undocumented immigrants and people of color. As Victoria Davis reports, the city of Madison is helping support an unprecedented effort to reach what the census bureau calls “historically underrepresented groups” and educate them about the importance of the census.

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ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Linda Falkenstein

CONTRIBUTORS: Jane Burns, Kenneth Burns, Dave Cieslewicz, Nathan J. Comp, Aaron R. Conklin, Ruth Conniff, Michael Cummins, Marc Eisen, Allison Geyer, Erik Gunn, Howard Hardee, Holly Henschen, Mike Ivey, Bob Jacobson, Seth Jovaag, Erica Krug, Stu Levitan, Bill Lueders, John McLaughlin, Liz Merfeld, Andy Moore, Mike Muckian, Bruce Murphy, Kyle Nabilcy, Erik Ness, Jenny Peek, Michael Popke, Steven Potter, Katie Reiser, Jay Rath, Gwendolyn Rice, Dean Robbins, Robin Shepard, Sandy Tabachnick, Denise Thornton, Candice Wagener, Tom Whitcomb

Rank of UW-Madison among colleges and universities producing Peace Corps volunteers: 1 UW-Madison grads who have served around the world since the agency’s founding: 3,369 Kate Vieira served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Latvia from 1999-2001.

Wisconsinites who have served: 6,425 Wisconsinites currently serving:

SNAPSHOT

Lessons in humility BY CATHERINE CAPELLARO

PHOTO BY AMY STOCKLEIN

In 1997, when Mark Lydon arrived for his post in the highlands of Tanzania, paved roads, power lines, running water and cell phones were still on the horizon. “By night, I’d hear the howling of hyenas and in the morning I’d watch the ancient migration of nomadic goat herders,” Lydon tells the lively audience at the sixth annual Peace Corps story slam, March 4 at the Rigby. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers — or RPCVs, as they call themselves — are out in force enjoying a boisterous night of reminiscing about their experiences of serving abroad. Not all the stories — on the theme “The Tipping Point” — are polished, but many provide important insights into the nature of serving abroad with the 59-year-old agency. Some induce goosebumps. Lydon was hired to teach chemistry and physics, but found himself negotiating with an NGO to place a well near the school. His story reveals the fraught nature of well-intended service projects: “This was Peace Corps gold. Who doesn’t love that neocolonialist image of the benevolent Peace Corps volunteer standing alongside their clean, uniformed students in front of a shiny new well?”

MARCH 12–18, 2020 I STHMUS.COM 4

■

An elder urinated in the place where the well was begun, and Lydon soon realized the villagers didn’t want it. But the environmental club he started planted trees that are thriving today. “I have no idea if the coefficients or the noble gases were ever useful information for anybody. I have no idea if the school ever got water,” says Lydon. “But 21 years later, there’s now a small forest surrounding the school that was not there in 1997.” Another tree tale comes from Manuel Colón, a Peace Corps staffer visiting from Chicago. He was proud of leading an effort to plant a field full of native trees in Paraguay. But a week after a photo op with visiting dignitaries and representatives of the World Wildlife Fund, he revisited the site. “I walked up to the park and every tree that we planted was no longer there. They were just dirt holes, they’d been plucked up,” says Colón. He learned only then that his crew had planted the trees in the local soccer field. “I could not believe that I let the glitz and glamour get in the way of seeing how the community used that space,” says Colón. “They practiced soccer there; they did not need 30 native Paraguayan trees there.” Colón spent

the rest of his service going house to house to involve the community in creating a management plan for a new national park. Colón’s story ends with a plug for serving. “For those who are here and considering Peace Corps or reflecting on their own service, remember that the real investment that we make in Peace Corps is on that person level, one handshake, one friendship, one conversation at a time.” Clare Boulanger, a former professor, was overconfident before arriving in China to teach English in 2014. Then she was overwhelmed, facing weekly gatherings of more than 150 students. By the end, her students wrote her a heartwarming poem, which she put on her refrigerator for the rest of the time. “The Peace Corps just recently cancelled the China mission,” says Boulanger. “They did so before COVID-19, and this is appalling because we were making good impressions, we were making friends, and as anyone in the Peace Corps should be doing, we were making peace.” During intermission, a member of the audience, Tom Rutherford, introduces himself with an elbow bump. He is a professor of agricultural economics at UW-Madison

who recalls his time in Nepal in the late 1970s. “I love this. This event is wonderful, it’s my third time,” he says. He and his brother, both graduates of Madison East, were the first two brothers to serve simultaneously in the same program. “We had grown up building treehouses and gocarts together. So when we went to Nepal, we were really into building bridges. The whole experience was fantastic.” The evening’s most poetic story comes from Kate Vieira, who recounts a magical night of feasting and drinking during the summer solstice in Latvia. “We rouged lipstick onto our cheeks, put on our flower wreaths and gathered with about 10 other people around a long table spread with pork-fat pierogi,” she says. “The birch trees trembled, the pork fat filled a primal hunger. I began to feel woozy and stepped outside to get some air. Soon I heard the echoes of other families doing what one does on Līgo, which is to sway. I swayed. The moon was milk. I could drink it, and the stars began to splash across the sky. The night fell and the day dawned in one miraculous instant. And then summer solstice was over.” ■

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POLICY & POLITICS with DAVID BROOKS of The New York Times

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7 p.m.

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NEWS

Can Madison spare officers for the DNC? The police department has complained for years about chronic staff shortages BY DYLAN BROGAN

Fed up that his pleas for more police officers were being ignored, Madison police chief Mike Koval abruptly resigned on Sept. 30, 2019. “Rather than go through the literal process of torture and seeing us not get the cops we need — this seemed like the time to pull that scab and to pull it now,” Koval told Isthmus the day after he officially resigned. The department, in fact, has complained for years about a staff shortage and what it means for public safety. Koval, last fall, said the department was 31 officers short of “appropriate staffing levels.” “[Officers] are asking when is the cavalry coming? When can they get time off for this emotionally draining job they do day in and day out?” said Koval. “We have literally scaled back all the community policing stuff, all the educational opportunities, traffic enforcement, gang officers, you name it.” Before he resigned, Koval eliminated 12 specialized positions and put those officers back on patrol, starting in 2020. The city council eventually added three more officer positions in the 2020 budget — seven fewer than what the department requested. The new hires, plus the reassignments, still leave the police department 16 officers short of what Koval said is needed. Yet it is likely the police department will be shipping 50 to 100 officers to Milwaukee in July to help staff security efforts at the Democratic National Convention. Assistant Chief Paige Valenta estimates up to 20 percent of the entire police force could be utilized during the four-day political hoopla, plus three days before and after the event.

needed, but estimates it will So how can Madison police be more than 50. Beloit Daily manage sending 100 memChanges in staffing at Madison Police News reported that the Beloit bers of its force to assist with Department, 2019-2020 and Janesville police departsecurity at the Democratic 2019 2020 Change ments, as well as the Rock National Convention? County Sheriff ’s Office, will “That’s a very good quesPatrol 211 223 +12 also be pitching in. tion,” says Mayor Satya Rhodes Milwaukee is seeking a $50 Conway, who did not elaborate. Community Policing Teams 30 24 -6 million federal grant for secuActing Chief Vic Wahl says Neighborhood rity expenses for the convenassisting with the convention tion. The proposed agreement “has no relation to what our Police Officers 10 8 -2 between Madison and Milwaulong-term, permanent authoGang Unit 6 4 -2 kee states that the host city will rized staffing level should be.” foot the bill for unspecified use “We have the capacity to Community Outreach and of Madison police equipment, put forth significant staffing on Resource Education 5 3 -2 and will pay officers’ salaries, occasion throughout the year benefits, transportation expensfor special events...and assign Commissioned Officers 479 483 +4 es, as well as lodging and meals a lot more officers to these for a 10-day period starting July events than will be assisting for SOURCE: MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT 10. It is estimated that Madison the DNC,” Wahl tells Isthmus will be reimbursed $1 million via email. “We could not staff It might appear that 16 new officers were added to the force, but for the effort, but will have to Freakfest every day of the year, 12 were reassigned from specialized positions to a patrol post. absorb $8,000 to $10,000 in but we can staff it once a year.” administrative costs. Wahl says it will place a “short-term ment, referred questions about policing the Rhodes-Conway supports the agreeburden” on the department’s 483 commisconvention to the U.S. Secret Service, the ment authorizing police officers to work the sioned officers, who will have “restricted lead federal agency in charge of providing vacation, working days off/overtime, etc.” security at the convention. The Department convention. She says police staff have been communicating with Milwaukee about conduring the 10-day period. of Homeland Security has designated the vention security needs for several months “The DNC is an event of international convention a “National Special Security significance, with a massive need for secuEvent,” assigned to events that are potential now and she’s been assured “it won’t have an impact” on police duties here at home. rity — well beyond the capacity of the Miltargets for terrorism or criminal activity. “Even though we are headed towards a waukee police department to handle alone,” The Secret Service did not respond to Isthcontract, we still don’t know exactly what writes Wahl. “I see a compelling reason for mus’ request for an interview. [the Milwaukee Police Department] will us to provide the assistance that Milwaukee Around 6,000 local, state and federal need, how many people, and for how long,” has requested…. While we may be assisting law enforcement officers assisted with says Rhodes-Conway. “I have been told that Milwaukee in July, they may be assisting us security at the 2016 Democratic National our needs will come first and that’s part of at some point in the future.” Convention in Philadelphia. Dane County the contract.” Sheriff Dave Mahoney confirms his office The city’s Finance Committee and PubSgt. Sheronda Grant, the public information has also received requests for help. He lic Safety Review Committee weighed in on officer for the Milwaukee Police Departdoesn’t know the exact number of deputies

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Unseasonably warm weather drives bats batty They’re coming out of hibernation early and can’t find enough food BY MIKE IVEY

The recent streak of unseasonably warm weather pleases many humans but it’s causing problems for the already-stressed Wisconsin bat population. Spring-like temperatures are bringing hundreds of common large brown bats out of hibernation but once awake, the flying mammals are not yet finding an ample supply of bugs to eat. This can leave bats too weak to move or otherwise return to their roosts until food supplies improve, wildlife experts say. The normal high temperature this time of year ranges from 26 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service, but Madison reached 62 degrees on March 8. As a result, bats in various stages of distress are turning up in yards, parks and driveways in the Madison area. Some are attached to outside walls; others are tucked into corners of windows seeking shelter. “Whenever we get these big temperature fluctuations, bats start showing up and we’re seeing a lot of them right now,” says Paige Pederson, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist with the Dane County Humane Society. The Dane County Humane Society, a nonprofit which serves a 12-county region in southwest Wisconsin, has been fielding calls from the public and accepting bats brought into the center. About 90 percent of the animals are large brown bats, the most common of the four kinds of nonmigrating cave bats native to the state. Pederson says bats who have been hibernating in attics or basements can get fooled when the weather warms suddenly.

Knock One Out of the Park!

Most of the bats being found outside are large brown bats, the most common kind of non-migrating cave bats native to Wisconsin.

Once outdoors, bats who can’t find adequate food quickly lose strength. “Any bat you find outside this time of year is going to need some sort of intervention to keep it alive,” she says. Bat populations in Wisconsin are already under pressure from white nose syndrome, a devastating fungal disease first discovered in New York in 2006 that has since spread east and into Canada. It’s considered the biggest threat ever to North American bat populations, leading to 100 percent declines in some species. White nose syndrome has already had a major impact on all four of Wisconsin’s cave bat species: big brown bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared bat and eastern pipistrelle. Bats are a key part of the ecosystem; they disperse seeds and consume many types of pests and insects. They are considered vital in reducing risks of mosquitoborne diseases such as West Nile virus.

If you find a dormant bat be careful not to handle or otherwise injure it, says Lisa Juday, a Dane County animal control officer. Juday suggests trying to scoop the bat into a plastic container with a lid using a small piece of cardboard. “People should exercise a modicum of caution but bats don’t pose any threat to people,” she says. Dane County will respond to bat calls but taking the animal directly to the Humane Society is probably the best way to ensure its survival. Call 608-287-3235 for more information. Rehabilitation specialist Pederson says the good news for bats is that more people are starting to realize their important role in the natural environment and the need to protect them. She says the best thing someone can do is put a bat house on their property. “I’m glad to see more people are realizing how great bats are,” she says. “They need our help.” ■

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the agreement this week. It is expected to receive a final vote from the city council by the end of the month. Brenda Konkel, who chairs the public safety panel, says it does seem strange the police can take on such a large commitment given the department’s complaints about a shortage of officers. “Every budget for the last few years there has been controversy about how many police officers we need,” says Konkel. “How do we avoid a fight over how many cops we need every year? That’s one of the big issues that I think our committee should be tackling and we intend to start doing that.” Konkel says one sticking point is that federal grants pay for specialized officer positions for a few years, but then the city is expected to pick up the tab. “The grants make it very easy for the council to approve because the cost isn’t felt until years later,” says Konkel. “What happens when the grants go away? We never have that discussion.” Ald. Shiva Bidar, also a member of the Public Safety Review Committee, doesn’t think providing 20 percent of the Madison police force to assist with security at the convention is related to the ongoing budget showdowns. “I fail to understand how assisting — in the spirit of mutual aid with the biggest event of the year in our state — can be seen by anybody as anything but the right thing to do,” Bidar writes in an email. Rhodes-Conway agrees Madison needs to be a good neighbor. “This is just what cities do for each other,” says the mayor. “We help each other out when we have unusual needs.” ■

NEWS

Missed opportunity or wise nut stashing? What the impasse over the projected state surplus means for Wisconsinites BY BOB JACOBSON

When the Legislative Fiscal Bureau came out with new state revenue estimates in late January projecting a surplus of more than $800 million over the two-year budget period, the response was somewhat predictable to politically savvy observers. Gov. Tony Evers proposed a plan for the windfall that included a healthy boost in K-12 education funding. The Republicancontrolled state Legislature completely ignored that idea and instead passed a bill featuring a significant income tax cut. Evers wasn’t about to sign a bill that left schools high and dry, and in late February he vetoed the legislation. As a result of the impasse, the additional revenue remains uncommitted. Is that such a terrible thing? The answer depends on one’s priorities. K-12 education advocates are understandably miffed that help is not on the way. Evers’ plan would have steered $122 million to schools, most of it for special education and mental health services. Special education funding in particular is a pain point for Wisconsin districts. A decade-long freeze was fi nally lifted in the current budget, but the state’s share of the burden is still hovering around its record low of 25 percent. “We remain worst in the nation in how we fund special education,” says Heather DuBois Bourenane, executive director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network. “That is not something to be proud of. It’s infuriating that in this moment when the Legislature fi nally had the chance to recover some really critical aids that they know are desperately needed in our schools, they still put politics before what’s best for our kids.” Meanwhile, tax haters are disappointed that the GOP income tax cut did not come to fruition. Unlike most of the tax cuts championed by state Republicans in

recent years, the $224 million trim in the bill vetoed by Evers did not tilt toward higher earners. It would have benefited taxpayers across the income spectrum by increasing the state’s standard deduction. The Fiscal Bureau estimated that the average individual taxpayer would have seen a decrease of $106 in their state tax bill; married joint fi lers would have seen cuts averaging $145. While a certain amount of disappointment and outrage about the impasse was inevitable, it’s not like we’ve flushed a winning lotto ticket down the toilet. That revenue is still expected to flow into the state’s coffers, and some fiscal analysts see a silver lining in all of this. Jason Stein, research director at the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, points out that the budget as it was passed in July would have dipped into reserves by the end of the current biennium. The surplus, assuming it materializes, can fill that gap.

MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

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“We were expecting to finish this current two-year budget with much less in reserves than we started with,” Stein says. “Instead, because of these improved revenue estimates, they should increase a little bit.” While $861 million ($818 million in extra tax revenue, $20 million in other revenue, and $23 million in lower-thanexpected appropriations) sounds like a lot of scratch, it’s a relatively small slice of the full $82 billion biennial budget. “It’s over two years, so it’s not as big as it seems,” says Tamarine Cornelius, research analyst for the nonpartisan Wisconsin Budget Project, an initiative of Kids Forward. “It’s actually a fairly small fi ne-tuning when you think of the big picture of how much money the state is bringing in.” Cornelius also points out that the surplus is just a prediction, not cash in hand. The economy could tank next month due to, say, a viral pandemic, vaporizing the surplus by the time the next estimate comes out. “Forecasting is not an exact science,” Cornelius says. Revenue forecasting and adjusting takes place regularly over the course of the budget cycle. Stein says the Fiscal Bureau typically revises revenue projections at specific strategic times of year: in January, when December holiday sales can be factored in; and in May, when information from April tax fi lings and payments can be considered. “They did an estimate in January 2019, then revised it in May 2019, and those were the numbers used to put together the budget that was passed in July,” Stein says. “We’ve gotten two updates since then — one in October

when the state put out its annual fiscal report based on the budget’s cash accounting, and then the January 2020 revision. And all along as we’re getting these updates, the numbers are ticking upward and are coming in better than expected.” According to state law, when there’s a projected surplus, lawmakers are supposed to put half of the additional tax revenue into the “rainy day” fund, designed to protect the state against unexpected revenue shortfalls. Evers’ proposal did that, to the tune of $409 million. In addition to the $122 million for schools, he also proposed using $130 million of the projected surplus for property tax relief. Any remaining additional revenue would go into the state’s general fund. The Legislature, to nobody’s surprise, never considered Evers’ plan, opting instead to come up with its own version. Like Evers’ proposal, the GOP bill put a significant share of the surplus, $285 million, into the rainy day fund. It also used another $100 million to pay down the state’s debt. The rest would have gone toward tax cuts — the broad-based income tax cut and a $45 million property tax cut for manufacturers. Critics of the bill noted that the property tax cut would come on top of an existing tax credit that already enables many manufacturers to pay next to nothing in income taxes. Naturally, education advocates were among those most angered by the bill, especially in light of the fact that state aid to public schools has not yet rebounded from the massive cuts enacted a decade ago, as the Budget Project noted in a January report. So with both proposals out of play, what happens to all that money now? With the Assembly already adjourned and the Senate set to wind up its session in March, probably nothing. Barring the highly unlikely resumption of negotiations and a special legislative session to divvy up the windfall, half of the extra tax revenue will by default be deposited into the rainy day fund. The rest will sit in the general fund and be available when action on the 2021-23 biennial budget commences early next year, putting the state in strong fiscal shape with reserves at higher levels than has historically been the case. But public education boosters find little comfort in that. “Why are we pretending it’s not a rainy day right now?” DuBois Bourenane asks. “When are we going to take that money and put it where it belongs, in the supports our kids deserve?” ■

MADWEEK THU MAR 5

SAT MAR 7

Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the state Capitol in January costs taxpayers more than $43,500, reports The Capital Times. Pence was in Madison to promote “school choice,” which diverts money from public schools to fund private ones.

UW-Madison professor Young Mie Kim finds the Ruskies are at it again! A new report from Kim shows that Kremlin-linked social media accounts — posing as Americans — are posting about the same issues they did in 2016 to divide the electorate: race relations, gun laws and immigration.

Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) retweets a manipulated video of presidential candidate Joe Biden seemingly endorsing the reelection of President Donald Trump. Politifact Wisconsin called the speaker out for spreading deceptive information but Vos still hasn’t deleted the tweet.

TUE MAR 10

In a truly groundbreaking flight, a mysterious paraglider inadvertently lands on a (somewhat) frozen pond in the town of Oregon. The pilot had to be rescued from the icy waters.

WED MAR 11

Wisconsin health officials announce a third person has tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus — the second person infected who lives in Dane County.

President Donald Trump will be back in Wisconsin on March 19 to launch the “Catholics for Trump” coalition. Is this considered a mass gathering?

In response to the coronavirus, state officials advise Wisconsinites to avoid nonessential travel. UW-Madison is canceling “faceto-face” classes March 23 through at least April 10. And the Madison school district is halting all district-related out-of-state travel for students and staff.

NOPE The St. Patrick’s Day parade in Madison is still on for Sunday. Just don’t kiss anyone — including the Irish.

UWBADGERS.COM 1.800.go.badgers

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ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

Sunday, March 29 | 12pm

OPINION

Tax credits for seasonal workers?

FEEDBACK

Foxconn contract may have one heck of a loophole

FOXCONN AERIALS

BY BRUCE MURPHY

Bruce Murphy is editor of UrbanMilwaukee.

MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) thinks the Walker administration included a huge loophole in its contract with Foxconn. The contract’s language, he says, opens the door to the company hiring workers for part of the year — for as little as a few days — and still claim tax credits for every dollar of capital expenditures. Foxconn claims it has incurred $350 million in capital costs, mostly for its facilities in Mount Pleasant in Racine County, which would be eligible for a 15 percent tax credit. That means the company would collect $52.5 million from Wisconsin taxpayers while barely employing anyone. How is that possible? The contract awards two kinds of credits. Employment tax credits are earned on a monthly basis for actual job hours worked. But the contract also awards tax credits for capital expenditures as long as the company has hired the required number of employees, including “partial-year employees,” by Dec. 31 of the previous year. The language allowing partial-year employees is used repeatedly, in three different paragraphs of the contract. There are suspicions this is what Foxconn plans to do. In mid-December the company told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it would have more than the contract’s required 520 employees hired for the 2019 year. And nine days after Lee’s prediction, Foxconn Aerials, the Twitter account that takes overhead photos of Foxconn’s Mount Pleasant campus, tweeted a photo showing the parking lot for its little-used multipurpose facility filled with cars. “Have

KEITH FURMAN

Water management

never seen many cars at the multipurpose building since it was built more than a year ago. Until 12/21 when the lot was overflowing,” the tweet noted. If these were employees hired in time to meet the Dec. 31 deadline, there is nothing to stop Foxconn from laying them off any time in 2020, say as soon as it gets the $52.5 million tax credit. “The plain language of the contract says if they are full-time employees for part of the year, they count for the capital investment tax credits,” says Milwaukee attorney Matt Flynn, who reviewed the contract at my request. “Then they can yank the workers in the spring or summer or any time.” Flynn ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 as an opponent of the Foxconn deal. But Hintz, who is a member of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which oversees the contract, has made his own inquiries about the contract, and is convinced it allows seasonal employment to count for the tax credit. “Clearly this is a loophole,” he charges. “I would like us to take this issue up at the board.” I contacted WEDC and was told by spokesperson David Callender that this interpretation of the contract was incorrect. In reply, I quoted from the relevant sections of the contract regarding partialyear employees and Callender then offered a quite different response. “As a practice, WEDC does not provide guidance on how a contract will be interpreted or respond to hypothetical scenarios,” he wrote. “If and when Foxconn applies for tax credits we will follow our standard, rigorous process to verify jobs and capital expenditures.” I contacted Republican legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, and media representatives for Foxconn, again quoting that contract language and

asking for comment. No response from any of them. As questions about the Foxconn deal have continued to come up, former Gov. Scott Walker has called it an “ironclad contract” and Vos has repeated that phrase. Fitzgerald apparently didn’t get the memo and has used other language to vociferously defend the deal. Back in 2017, when Republican legislators were poised to pass the Foxconn contract, some Democrats warned that the company was known for using robots whenever possible. “One of our fears was the company would ask for all the capital expenditure credits and not create these jobs,” Hintz says. He speculates the language regarding partial-year employees was included because “the company was saying the jobs go up and down depending on the market.” Indeed, the contract early on notes that “there are a variety of factors that impact employment and average wages of full-time employees, including but not limited to… market conditions…” Hintz ridicules the notion that Foxconn is now employing 520 workers. “There is zero chance there are that many people working for the company. I doubt anyone could explain what that many workers are doing now.” Yet Foxconn claims it has hired 520 workers, without saying for how long, and by April 1 must submit its paperwork to WEDC claiming tax credits for the 2019 year. That could raise yet another concern for the administration of Gov. Tony Evers, which has been urging the company for a year to renegotiate the contract. “The project that they have right now is outside the bounds of the contract,” Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan has said. The partial-year employee loophole, by contrast, is contained in the contract, but it’s just as problematic for taxpayers. ■

Re: “Turn Down the Volume!” (3/5/2020): I think it’s important to get behind the changes being proposed to the ordinance that describes management of stormwater in new development and redevelopment and maybe press for further changes in large swaths of impervious parking (like West Towne) that might not see redevelopment anytime soon. The proposal that seems to be moving can be seen at cityofmadison.com/engineering/ StormwaterOrdinanceUpdates.cfm. — Nick Berigan, via Facebook

Multitalented

Re: “Building bridges” (3/5/2020): May Grant is an amazing bridge builder and musician! This community is lucky to have her and her gifts. — Alexander Gee, via Facebook

May Grant

Needed niche

Re: “21st century cafeteria” (3/3/2020): The village of Shorewood Hills (where Lodgic is located) welcomes this new state-of-the-art coworking facility with on-site childcare and Everyday Kitchen, a restaurant and bar. We believe this will fill a needed niche on the near west side, with close proximity to UW Hospital and the UW-Madison campus. — David J. Benforado,village president Correction: In last week’s cover story on the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, it was incorrectly stated that the firm represented The Progressive magazine in a lawsuit. It filed a friend of the court brief in support of a lawsuit brought by Bill Lueders, who is editor of the magazine.

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COVER STORY

We the undercounted Transcending distrust to achieve a complete census BY VICTORIA DAVIS

Baltazar De Anda Santana moved from Guadalajara, Mexico to the U.S. in 2000, making his way to Madison in 2008. He quickly made a mark on his new community, founding, in 2010, the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, which helps hundreds of Latinx students every year obtain their GEDs and train for jobs. That same year, the U.S. government was conducting its census count. Santana did not fill out the survey.

VICTORIA DAVIS

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

Members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church pledge on Feb. 26 to participate in the 2020 census and help spread the word of its importance to friends and family.

“I didn’t have documents, so I didn’t want to take any chances in letting the government know where I was,” says Santana. He also didn’t have a clue about the relevance of the census. “I was never told about its importance or how it benefited me,” he says. “When you are emigrating from Mexico, your first priority is to get a job and make money so you can find a place in this country for yourself. We aren’t worried about community engagement or being counted, especially if we’re undocumented.” But just 10 years later, Santana is in a very different place. In August, after living in the U.S. for almost two decades as an undocumented immigrant, he became a

COVER STORY

Corinda Rainey-Moore (at podium), Rep. Shelia Stubbs (bottom, left) and members of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church kick off census outreach efforts to members of the African American community.

VICTORIA DAVIS PHOTOS

U.S. citizen. He is now part of the city’s Complete Count Committee, a broad coalition working to make sure immigrant communities and other historically undercounted groups are included in the 2020 census, which launches April 1 and runs through July. The stakes are high, as Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway told the committee at a Feb. 17 meeting. “A complete count is vitally important to ensure that Madison receives its fair share of funding to support critical services,” said Rhodes-Conway. “Dozens of federal and state funding streams are allocated based on the results of the census, and these add up to about $2,000 per year, per person.” If Madison’s population were undercounted by just 10 percent, the city would lose $500 million over the next decade. Said Rhodes Conway bluntly: “We can’t afford that.”

MARCH 12–18, 2020 I STHMUS.COM

The United States has

conducted a census every 10 years since 1790. Under federal law, permanent and temporary residents of the U.S., its five territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) as well as the District of Columbia, are required to fill out the census, which consists of a series of questions about age, gender, ethnicity and the number of household members. Data derived from the census determines not just government funding, but representation in Congress. By April 1, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 census; for the first time, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, people can respond to the survey online, by phone or by mail.

Beginning in May, census workers will also begin going door to door to collect information from people who have not responded. Many of these workers will be hampered by the public’s lack of understanding of how the census benefits residents, and the fear and distrust of a governmental entity seeking personal information. The two problems are related; not enough people know that, for example, it’s illegal for the U.S. Census Bureau to make public any personal, identifiable information gained through the census. The questions are confidential and the law makes clear that it can’t be used against any participants. Still, it’s a hard sell to undocumented immigrants who are worried about being discovered, homeless individuals who don’t want the government to know where they sleep and families housing a few too many people in their apartment. The sell is even harder this time around, given the ramped-up rhetoric around immigration and the Trump administration’s push, last summer, to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census. While this motion has been officially rejected, the Census Bureau is still paying for it, in the form of $500 million worth of ads reassuring people that it’s safe to participate in the census. As a member of the Complete Count Committee, Santana is doing what he can to spread the word about the census at the Latino Academy of Workforce Development. With so many immigrant students, Santana doesn’t know how many are undocumented, and he doesn’t ask. Santana respects his students’ right to privacy and their right to make their own decisions. “My job is not to convince students to fill out the form,” says Santana. “My job is to present the information and provide the

right tools so students can make an educated decision about the census for themselves.” Students and staff at the school are also doing some of the outreach. One day in late February, Rocio Barrancas and Rosario Angulo went from room to room at the school, carrying a large poster board reading “Complete Your 2020 Census”; their goal was to teach adult students about the importance of census participation. “I’ve had many friends avoid taking the census, myself included, because we didn’t even know what it was for many years,” says Barrancas, a student. “I’ve already learned so much about why census par-

Peng Her: “You can’t send Caucasians with clipboards and a badge into neighborhoods that are majority Latinx, Hmong or African American and expect the doors to open.”

ticipation is important from giving these presentations with Rosario.” “Our community trusts this academy,” adds Angulo, special projects coordinator at the school. “If they learn more about the census in a language they understand from people they relate to, instead of those in the government, maybe they’ll feel more confident about filling out the forms.”

According to the U.S. Census

Bureau, historically undercounted communities in the census include people who are Hispanic or Latinx, African Americans, Hmong (and those with other Asian heritages) and people who are homeless; children under the age of five are also historically undercounted. According to an Isthmus review of federal census data from 2010, just under 28 percent of Madison’s population lives within at least one of these communities, not including homeless individuals. The barriers to participation for these communities are nuanced. Corinda RaineyMoore, who sits on census committees at the city, county and state levels, says that many African Americans are not inclined to open up about family details. “The census requires you to share personal info and, typically, African Americans are raised to not share personal information with folks outside the home and outside the culture,” says Rainey-Moore, who is the community outreach and engagement manager for Kids Forward, a research and advocacy organization focusing on families and children. “That’s how I was raised, and I’m also someone who never used to fill out the census. It’s a habit that’s ingrained in us.” In 2012, the Census Bureau estimated that two percent of African Americans were

Rocio Barrancas (left), a student at the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, and Rosario Angulo (right), a staffer, visit classrooms to talk about the relevance of the census.

Latinx, Hmong or African American and expect the doors to open.” Ben Zellers, a planner with the city who serves as staff to the Complete Count Committee, concurs. “The census is a bigger issue for communities of color and immigrant families, because there’s been a lot of mistrust of the government and the current political environment doesn’t help that,” says Zellers. “The questions are personal and it creates more questions in people’s minds about whether or not the census is undertaken for political purposes, and whether or not that data will be used against them.”

Gov. Tony Evers tried to direct

$1 million in his last budget to state census outreach efforts, but the Republicancontrolled budget committee failed to act on the funding, effectively killing it. The city of Madison, however, has allocated $150,000 for efforts to get the word out about the census. Some $46,000 has been set aside to print posters and flyers, prepare inserts for city water and property tax bills and for other public relations efforts. The other $102,000 is being distributed to seven community groups who are doing frontline outreach, including Centro Hispano, The Hmong Institute, Rebalanced Life-Wellness Association, Latino Chamber of Commerce, Northside Planning Council, Latino Academy of Workforce Development, and Freedom, Inc. “City staff is partnering with local voices, trusted by these communities, to carry out the message about the importance of the census,” says Zellers. “People hearing about the census from those they

L AWD FACEBOOK

Baltazar De Anda Santana, a citizen since August, understands the fear some immigrants have about filling out the census: “I didn’t have documents, so I didn’t want to take any chances in letting the government know where I was.”

know and who are active in their neighborhoods every day and who aren’t from the city, state or federal government makes a big difference for a lot of people.” Santana’s students are not only doing in-school education, but visiting Latinx restaurants and grocery stores in Madison — La Concha, La Rosita Latina Grocery Store and Pancheros — to pass

out Spanish-language census flyers and brochures. Santana says the academy will also have computers available for students and community members to use to fill out the census and provide staff members to help answer any questions participants might have. “I think it’s important to be a leader in the community, but what’s most impor-

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

undercounted during the 2010 Census, and more than 10 in every 100 black men were undercounted. When adults are not counted, neither are children, points out RaineyMoore. In the 2010 Census, children under five were missed by the millions, according to Becky Schigiel, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau. “You can’t focus on kids 0-5 without focusing on their parents, because that’s who’s going to be filling out the forms,” says Rainey-Moore. “It’s why we’re working with African American churches like Mount Zion, because many of those parents are members of the congregation. A lot of African Americans tend to listen to their faith leaders and support any initiative the pastor takes on.” Peng Her, associate director of the Hmong Institute, an organization focused on preserving and promoting Hmong heritage, also describes a reticence in his community around the census that is primarily cultural. “Our people saved the lives of many U.S. soldiers and yet there were very few Americans who knew about our community,” says Her, noting how many Hmong were abandoned by the U.S. government after assisting American troops in the Vietnam War. “In fact, those who were fortunate enough to make it to the U.S. after fleeing Vietnam faced a lot of the same adversity Syrian refugees face today. Combine that with the 2001 Patriot Act that labeled us as terrorists, and it has had a profound impact on how we view authority.” That is why, says Her, people of color have to be involved in educating people within their own communities. “You can’t send Caucasians with clipboards and a badge into neighborhoods that are majority

COVER STORY

tant is to be able to talk to your friend, who you’ve known for so long,” adds Brenda Gonzales, a member of the South Madison Partnership and city Census Committee who is also helping do outreach to the Latinx community. “That’s how they know you’re bringing them true, concrete information with no other gain than making sure they have the representation they need.” The paper and online versions of the census have a Spanish and English option, and those who wish to take the census over the phone can choose from 12 languages, ranging from Korean to Tagalog. But Hmong is not an option. “It sends this message that it doesn’t really matter if we fill out the census,” says Her. But the Hmong institute, partnering with other Hmong community members like Sheesenpooyw Moua at Freedom Inc, are making efforts to ensure as many Hmong are counted this year as possible. Their biggest outreach event so far has been at the Hmong New Year celebration, where Complete Count Committee members handed out flyers and brochures while Freedom Inc staffed a The city’s Ben Zellers: “The extent to census information booth. While the city which we are partnering with community is not able to provide direct translation groups...this year is at a new level.” assistance for Hmong or other languages, Zellers says it has tried to spread the word “To reach marginalized communities, through Hmong-language handouts. you need to go where people are,” says “We want to explain that the people who Stubbs, “and a lot of us are attending concome to knock on doors aren’t from law engregation on Sundays or Wednesdays.” forcement, they’re not there to take you away or check your legal status,” says Her. “They’re there to help you get representation.” Zellers says the city’s outreach Meanwhile, the African American Coun- for the upcoming census is unprecedented. cil of Churches, 100 Black Men of Madison, “While we certainly had outreach back in The Foundation for Black Women’s Well2010, the extent to which we are partnering ness, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County with community groups and nonprofits this and Urban League of Greater Madison are year is at a new level,” he says. just a few of the African American-focused In the upcoming weeks, members of community organizations that have partthe Census Committee will make appearnered with the city to rally their communiances at an event hosted by La Movida ties to participate in the 2020 census. Radio, women’s health sessions at the Black The Urban League of Greater Madison Women’s Wellness Center and Madison’s is hosting Census Bureau job recruitment Latino Fair. events at their offices every Tuesday and Committee members are even hoping Thursday, and publishing information to stir up some excitement with swag — about the census in UMOJA, the local 2020 census water bottles and backpacks, monthly magazine that focuses on news and buttons reading “I Count” in Spanish about the black community. and Hmong. “There are a lot of services from There will also be opportunities for childcare to foodshare that we have here first-time census participants to learn about at Urban League,” says Ruben Anthony, its the census and get help filling out the forms president and CEO and a member of the at Madison libraries around the city, and at Dane County Complete Count Committee. senior and community centers. These spaces “An undercount would be detrimental to are meant to benefit people who are homeless those programs.” as well as undercounted minority groups. Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison), who is “People don’t trust ‘the system,’” says married to Pastor Bishop Godfrey Stubbs, Rainey-Moore, “particularly in this climate. is working with Reverend Marcus Allen, the And that’s why we as community mempresident of the African American Counbers, who already have the people’s trust, cil of Churches, to ask pastors to speak to have a responsibility to listen to why these Shop online at: SHOP.FOODFIGHTINC.COM their congregations about the importance communities don’t want to participate and of census participation and create Offer census try to them they’re at so they also available at meet all of our 20 where restaurant locations! ambassadors for ministry communities. aren’t, once again, undercounted.” n

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Unsettling debut

Kate Elizabeth Russell experiences the thrills and perils of My Dark Vanessa

MARCH 12–18, 2020 I STHMUS.COM

ne month after announcing a seven-figure deal with HarperCollins imprint William Morrow for her debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, author Kate Elizabeth Russell moved to Madison. That was January 2019. Today, from her home on Williamson Street — where she lives with her husband, who holds a postdoctoral position at UW-Madison — the 35-year-old is navigating the thrills and perils that come with being hailed as Entertainment Weekly’s “Breakout Author to Watch in 2020” and receiving radiant blurbs from the likes of Stephen King and Gillian Flynn. Oprah even picked My Dark Vanessa as a selection for her book club but backpedaled abruptly on March 5 after controversy erupted (more on that soon).

BY MICHAEL POPKE

■

PHOTO BY ELENA SEIBERT

My Dark Vanessa, published March 10, is the heartbreaking and maddening story of Vanessa Wye, a hungry-for-adulthood 15-year-old attending a private boarding school in Maine who is manipulated into a sexual relationship with Jacob Strane, her charming and conniving 42-year-old English teacher. “I worked on this book for a really long time without any promise of it ever being published,” Russell says of the story she began writing when she was 16. “So I really didn’t have high expectations in terms of it finding readership or even a place within the publishing industry. But since the book sold, I have heard over and over again from my publication team that the book was going to start conversations and potentially be controversial.”

Her team was right. On Jan. 19, Wendy C. Ortiz, the Latinx author of Excavation — the 2014 memoir of Ortiz’s affair with a teacher 15 years her senior— tweeted about the pending release of “a white woman’s book of fiction that sounds very much like Excavation.” Without specifically mentioning My Dark Vanessa, she sparked an online firestorm similar to the one surrounding Oprah-endorsed American Dirt, another highly-anticipated novel written by a white female, about the Mexican migrant experience. At the time, Russell admitted reading Excavation but denied any insinuations of plagiarism, stressing “that stories of abuse often share similar elements, and that her book could be

compared to any number of works involving the same subject matter,” according to Vulture.com. Although Russell says My Dark Vanessa was inspired by her relationships with older men, an author’s note at the beginning of the book emphasizes that “this is not my personal story nor that of my teachers or of anyone I know.” In a statement posted on her own website, Russell wrote that “Sexual abuse is a complicated subject that has a history of being silenced, misunderstood and oversimplified. I believe novels can help create space for readers to unpack and talk about sensitive or difficult topics. My greatest wish is that My Dark Vanessa will continued on page 20

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18, 2020

BOOKS

Debut novel derailed by coronavirus Author of The Lacquered Talisman waits for the presses to restart BY KAT GARCIA

Laurie Dennis spent years researching and writing her first novel, a work of historical fiction about the founder of the Ming Dynasty. The plan was for The Lacquered Talisman: A Novel of 14th Century China to be available on Feb. 1, an auspicious day during the Chinese lunar new year celebrations. But the fast-spreading coronavirus has derailed the printing and release of her book, which is being published by the Hong Kong-based Earnshaw Books. “The printing presses completely shut down for about a month. Everything closed,” says Dennis, associate director of the Wisconsin China Initiative and assistant director of the Center for East Asian Studies at UW-Madison. “When they came back, reopening the press was just one step. There were still a lot of workers who had gone home for the holidays and were stuck there.” Dennis says the publisher told her that even if the presses start, worker shortages mean the book will not be printed “in the foreseeable future.” But they are hoping to print a limited run for book events in March. The Lacquered Talisman is now available in e-book format. The Lacquered Talisman is a timely story of strength and resilience in the face of war, famine and disease. It follows the childhood of the future emperor and founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. It is based on the first 53 lines of his imperial tomb tablet. The Emperor, known as Fortune during his childhood, was born into a large peasant

Kate Russell continued from 18

MARCH 12–18, 2020 I STHMUS.COM

spark conversation about the complexity of coercion, trauma and victimhood, because while these stories can feel all too familiar, victims are not a monolith and there is no universal experience of sexual violence.” Although the Excavation controversy appears to have simmered down, Russell has left Twitter, saying that “it got to the point where I really felt like my presence wasn’t going to be beneficial for anyone.” Still, the irony of the entire situation does not escape her. “Many of those bigger questions [people were asking] — such as whose stories get heard, whose stories get believed, and whether or not someone who experienced sexual abuse is obligated to come forward — are all themes I worked with pretty intensely in the book,” she says. “So the conversation that erupted fed into the book 20 in a really interesting way.”

family in modern day Fengyang, Anhui Province. He loses the majority of his family to the plague that ravaged China during the 1300s. His last surviving brother, diminished by grief, leaves young Fortune to fend for himself. Orphaned at 16, Fortune is driven to survive by the sheer force of duty to family. He becomes a monk and joins a Buddhist where he obtains a spirit tablet that allows him to offer prayers and continue to honor the spirits of his family. He eventually becomes a soldier in the Red Turban rebellion that brings down the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. His experiences, particularly during his years as a wandering monk, are about self-discovery as he tries to figure out who he was meant to be.

“The question going through my mind was what makes a person with this kind of background envision himself as a contender for leading their world?” says Dennis. “And to get that answer, I wanted to understand what kind of family he had.” The Lacquered Talisman makes palpable the pain and fear of impending loss. This loss proved to be metamorphic for China during Zhu Yuanzhang’s lifetime. Dennis believes this is important to think about

There’s no denying the similarities between Vanessa Wye and Kate Elizabeth Russell, who grew up in Maine and attended a private day school. Russell’s father works at WKIT, the rock radio station in Bangor, Maine, owned by Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha. Although King’s blurb about My Dark Vanessa (“A well-constructed package of dynamite”) will help sell books, Russell says she sent 66 queries to agents before she was offered representation. “I had no experience with the publishing industry whatsoever,” says Russell, who earned a doctorate in creative writing from the University of Kansas and a master of fine arts degree from Indiana University. My Dark Vanessa takes place across a timeline that alternates between 2000 (at the Browick School in Norumbega, Maine, where

the toxic relationship between Vanessa and Strane evolves) and 2017 (at the cusp of the #metoo movement, when one of Strane’s other victims takes her story public). “It was really surreal, because it felt like what I was writing was sort of playing out in the real world,” Russell says about the #metoo movement, which gained momentum as My Dark Vanessa neared completion. “I wasn’t really sure how to handle that. My first instinct was just to keep my head down and keep writing and not really pay attention to #metoo at all. But it got to the point where I realized that if my book were to be published, it would be read in the context of this movement, no matter what. And so I went into that presentday plotline and made the decision to address the movement head on. It felt like kind

now as the world grapples with the implications of a pandemic. When the plague ended, says Dennis, “it didn’t end problems for [Zhu Yuanzhang]. He had lost his whole family and spent the next few decades trying to figure out how to deal with that. I think it’s important to remember that as China comes out of all this, it’s going to be decades of adjusting to the implications of what they’ve been through.” The Lacquered Talisman was a family project. “My son did the cover,” says Dennis. “My husband is a Ming history professor at UW-Madison and did the map, and my friend from high school took the author picture.” Dennis is currently working on a follow-up book as she awaits the printing of her first novel. “It’s hard to even complain about my book being published. It’s such a small part of this global mess,” says Dennis. “I just figure once my book is in stock, it’s a sign to me that life is starting to return to normal in China.” n

of a risk, but at the same time it felt like the right thing to do.” The book is a deeply uncomfortable-butcan’t-turn-away read that even now throws Russell off balance. “It was, at times, really difficult to write certain scenes, especially the scenes that are explicitly abusive,” she says. “Now, when I pick up the book and reread certain scenes, I’ll be surprised by how manipulative Strane is.” Russell is in the early stages of writing a second book, about an artist who is uncomfortable with attaining a high level of success, which is another subject she relates to. Yet her prime focus will be on My Dark Vanessa for the foreseeable future. “It’s still pretty remarkable to me that it is possible to devote your life to a creative project and then have it be received with such enthusiasm,” she says. “I’m just trying to be as grateful for that as I possibly can — through the good and the bad.” n Kate Elizabeth Russell will appear at A Room of One’s Own, 315 W. Gorham St., on March 16, at 6 p.m.

STAGE

Comedy of fertility

Expecting Isabel examines the pitfalls of trying to become parents BY GWENDOLYN RICE

A lot of comedies include a scene where an enormously pregnant woman and her partner are rushing to the hospital so she can give birth. There are far fewer stories about infertility and the complicated journey many couples embark on to conceive or adopt a child of their own. But this is the material playwright Lisa Loomer chose to mine for comic possibilities in Expecting Isabel, onstage at the Bartell Theatre through March 21. Jeanne Leep directs the third show in Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre’s season and finds a strange mix of broad comedy, absurdism and pathos in the story of married 30-somethings Miranda (Katie Augèr) and Nick (Anthony Leonard), who try just about everything to add a baby to their family. The story is told like an uncomfortable stand-up comedy routine, narrated by the couple and illustrated by a very long series of short scenes. For anyone who has experienced infertility, the signposts of the plot will be painfully recognizable. After a reasonable amount of procreation-minded sex with no results, the couple visits a series of doctors. Sperm is collected with the help of

a Hustler magazine. Eggs are analyzed. They try pills and hormone shots, and gynecologists prescribe increasingly invasive techniques. Unsolicited and unhelpful advice about family planning comes from everyone — even strangers. Group therapy sessions are filled with other wannabe parents, each with a horror story more shocking than the last. There are piles of medical bills that insurance does not cover. And there is mounting desperation, despair and debt. Staged in the round in the intimate Evjue Theatre, every scene also involves moving a lot of furniture — the ensemble of six actors creates a series of apartments, coffee shops, workplaces, doctors’ offices, sidewalks and a subway station. Minimal props and distinctive costume pieces, all worn over the top of black base outfits, help the ensemble members morph from one wacky character to another, to keep the story moving. (Costume design by Jessica Podemski.) As Miranda and Nick, Augèr and Leonard do fine as a generic “every couple,” but the specifics in the script that add texture to the characters are largely left unexplored. Miranda’s general unhappiness and her very real prejudices about what

Nick (Anthony Leonard, kind of child she would top) and Miranda accept in her family are (Katie Augèr) do a glossed over. Nick is the post-coital handstand same goofy guy throughto help the sperm find out the play regardless of its way to the egg. the couple’s alarmingly shifting economics and his own sacrifices as they interviews Miranda pursue the baby dream. and Nick as prospecExpecting Isabel is tive adoptive parents. billed as a comedy and Tom Kastle also brings it does get some laughs. levity to many of his Nick’s big Italian famroles, particularly the ily serves up a riotous physician who sees Nick Thanksgiving dinner and Miranda as lab rats, complete with ravioli and the marriage counand endless doting from selor with advice that is the ultimate Momma of shockingly on the nose. a New York goodfellas But the combinagang, played with warmth tion of broad characters and extra olive oil on the based on stereotypes, side by Stacey Garbarski. realistic scenes, dueling JONATHAN RAYMOND POPP Anne Blust is amusing narrators arguing about as Miranda’s alcoholic mother. Kristina who said what, and a lack of honest emoJin is both entertaining and absurd as tional engagement makes it seem like the the pregnant 17-year-old deciding what play is fighting with itself to decide which to do with her baby, playing with locks of genre to inhabit. The story does have a her long blonde hair and taking notes in happy ending, but the overly long trip to a rainbows and kittens journal while she get there is a somewhat bumpy ride. ■

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MARC GL AZER

American Players Theatre veteran Marcus Truschinski (center) plays Captain Hook.

STAGE

Peter Pan grows up Children’s Theater of Madison ditches the stereotypes for an updated show

MARCH 12–18, 2020 I STHMUS.COM

BY JAY RATH

Peter Pan’s Neverland is also the Alwaysland of childhood. Surely we all remember the magic of Tinker Bell and pixie dust, the pirates and the island populated by a scrappy band of girls. Actually, that last part is new. Children’s Theater of Madison features them in the upcoming production of Peter Pan, running March 14-22 in Overture’s Capitol Theater. It’s still the same musical comedy that premiered on Broadway in 1954. It’s just that girls replace Neverland’s Indian tribe. “They’re a group of strong independent females,” says Roseann Sheridan, the company’s artistic director. “They’re sort of longing for a female figure to provide some basic care, and tender loving care.” There still is a princess named Tiger Lily, but she is no longer a member of the “Pickaninny” tribe, and they no longer speak gibberish. Peter and company had a long gestation. Scottish novelist J.M. Barrie introduced the characters in 1902, as part of a longer, more serious book. He revisited them several times, adding material. The first play opened in 1904, in London. The first movie adaptation came in 1924. The Disney feature film arrived in 1953, a year before Mary Martin flew the title role on Broadway. The version Madison will see was created by Minneapolis’ Children’s Theater Company in 2015. “It’s one of the premier companies in the country for young audiences,” says Sheridan. “They worked together with the people who hold the rights to the original material.” The result, says Sheridan, “retains all the integrity of the story, and the principal

characters and the music, but it addresses a very offensive, very stereotypical version of Native Americans.” This is a not uncommon problem. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The ballet’s original Arabian and Chinese dances said a lot more about the views of Imperial Russia in 1892 than they did about the cultures they were supposed to represent. The Nutcracker dances have long since been toned down, but what to do about Barrie’s stereotypes? The key was to look at their reason for existence — their dramatic purpose. “I think the original idea was that there were a group of people who were part of the island that were foreign, and were not familiar to colonialists or to those from British society,” says Sheridan. “They were, I would say, protectors of the island,” says Sheridan. “So instead of them being portrayed as stereotypical Native Americans, we have reconceived them as a strong group of girls who are native to the island or have come there like the [Lost] Boys have come, by accident.” And they bring a bit of a message, too. “The girls have a way of escaping the constraints of Victorian society,” she says. “You don’t get any of that story through the text in the play, but hopefully we’re capturing, in the look and the feel, the way that these girls work together.” Marcus Truschinski, a veteran of American Players Theatre, will play Captain Hook. Peter Pan will be played by 16-year-old Laetitia Hollard, of McFarland. Young Wendy will be played by Maddie Uphoff, a sophomore at West High School and the stepdaughter of Broadway star Karen Olivo. ■

SCREENS

Slow burn

Portrait of a Lady on Fire explores forbidden passion BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN

In Portrait of a Lady on Fire, French filmmaker Céline Sciamma gives the Gothic romance a feminist workout. Set in the late 18th century, the story unfolds primarily in an isolated and windswept estate on the coast of Brittany where mystery lurks and forbidden passions churn. Three women reside in the drafty old mansion. But the film begins with the arrival of Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter whose remembrance of things past forms the basis of the movie. Marianne arrives by sea. The choppy waves rock the boat and eventually toss her painter’s canvases into the sea. Before a word has been spoken, we receive instant insight into Marianne’s character when she dives in, fully clothed, to rescue her “work tools.” After climbing the craggy cliffs that stand between the shore and the estate, she is greeted by the servant Sophie (Luàna Bajrami). The next morning, she meets the countess (Valeria Golina), who has hired Marianne to paint her daughter’s portrait. It is only then that Marianne learns the strange stipulations regarding her work. She is to paint only from memory rather than direct observation. The subject, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), refuses to pose. The countess requests that Marianne pretend to be Héloïse’s daily walking companion and paint her impressions in secret. The canvas is to be a wedding portrait sent

Sparks fly when Héloïse (Adèle Haenel, left) poses for a painting by Marianne (Noémie Merlant).

to a suitor in Milan, and if he likes it, a match will be made. Thus begins Marianne’s observation by subterfuge. Gradually, we learn that Héloïse has recently arrived at her family home from the convent. Her recently deceased sister was to have married the Milanese gentleman before falling fatally and mysteriously on those foreboding cliffs. Héloïse shows no interest in serving as her sister’s replacement. She notices Marianne’s attentive looks while they walk on the beach and

begins to look back. Eventually, she discovers the painting Marianne has been working on in secret, and rebukes the painter for not rendering an honest likeness and instead catering to the demands of the male gaze.

FILM EVENTS

in The Madison Concourse Hotel Space Jam: An evil alien themepark owner (Danny DeVito) tries to kidnap Bugs Bunny (Billy West), who challenges him to a basketball game that includes NBA legends Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. Majestic Theatre, March 12, 7:30 pm. Bone Tomahawk: A sheriff (Kurt Russell) goes on a mission to save some settlers from cannibal cave-dwellers. UW Cinematheque, March 14, 7 pm.

A man is repeatedly blocked from indulging in his fetish; a black comedy from director Luis Buñuel.

Vivre sa vie: UW Cinematheque: Director Jean-Luc Godard presents a dozen episodes in a woman’s life. Chazen Museum of Art, March 15, 2 pm.

Dark Waters: An attorney (Mark Ruffalo) risks everything to expose a cover-up of PFAS drinking water pollution. Warner Park Community Recreation Center, March 12, 6 pm.

Finian’s Rainbow: Irish immigrants bring something special to their new home in the South. Madison Senior Center, March 17, 1 pm.

Pig: A blacklisted director whose career is on the skids is disturbed by apparently not being on a serial killer’s hit list. Union South-Marquee, March 12, 7 pm.

Wisconsin Film Festival Sneak Peek: Trailers for 2020 selections. Ashman Library, March 17, 6 pm; Middleton Library, March 18, 6 pm.

UW CINEMATHEQUE, MARCH 13, 7 PM

DINNER M-Sa 5pm-10pm

MAKE A RESERVATION: 608 294 3031 circmadison.com Complimentary parking provided as available

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz

Marianne starts the painting again as the countess goes away and leaves them alone for five days. During that time, Héloïse poses for Marianne to try to create a portrait that is satisfying to both of them. Gazing at each other, they experience freedom from the demands of the outside world and their looks smolder into desire and romance. In previous films (Water Lillies, Tomboy, Girlhood), Sciamma revealed herself to be a keen observer of women, particularly in regard to tiny physical actions and unspoken words. (The film received the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes.) The sex, which does not occur until the latter part of the film, is relatively chaste in terms of what we see. What the film excels at, however, is the anticipatory desire. It builds slowly, concluding with a stunning sequence that is all breathless remembrance and self-satisfaction — both wordless and impalpable. n

ISTHMUS PICKS

MAR. 12-19, 2020

SEARCH FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS AT ISTHMUS.COM

THU MAR 12

BOOKS

Brandon Taylor: Discussing “Real Life,” new novel, 6 pm, 3/12, A Room of One’s Own. 257-7888.

MUSIC

Laurie Dennis, Amy Meyer, Jeff Meyer: Local authors discuss their work, 7 pm, 3/12, Mystery to Me. 283-9332.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Pinney Library Grand Opening: Ribbon cutting, 11 am, 3/12, 516 Cottage Grove Road, with many events 3/14-15. Schedule: madisonpubliclibrary.org/pinney. 224-7100.

ENVIRONMENT

Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited: “Meicher Madness” fundraiser auction & meeting, 5:30 pm, 3/12, Coliseum Bar. swtu.org.

KIDS & FAMILY

Latinx Family Community Resource Fair: Info on local organizations & kids’ activities (all welcome), 6-8 pm, 3/12, East High School. 204-1624.

Ruth Moody

THU., MARCH 12, STOUGHTON OPERA HOUSE, 7:30 PM

Known best as the heart and soul of folk band The Wailin’ Jennys, Ruth Moody is also a veteran soloist in the studio and on the road. The Australian-born singer-songwriter is based in Winnipeg, Canada, and is a two-time Juno Award winner. Moody’s biggest fans include Mark Knopfler, who can be heard on Moody’s latest solo album. An emotive guitarist and banjo player, her stunning version of Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” will have you hearing the song for the first time.

Yamato Drummers of Japan THU., MARCH 12, UW MEMORIAL UNIONSHANNON HALL, 8 PM

Founded in 1993 by artistic director Masa Ogawa, taiko drumming group Yamato, from Japan’s Nara Prefecture, will be making a stop in Madison while on their 40-venue North American tour. Their new show is titled “Jhonetsu,” meaning “Passion,” and will feature their 16 troupe members banging traditional rhythms on wadaiko drums. Committed to preserving taiko tradition, while also adding some of their own fresh style, the group has performed in 54 countries and for roughly 8 million people.

FRI MAR 13

MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK

Robert Cray Band

TUE., MARCH 17, BARRYMORE THEATRE, 8 PM

Blues guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray has been releasing great records for four decades, even crossing over to the rock world in the ’80s with the classic Strong Persuader (“Smoking Gun”). February’s That’s What I Heard is an often rollicking set focusing on new versions of songs by some of Cray’s own favorites, from well-remembered stars (Bobby Bland, Curtis Mayfield) to unjustly forgotten performers (Don Gardner). Milwaukee roots music legend Paul Cebar opens with a solo set.

Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum: Jason Aldean, Riley Green, Morgan Wallen, Dee Jay Silver, country, 7:30 pm. Bandung: Marilyn Fisher & Paul Hastil, jazz, free, 7 pm. BarleyPop Live: Lunar Moth, Matty Ann & the Vacant, Since When, 9:30 pm. Bos Meadery: Kat & the Hurricane, Gender Confetti, 90sdreamboy, donations, 6:30 pm. Brink Lounge: Aaron Williams & the Hoodoo, blues, free, 8 pm. Brix 340, Waunakee: Open Mic with Finding North, free, 6:45 pm. Buck and Honey’s, Sun Prairie: Robert J, Americana, free, 6 pm. Come Back In: Gin Mill Hollow, free, 6 pm. High Noon Saloon: Ward Davis, Josh Morningstar, 8:30 pm. Madison Club: Charlie Painter Trio, jazz/funk, free, 6 pm. Majestic Theatre: The Racing Pulses, plus jersey reveal for Forward Madison FC, free, 6 pm. Ohio Tavern: Gaines & Wagoner Duo, jazz, free, 7 pm.

MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

Tempest Oyster Bar: Ced Ba’etch’, free, 7 pm.

The Gothsicles + CONFORMCO

THU., MARCH 12, CRUCIBLE, 7 PM

Two industrial dance acts unite for a night of grimy revelry. Former Wisconsinites The Gothsicles play songs from their new two-track EP, drawing from the ‘80s tradition of electronic body music and incorporating disparate genres. CONFORMCO leans into this sound even more so, creating thrashy and harsh tracks like “Supply+Demand.” With Absynthe of Faith, Sweat Boys, DJ Eurotic.

UW Hamel Music Center: UW Wind Ensemble, free, 7:30 pm. The Venue on Winnebago: The Nunnery, Asumaya, 8 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

Wicked

THU., MARCH 12, OVERTURE HALL, 2 & 7:30 PM

The hit Broadway musical turns the world of The Wizard of Oz upside down, providing a backstory that explains how misunderstood the Wicked Witch of the West (the bookish and brave Elphaba) has been all this time. Meet Glinda the Good Witch when she was just a beautiful blonde sharing a dorm room with the weird new girl with green skin, her unlikely best friend. The tuneful score includes “Defying

Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good.” ALSO: Friday (8 pm), Saturday (2 & 8 pm), Sunday (1 & 6:30 pm) and Tuesday-Wednesday (7:30 pm). Through March 29.

When the Music Stops: The Anita O’Day Story

Blake Thomas & Josh Harty

FRI., MARCH 13, NORTH ST. CABARET, 8 PM

Singer-songwriters Thomas and Harty were often spotted together on east-side stages in the oughts, their freewheeling collaborative shows always the highlight of a night out. With Thomas now based in Minnesota (where he co-founded the live theater podcast Take It With You), chances to see the duo work their magic are rare these days, so don’t miss this warm-up date ahead of an upcoming tour behind the European release of the 2014 album The Attic Session. With Wagoner & Gaines.

THU., MARCH 12, CAFE CODA , 7 PM

Four Seasons Theatre invites you to a hot evening of jazz in a cool little club, as you learn about the tumultuous career of Anita O’Day via Erica Berman’s play. A celebrated vocalist for decades as a solo act and a singer with big bands, O’Day also battled drug and alcohol addiction for much of her life. The magnificent Sarah Streich performs O’Day’s hits from her Verve recordings of the 1950s backed by a jazz trio. ALSO: Friday, March 13, 7 pm. The Children’s Hour: Madison Theatre Guild: A student’s lie disrupts a school, 7:30 pm on 3/12-13 and 2 pm, 3/14, Bartell Theatre. $20. 661-9696. Expecting Isabel: Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre, 7:30 pm on 3/12-14 & 18-20 and 2 pm, 3/15 & 3/21, Bartell Theatre. $15. 661-9696. See review, page 21. Hark! A Lark!: Theatrical adaptation by John Siewert of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, 8 pm, 3/12-14, Broom Street Theater. 244-8338.

COMEDY

The Sklar Brothers: 8 pm on 3/12 and 8 & 10:30 pm, 3/13-14, Comedy on State. $25-$15. 256-0099. Comedy at the Cabaret: With Stephanie Wolf, Olivia Witt, Shauna Jungdahl, Melody Kate, Sarah Schmidt, Vickie Lynn, Allie Lindsay, Jake Snell, 8 pm, 3/12, North Street Cabaret. $5. 422-5646. Open Mic: 9 pm Thursdays, The Rigby. Free. 442-1112.

Killarney Blarney

FRI., MARCH 13, HARMONY BAR, 9:45 PM

This Madison traditional Irish roots band, founded in 2012, celebrates the release of a new eponymous album and the coming of St. Patrick’s Day. With a strong base of fiddles and bard-like narrative lyrics, Killarney Blarney regales audiences with traditional Irish songs about love, rebels, drinking and even pirates. Alchemy Cafe: Nuggernaut, funk/jazz, free, 10:30 pm. Bandung: DuggHopper, free, 6 pm.

➡

2090 Atwood Ave • (608) 241-8864 • barrymorelive.com

SPECIAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY SHOW

ROBERT CRAY THE

BAND

TUE. MAR. 17

with PAUL CEBAR

8:00PM

Gen. Adm: $35 adv, $40 dos Gold Circle: $60 adv, $65 dos

GAELIC STORM FRI. MAR. 20 8:00PM

Gold Circle incl. Early Entry & Preferred Seating

STEPHANIE MILLER’S

y x e S ral e b i L

Gold Circle incl. Early Entry & Preferred Seating

JOHN STEPHANIE HAL FUGELSANG MILLER SPARKS

TOUR

Including a Live Recording of the Hit Podcast “Stephanie Miller’s Happy Hour”

Tickets $50 VIP $150 (incl. Meet &

Greet after show, early entry with preferred seating. Available by phone and online only)

BruMar Productions presents

SAT. MAR. 21

8:00PM

presents

Gen. Adm: $25 adv, $30 dos Gold Circle: $40 adv, $45 dos

FRI. MAR. 27

Tickets $30 advance, $35 dos Gold Circle: $45 adv, $50 dos

8:00PM

Gold Circle incl. Early Entry & Preferred Seating

STEELDRIVERS THE

Tickets $30 advance, $35 dos Gold Circle: $45 adv, $50 dos Gold Circle incl. Early Entry & Preferred Seating

Tickets $40 adv. Gold Circle: $50 adv.

Gold Circle incl. Early Entry & Preferred Seating

SAT. MAR. 28

8:00PM

FRI. APR. 3 8:00PM

EARTH DAY 2020 50th ANNIVERSARY

presents

$15 adv, $17 dos

THUR. APR. 9 with special guest JAMIE

LIN WILSON

7:30PM

Tickets on sale at Sugar Shack, Star Liquor, MadCity Music, B-Side, Frugal Muse, Strictly Discs, the Barrymore, online at barrymorelive.com or call & charge at (608) 241-8633.

FRI. APR. 10 7:00PM

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

Tickets $30 adv.

A celebration of the beauty of our planet in all of its complexity. A heartwarming and visually stunning selection of 2020 Wild & Scenic shorts, Earth Day is a reminder to pause and appreciate the joy that can be found all around us.

ISTHMUS PICKS

FRI MAR 13 - MON MAR 16

BarleyPop Live: Shellac, Loki’s Folly, 7:30 pm. Sold out. Bowl-A-Vard Lanes: Violet Riot, 9 pm. Brink Lounge: Perfect Harmony Men’s Chorus, “Heroes and Villains,” fundraiser concert, 7 pm. Also: 7 pm, 3/14. Brix 340, Waunakee: The Artesians, free, 7:30 pm. Cargo-East Washington: Severio Mancieri, Fore String, 6:30 pm. Come Back In: Taylor Schereck, free, 6 pm. Common Ground, Middleton: Common Chord, 6:30 pm. Crucible: Without Waves, The Unnecessary Gunpoint Lecture, Cowboy Amazing, Tulip, Ave Imperator, 7 pm. Delaney’s Charcoal Steaks: Inside Pocket, jazz, free, 6 pm. Doundrins, Cottage Grove: Jeanne Marshall Bindley, free, 7 pm. Drumlin Ridge Winery, Waunakee: Chuck Bayuk & Frankie Lee, 3:45 pm. East Side Club: Frank Martin Busch & the Names, 7 pm. Essen Haus: Gary Beal Band, free, 8:30 pm. Also Sat. First Unitarian Society: Noon Musicale, Jess Salek, piano, noon. Fisher King Winery, Verona: Dawg Bones, rock/country, 7 pm. Five Nightclub: Five Star Tease, drag/burlesque by Vivi Valens, Piper Prestigious, Miss Elegance, Ruby DeVour, OD Kimani, Aria Forte, Juniper Fox, Claire Moon, host Mercury Stardust, 9:30 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

The Sound of Music: Edgewood High School Drama musical, 7 pm on 3/13, 2 & 7 pm on 3/14 and 2 pm, 3/15, McKinley Performing Arts Center. $15 ($10 students). edgewoodhs.org.

RECREATION

Canoecopia: Annual canoe/kayak/paddlesport expo, 4-9 pm on 3/13, 9 am-6 pm on 3/14 and 10 am-5 pm, 3/15, Alliant Energy Center. $15/day ($25 pass; free ages 17 & under). canoecopia.com. BikeORama: Bicycle expo, noon-9 pm on 3/13, 8 am-9 pm on 3/14 and 10 am-6 pm on 3/15, Alliant Center-New Holland Pavilions, with stunt riding shows, demos. Free admission. bikeorama.com.

SAT MAR 14

MUSIC

BarleyPop Live: Stealing Seasons, Cleveland Avenue, Common Threads, Schmoolio, MIDSUMMER, 8 pm. Barrymore Theatre: ZZ Ward, Patrick Droney, 8 pm. Bos Meadery: Bone Holler, Shotgun Mary, 7 pm.

High Noon Saloon: Seaside Zoo, Grateful Dead tribute, free, 4:30 pm; Colony House, Tyson Motsenbocker, rock, 9:30 pm.

Bowl-A-Vard Lanes: VO5, disco, 9 pm.

Hody Bar and Grill, Middleton: Landlines, ‘90s, free, 9 pm.

Brix 340, Waunakee: Too Sick Charlie, blues, free, 7:30 pm.

The Icon: DJ Scrump Boogz, 9 pm.

Cafe Coda: Kuzu, jazz, 8 pm.

Knuckle Down Saloon: The Bel Airs, rockin’ R&B, 9 pm.

Cargo Coffee-East Washington: A Known Thief, Katrina Harms & Alex Richetta, free, 6:30 pm.

Liquid: Downlink, 10 pm.

Brink Lounge: Mal-O-Dua, French swing/Hawaiian, free, 8 pm.

Louisianne’s, Etc., Middleton: Johnny Chimes, New Orleans piano, free, 6:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Main St. Music, Brooklyn: Cast in Fire, Squidhammer Metal, 6 pm.

Club Tavern, Middleton: Blues Party, 8 pm.

Majestic: Murder by Death, Amigo the Devil, 8 pm. Sold out.

Crucible: Klack (CD release), Damascus Knives, DJ Eurotic, 9 pm.

Prairie Cafe, Middleton: Gerri DiMaggio Quartet, free, 5:30 pm. Rex’s Innkeeper, Waunakee: Universal Sound, 8:30 pm. The Rigby: DJ Femme Noir, 10 pm. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Middleton: Charlie Painter Trio, 6 pm. Stoughton Opera House: Subdudes, 7:30 pm. The Sylvee: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, 8:30 pm. Robert Lostutter, Wahnes Parotia (detail), 2009.

Bjorn Akerblom, Melanie Sartori Schmidt, Annie Kubena, Tim Togstad, Dennis Hilsenhoff: Tease Art Gallery reception 6-8 pm, 3/13, Quality CBD, 1222 Williamson St. 395-1580.

Tavernakaya: DJ Chamo, free, 10:30 pm Fridays. Thirsty Goat, Fitchburg: Myles Talbott Dyad, free, 8 pm.

Come Back In: Deep Pool, Irish rock. free, 8:30 pm. Communication: Forest Management, Noxroy, Woodman/ Earhart, 7:30 pm. Crystal Corner: Spare Change Trio, Modern Joey, Earthlings, 9:30 pm. Farley’s House of Pianos: Drew Petersen, classical piano, 7:30 pm. Fisher King Winery, Verona: The Lovelys, free, 7 pm. Full Mile Beer Co., Sun Prairie: Better Yeti, free, 7:30 pm. Goodman Community Center-Brassworks: Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, “Beethoven Lives Next Door,” family concert & interactive activities, free, 9 or 10:45 am. Harmony Bar: Starkweather Bay Blues Band, 9:45 pm.

Up North Pub: The Lower 5th, Americana, free, 8 pm.

High Noon: The Kissers, 5 pm; The Kissers, The Currach, 8 pm.

UW Hamel Music Center: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra with Madison Opera Studio performers, 7 pm.

Hody Bar, Middleton: Reloaded, classic rock, free, 9 pm. Hop Garden Tap Room, Paoli: John Duggleby, free, 4 pm.

VFW Post 7591-Cottage Grove Road: Kristi B, 7:30 pm.

Hop Haus Brewing, Verona: Casey & Greg, Celtic, free, 7 pm.

Wil-Mar Center: Two Johns and a Nancy, 7:30 pm.

Majestic Theatre: DJs Nick Nice, Josh B Kuhl, 9 pm.

Yahara Bay Distillers, Fitchburg: Saturday Morning Cartel, 7:15 pm.

Mickey’s Tavern: Hex House, Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Bron Sage, free, 10 pm.

ART EXHIBITS & EVENTS

North of the Bayou: Top Shelf, rock/pop, free, 6 pm. North Street Cabaret: Goran Ivanovic & Fareed Haque, 8 pm. Paoli Schoolhouse: Mike & Jamie McCloskey, folk, free, 6 pm.

MMoCA OPENING • FRIDAY, MARCH 13

The Rigby: Beatles Jam, free, 3 pm.

Reception • 6–9 PM

Toot + Kate’s, Verona: Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets, 7 pm.

Robinia Courtyard: Spades, Colonizer, Rethink, 10 pm. Tricia’s Country Corners, McFarland: Twang Dragons, 8 pm.

Hors d’oeuvres from Fresco, cash bar, and music by members of the Willy Street Chamber Players.

UW Humanities Building-Mills Hall: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts: Opus One & Sinfonietta 11:30 am, Harp Ensemble & Concert Orchestra 1:30 pm, Philharmonia Orchestra & Advanced String Orchestra 4 pm.

Artist Talk • 6:30–7:30 PM MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

Robert Lostutter and Gladys Nilsson in conversation. A Lussier Family Lecture. Seating is limited.

Event is $10 for non-members • Free for members MMoCA Openings are generously supported by:

227 State Street • mmoca.org

Venue on Winnebago: Jon McLaughlin, Striking Matches, 7 pm.

Uncommon Accumulation FRI., MARCH 13, MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 6-9 PM

A generous contribution by Chicago philanthropists Mark and Judy Bednar has given the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art one of the world’s largest collections of works by the Chicago Imagists, a group of groundbreaking modern figurative artists affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1960s-’70s. Artists Robert Lostutter and Gladys Nilsson, two of the remaining living Imagists, will be on hand at the opening reception to participate in a panel discussion led by MMoCA curator Mel Becker Solomon.

Wisco: Sinking Suns, Salvation, Daughters of Saint Crispin, 9 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

Peter Pan

SAT., MARCH 14, OVERTURE- CAPITOL THEATER, 2 & 7 PM

The musical about a boy who would not grow up is back! Children’s Theater of Madison presents J.M. Barrie’s tale of the Darling children flying to Neverland, a magical fairy named Tinkerbell, a scheming pirate named Captain Hook (played by local favorite Marcus Truschinski) and the champion of childhood, Peter Pan. For those troubled by memories of stereotypical Native American characters in the

original, there are updates: Tiger Lily and her friends are now strong, independent girls who band together to protect Neverland. Appropriate for ages 5 and up. ALSO: Sunday, March 15, 3 pm. Through March 22. See story, page 22. DanceScapes â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20: UW-Whitewater faculty & student choreography with guest artist Li Chiao-Ping, 2 pm on 3/14-15 and 7:30 pm on 3/16-17, UW Whitewater Barnett Theatre. $16.50. 262-472-2222. Trinity Academy of Irish Dance: Free performance, 2 pm, 3/14, Middleton Library; 3 pm, 3/14, Fitchburg Library. 877-326-2328.

ART EXHIBITS & EVENTS

Neighborhood Youth Survey: Collected Drawings: Youth works, 3/5-4/3, Communication (reception 10 am-noon, 3/14, with Music Together session for kids 10:30 am). 467-2618.

SPECTATOR SPORTS

NCAA Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hockey Tournament: Quarterfinal match between UW & Clarkson, 2 pm, 3/14, LaBahn Arena. $12. 262-1440. Madison Roller Derby: 6 pm, 3/14, Alliant Energy Center-Coliseum. $14 adv. madisonrollerderby.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Ghana Independence Celebration: Ghana Association of Madison annual event, 7 pm-midnight, 3/14, Radisson, with music, food. $35 adv. ($15 ages under 12). RSVP: ghamanet.com. Cave After Dark: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hooley in the Hollows,â&#x20AC;? 6-9 pm, 3/14, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, with music by Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Darby, Happenstance, SĂşgradh. $40 (21+ only). RSVP: caveofthemounds.com.

Brix Cider, Mount Horeb: The Blarneys, Celtic, free, 3 pm. Cafe Coda: Girma BĂ¨yĂ¨nĂ¨ & AkalĂŠ WubĂŠ, plus screening of documentary on BĂ¨yĂ¨nĂ¨, 6 pm. Cargo Coffee-East Washington: Matt DeBlass, 2 pm. Drumlin Ridge Winery, Waunakee: Nick Matthews, free, 2:45 pm. Hop Garden, Paoli: Eugene Gruber, folk rock, free, 1 pm. Immanuel Lutheran Church: Madison Sacred Harp Singers, 2 pm. North Street Cabaret: Burlesque Brunch: Mama No Shits, Mama Disco, OD Kimani, Foxy Veronica, Chiana Bliss, ApocaLips Episode 3 Winner (RSVP: eventbrite.com/e/62783056813), 11 am or 1 pm. The Red Zone: Seckond Chaynce, 6 pm. Sequoya Library: Christo Ruppenthal & Guy Fiorentini, 2 pm. The Sylvee: Foreigner, classic rock, 8 pm. Triciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Corners, McFarland: Frank James & Jackie Marie, 3 pm Sundays. The Venue on Winnebago: Julian Lage & Dave King, jazz, 8 pm.

SPECIAL EVENTS

St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Parade: Annual procession, 1:30 pm, 3/15, around the Capitol Square. Other events include: Irish flag ceremony, noon, Capitol Rotunda. stpatsmadison.org. 843-0602. St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Festival: Annual Celtic Cultural Center benefit, 3-7 pm, 3/15, Brink Lounge, with Yahara Fiddle club 3 pm, The Currach 3:30 pm, Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance 4:15 pm, Tit for Tat 4:30 pm, West Wind 5 pm, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance 6:30 pm. $5. 221-3389.

Femmes Ferment: Women-led craft beverage makers showcase, 1-4 pm, 3/14, Bos Meadery. $25 ($30 with noon entry). femmesferment.brownpapertickets.com.

RSVP for League of Women Voters of Dane County Centennial Celebration: 5:30-10 pm, 3/28, Park Hotel, with dinner, keynote by former LWV president Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, poetry by Fabu, music by Briana Ware, DJ Clinton Scott. $65. RSVP by 3/19: lwvdanecounty.org. 232-9447.

HEALTH & FITNESS

SPOKEN WORD

Solomon Carter Fuller Memory Screening Day: Annual Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease Research Center event, 8:30 am-2:30 pm, 3/14, Wyndham Garden Hotel, Fitchburg, with brunch, screenings, health fair, speakers. Free. RSVP: adrc.wisc.edu. 232-3400.

KIDS & FAMILY

Kids in the Rotunda: Tom Pease, 9:30 am, 11 am & 1 pm, 3/14, Overture Center-Rotunda Stage. Free. 258-4141. Art Spin: Free projects for all ages inspired by Speaking of Book Arts exhibition, noon-2 pm, 3/14, Chazen Museum of Art. 263-2246.

POLITICS & ACTIVISM

Eken Park Resistance Speak Out: Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin event in opposition to F-35s at Truax, 1-4 pm, 3/14, Bashford United Methodist Church, with speakers, music. safeskiescleanwaterwi.org.

PUBLIC NOTICES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Amateurs takes on God,

Noahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ark, and the Plague. For laughs.â&#x20AC;? THE NEW YORK TIMES

the amateurs BY JORDAN HARRISON

Winter Festival of Poetry: Readings by Nathan J. Reid, Rachel Werner, Angela Voras-Hills, Dave Scheler, Marilyn Taylor, Poetik Ye, 2 pm, 3/15, Common Ground, Middleton. 242-7340.

Directed by JENNIFER UPHOFF GRAY

FUNDRAISERS

Pop Cabaret: Prairie Music & Arts benefit featuring student & faculty musicians, 3-6 pm, 3/15, Venue on Winnebago. $10. 834-9550. RSVP for Art of Note: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras annual scholarship benefit, 6-10 pm, 3/21, Monona Terrace, with music by student ensembles, silent and live auctions, dinner. $125. RSVP by 3/15: wysomusic.org. 263-3320.

MARCH 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; APRIL 5, 2020 OVERTURE CENTER

MON MAR 16

A hilarious and inventive story about a troupe of 14th-century actors performing Bible stories while trying to outrun the Black Plague.

MUSIC

Dark Skies: MidWest Severe Storm Tracking/Response Center seminar, 8 am-4 pm, 3/14, Madison College-Truax Campus, Suite D1620. Free. midwestdarksky.com.

for tickets FORWARDTHEATER.COM or 608.258.4141

SUN MAR 15

MUSIC

2513 Seiferth Road Madison 222-7800

MAMAs Finalists Party

Madisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Craft Beer Oasis â&#x2DC;&#x2026; â&#x2DC;&#x2026; LIVE MUSIC â&#x2DC;&#x2026; â&#x2DC;&#x2026; â&#x2DC;&#x2026; â&#x2DC;&#x2026; THE MALT HOUSE â&#x2DC;&#x2026; â&#x2DC;&#x2026; LIVE MUSIC Be among the first to know who the 2020 MAMA MON., MARCH 16, BRINK LOUNGE, 5 PM

Off The Block Pizza Sale & Fundraiser

SUN., MARCH 15, HIGH NOON SALOON, 6:30 PM

On their newest album, The Revelers continue to enrich their potent blend of Cajun, swamp pop and other styles from their home state of Louisiana. On At The End Of The River, tracks like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pendant je suis loin de toiâ&#x20AC;? (While I am Far from You) showcase that diversity with French lyrics, intense fiddling and a danceable groove.

, Cork n Bottle String Band

The Paulie Show

2609 E. Washington Ave â&#x20AC;˘ Madison SAT. MAR 14 608.204.6258 8 PM HIGH-FLYING GUITAR ACROBATICS www.MaltHouseTavern.com Open M-F; 2pm Sat; Closed Sun MON. MAR4pm 16 The

Material Boys 1st Place â&#x20AC;&#x153;Favorite Bar For Beerâ&#x20AC;? TUE. MAR 17 Onadare 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Isthmus Readers Poll

orval day 100 Barsâ&#x20AC;? , Best Beer

SAT. MAR 21 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

8:30 PM Cork n Bottle String Band Merry Christmas â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 Places to MAR 23 Hottest Jourdan Hines MON. & THE DAPPER Drink Whiskey AroundWHIMSY the U.S.â&#x20AC;?

7:30 PM Bandung: Tom free, 6â&#x20AC;˘pm. NOWeber, COVER Band Cafe Coda: The JB3s, 5 pm Mondays.

Tips Welcomed

2609 E. Washington Ave â&#x20AC;˘ Madison

Come Back In:Open One Human Band,2pm rock/folk, 6 pmSun Mondays. 4pm M-F; Sat;free, Closed

608.204.6258

â&#x17E;Ą

2011, 2013 Draft Magazine

Zagat Blog

NO COVER â&#x20AC;˘ 7:30-9:30 â&#x20AC;˘ Band Tips Welcomed

2609 E. Washington Ave â&#x20AC;˘ Madison Open 4pm M-F; 2pm Sat; Closed Sun

608.204.6258 â&#x20AC;Ś and STILL no TVs!

FRI, MAR 13 â&#x2DC;&#x2026; 8PM

Bel Airs T H E

SAT, MAR 14 â&#x2DC;&#x2026; 9PM

Birddog Blues Band

Mel Ford

Featuring 2609 E. Washington Ave â&#x20AC;˘ Madison Open 4pm M-F; 2pm Sat; Closed Sun

608.204.6258 KnuckleDownSaloon.com

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18, 2020

The Revelers

finalists areDEC at this FRI. 20 party-cum-fundraiser for the PM Madison Area5 Music Awards. Past Blues Performer of the Year Kelsey Miles (pictured), Breakthrough Artist runners-up Kat21 & the Hurricane (who just released a SAT. DEC spicy new EP,8 Libra), and multi-MAMA winners Angela PM Malt House Saturday Night Puerta Band will keep you dancinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and groovinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TUE. DEC. 24 through the night NOONas you browse music-related art by local creators and bid on fabulous silent auction DEC 25 CLOSED items.WED. Upgrade to VIP tickets and score some local musicMON. swag,DEC food and 30 more.

THURSDAYS â&#x2DC;&#x2026; 8:30PM â&#x2DC;&#x2026; FREE

Tateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blues Jam

ISTHMUS PICKS

MON MAR 16 - THU MAR 19

Grace Episcopal Church: Ripon College Chamber Singers, 7:30 pm.

Bandung: Open Mic, free, 7 pm Tuesdays.

Harmony Bar: David Landau, family concert, 5:30 pm Mondays.

Barrymore Theatre: Robert Cray Band, Paul Cebar, blues, 8 pm.

High Noon Saloon: Mars Hall, Mickey Magnum, Railhopper, The Rascal Theory, 6 pm.

Black Bear Inn, Cottage Grove: Open Jam with Josh Becker, 8 pm Tuesdays.

Malt House: Material Boys, roots, free, 7:30 pm.

Buck and Honey’s, Sun Prairie: Happy Feet, 5:30 pm Tuesdays.

Mickey’s: Mal-O-Dua, French swing/Hawaiian, free, 5:30 pm.

The Rigby: Open Mic with Sarah B., free, 5:30 pm.

Cafe Coda: West Wind, Capitol Ceili Band, Lilies of the Midwest, Irish, 7 pm.

North Street Cabaret: Charlie King, Prince Myshkins, 7 pm.

Come Back In: Deep Pool, Irish rock. free, 5 pm.

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro: Ken Wheaton, free, 6 pm.

Up North Pub: Northsoul, bluegrass/folk, free, 7 pm.

THEATER & DANCE

Witches’ Night Off: Cabaret-style show by “Wicked” cast members, 7 pm, 3/16, Bartell Theatre. $50 ($125 VIP) benefits Vivent Health (formerly AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin). 661-9696.

THEATER & DANCE

Troilus and Cressida: Falconbridge Players theatrical workshop/ reading of Geoffrey Chaucer adapted by A.S. Kline, 8 pm, 3/16, Midtown Police Station. Free (readers RSVP: falconbridgeplayers.org).

BOOKS

Kate Elizabeth Russell: Discussing “My Dark Vanessa,” new novel, 6 pm, 3/16, A Room of One’s Own. 257-7888.

ART EXHIBITS & EVENTS

Faces of Railroading: Railroads & the Making of Madison & Dane County: Traveling exhibit, 3/16-4/11, Verona Library. 845-7180.

Louisianne’s, Etc., Middleton: Johnny Chimes, New Orleans piano, free, 6 pm Tuesdays-Wednesdays. Malt House: Onadare, Irish, free, 7:30 pm. Nau-Ti-Gal: Baby Rocket Unplugged, pop/rock, free, 6 pm. Neighborhood House: Bluegrass Jam, 7 pm Tuesdays. North Street Cabaret: New Breed Jazz Jam, 8:30 pm Tuesdays.

Thirsty Goat, Fitchburg: Dave Shaub’s Music Adventure, 4 pm.

Ásgeir

TUE., MARCH 17, MAJESTIC THEATRE, 8 PM

On his newest album, the Icelandic singer-songwriter creates yet another record of note. All over Bury the Moon, tracks like lead single “Youth” weave together a diverse range of instruments — triumphant horns, drummer boy-esque snare, acoustic guitar — under the banner of his stirring and resplendent vocals. With Khushi.

The Venue on Winnebago: Open Mic with Andrew Christensen, free, 7:30 pm Tuesdays.

THEATER & DANCE

Venue on Winnebago: Mideast Salsa, 7:30 pm (lesson 6:30 pm).

THEATER & DANCE

Jaimie Branch Trio

WED., MARCH 18, CAFE CODA , 8 PM

Jaimie Branch’s 2017 LP Fly or Die got rave reviews from jazz critics around the globe, who gushed over her inventive approach to composition and improvisation, and the otherworldly sounds she coaxes from her trumpet. Now the Brooklyn-based musician with deep ties to the Chicago avant-garde scene is back on tour in support of her follow-up effort Fly or Die II: bird dogs of paradise. Like its predecessor, the new album adds a new wrinkle: Branch’s vocals, which carry a fiery political message that infuses a punk sensibility into her cutting-edge jazz.

Trinity Academy of Irish Dance: Free performance & lessons, 6 pm, 3/17, Sun Prairie Library. 877-326-2328.

1855 Saloon and Grill, Cottage Grove: Ken Wheaton, fingerstyle guitar, free, 6 pm Wednesdays.

ARTS NOTICES

Bandung: Louka, 7 pm.

Madison Area Music Awards Voting: Final round, 3/17-4/20. $5 membership fee. themamas.org

Majestic Theatre: Boogie T. Boogie T.rio, SoDown, 9 pm.

Tip Top Tavern: Absolutely Not, Hex House, Caryatids, Woke Up Crying, free, 10 pm.

Full Mile Beer Company, Sun Prairie: Jourdan Hines & the Dapper Whimsy, free, 7 pm. High Noon Saloon: Open Mic with FlowPoetry, free, 7 pm.

Main Street Music, Brooklyn: Andreas Transø, Mark Hutchins, Scott Pedersen, Sheila Shigley, Irish, 6 pm.

Stoughton Opera House: The Steel Wheels, Americana, 7:30 pm.

Essen Haus: O’Darby, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, free, 7 pm.

Harmony Bar: The Currach, Irish, 7 pm.

Harmony Bar: Cork ‘n Bottle String Band, bluegrass, 6 pm.

Ohio Tavern: Charlie Painter Trio, jazz/funk, free, 7 pm.

Crystal Corner Bar: David Hecht & the Who Dat, 9 pm.

The Sylvee: Dermot Kennedy, Syml, 8 pm.

MUSIC

Common Ground, Middleton: Blues Jam, 5:30 pm Tuesdays; Gypsy Jazz Jam, free, 7:30 pm Tuesdays.

Ohio Tavern: Blythe Gamble & the Rollin’ Dice, blues, free, 7 pm.

TUE MAR 17

WED MAR 18

Bos Meadery: Molly Mitchell, donations, 7 pm.

The Amateurs

THU., MARCH 19, OVERTURE-PLAYHOUSE, 7:30 PM

Forward Theater’s final show of the 2019-2020 season is unintentionally relevant. Amidst the current outbreak of the coronavirus, The Amateurs focuses on a troupe of itinerant actors travelling and performing across Europe in the 14th century, trying to escape the plague. The new play by Jordan Harrison (author of a previous FTC production, Marjorie Prime) also draws parallels to the AIDS epidemic, while examining the intersection of creativity, art and crisis. Through April 5. The Foreigner: Stoughton Village Players: An English tourist |pretends to not speak the language during a trip to Georgia, 7:30 pm on 3/19-21, 2 pm on 3/22 and 7:30 pm, 3/26-28, SVP Theater. $15/$13. stoughtonvillageplayers.org. 205-8480.

COMEDY

Cargo Coffee-East Washington: Madison Song Circle Sing-Along, free, 5:45 pm Wednesdays. Common Ground, Middleton: Open Mic, free, 7 pm. High Noon Saloon: The Trouble Notes, world/fusion, 7:30 pm. HotelRED-The Wise: Teddy Davenport, free, 6 pm. Malt House: Don’t Spook the Horse, Americana, free, 7:30 pm. Stoughton Opera House: Ron Artis II & the Truth, 7:30 pm. VFW Post 7591-Cottage Grove Road: Virgil, 6 pm. The Venue on Winnebago: Rebulú, 8 pm.

THU MAR 19

MUSIC

Nicole Byer

THU., MARCH 19, COMEDY ON STATE, 8 & 10:30 PM

MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

As one of the most energetic and raunchily debaucherous women in comedy today, it seems like Nicole Byer is an unstoppable force. Her madcap antics are matched by her wit, which is as quick as some of her relationships. Her wildly successful podcast, Why Won’t You Date Me?, constantly tops Headgum’s charts. All of these shows sold out in minutes, and it’s easy to see why. With Amy Miller. ALSO: FridaySaturday, March 20-21, 8 & 10:30 p.m.

WIAA BOYS STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS March 19-21 | Kohl Center

Tickets $12!

Poliça

THU., MARCH 19, HIGH NOON SALOON, 8 PM

These Minnesota natives have always imaginitively found ways to seamlessly combine genres, and the 2019 album When We Stay Alive is no exception. On the track “Steady” alone, there are shades of folk, synth-pop, R&B and dance music, all rendered to create a singular, cohesive and driving sound. With Wilsen. Bandung: Gerri DiMaggio Trio, jazz, free, 7 pm.

BarleyPop: Shithole, Weeper, Full Shred Ahead, Shoobie, 9:30 pm. Bos Meadery: Gary David & the Enthusiasts, rock, 7 pm. Brink Lounge: Top Shelf Trio, Blue Stone, rock/folk, free, 7 pm. PHOTO BY VIP

Buck and Honey’s, Sun Prairie: David Hecht, 6 pm.

Comedy & Cocktails: Mr. Dave’s Gift fundraiser, 6 pm, 3/19, Brink Lounge, with Monkey Business Institute, silent auction. $40. RSVP: monkeybusinessinstitute.com. 320-1240.

BOOKS

Chris Zantow: Discussing “Building the Brewers: Bud Selig and the Return of Major League Baseball to Milwaukee,” new book, 7 pm, 3/19, Mystery to Me. 283-9332.

SPECTATOR SPORTS

WIAA State High School Boys Basketball Tournament: Sessions 1:35 & 6:35 pm on 3/19; 9:05 am, 1:35 & 6:35 pm on 3/20; 9:30 am (3-point challenge), 11:05 am & 6:35 pm, 3/21, Kohl Center. 715-344-8580.

FOOD & DRINK

Cheese Challenge: 16 head-to-head matchups winnowed by public voting, 3-6 pm on 3/19-20 & 26-27 and noon-5 pm, 3/21-22 & 28-29, Willy Street Co-op East, North & West locations. willystreet.coop.

MADISON ROLLER DERBY

2020 HOME SEASON MADISONROLLERDERBY.ORG

MARCH 14 A PR I L 4 M AY 2 A PR I L 1 7-1 9 U D D E R C H A O S PHOTO: JENNY WASHBURN

TRAVEL TEAM TOURNEY

150 FILMS • 8 DAYS • 5 VENUES Wisconsain’s Own films

Tickets on sale NOW!

The Wisconsin Film Festival is presented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts in collaboration with the Department of Communication Arts. To request accommodations, please contact venue@wifilmfest.org or 608-262-9009.

2020.WIFILMFEST.ORG

ISTHMUS.COM MARCH 12–18, 2020

Full listings for all Festival screenings with complete descriptions and tickets at:

FOOD REVIEW

Basic instinct

Tokyo Sushi has a huge menu, but the simpler rolls are its strength BY NIGEL O’SHEA

The chair with a phone number advertising “chairs for sale” doesn’t look so out of place in front of the repurposed-house-turnedrestaurant that is now home to Tokyo Sushi on Willy Street. It makes it look rather endearingly like there’s a yard sale. The front porch beckons with a warm invitation to come in, doff coat and hat, and make yourself at home. Inside, large white booths and dark wood-paneled walls add to the coziness and privacy. Frames of miniature kabuki masks are hung about and parasols cover the overhead lights. The two-story house has an upstairs that’s still a bit unfinished but has some good seating spots for larger groups. And it’s easy to make oneself at home with drinks, appetizers and a sushi bar at the ready. The five-piece sushi appetizer is a good welcome at a mere $6.50 for chef’s choice nigiri, or fish on rice. I got the blue fin tuna, albacore tuna, salmon, white king salmon and a prawn. The white king had a softer texture of the two salmon, and both kinds of tuna were in buttery confluence with the molded balls of rice. Another appetizer, the yummy garlic broccoli, was a strong follow-up to the sushi. Steamed yet still firm in a puddle of sweet and garlicky sauce, it didn’t last long. Neither did the shumai, steamed bite-sized dumplings made from shrimp and pork wrapped in a wonton. They’re moist, savory and springy, perfect for a salty dip in some soy sauce. The seaweed salad brings crunch and sweet richness from the bright green wakame seaweed. Sprinkled with sesame seeds on a bed of finely sliced cucumber (similar to what you’d find in a sushi roll), this salad is very satisfying, even in small amounts.

MARCH 12–18, 2020 ISTHMUS.COM

119 E Main St. Madison, WI (608) 442-1112

Book Your Events with us! We have three floors and two unique event rooms available. Never any room or rental fees. Contact Chelsey for information Events.rigby@gmail.com Check our website and Facebook events page for more details, plus food and drink specials.

www.therigbypub.com

Tokyo Sushi

1133 WILLIAMSON ST.

608-405-5826; 11 am-2:30 pm and 4-9:30 pm Tues.-Thurs., 11 am-10 pm Fri.-Sat., 11 am-9:30 pm Sun.; $4-$27

KENNY ROSALES

A lunch bento box with Philadelphia roll, salmon teriyaki with steamed veggies, and tempura is satisfying and not too much of a splurge.

The extensive menu can make it difficult to decide among the many rolls, but the Amazon roll on the specials board caught my eye. Tempura shrimp, crab (imitation), avocado and cucumber make up the interior and thin slices of raw tuna are laid atop the roll along with a drizzle of “special sauce” and a sprinkle of tobiko, or flying fish roe. The salty/sweet tobiko sets off the soft, even texture of the tuna, giving it some “pop,” and I’m always a sucker for “special

sauce,” which is usually a blend of some sort of red pepper sauce and mayo. But the basic rolls shine over the more ambitious ones. The salmon skin roll, drizzled with sweet teriyaki, intermingles chewy, crunchy, savory roasted salmon skin with rice to create what’s probably my favorite sushi texture. Honorable mention goes to the vegetable rainbow roll, which surprised me with a piece of stiff pickled burdock amid the carrots, cucumbers and avocado.

The fi rehouse roll is a basic California roll (crab, avocado and cucumber) with layers of lox-style smoked salmon and broiled eel on the outside. There were too few pieces of eel, and the smoked salmon overpowered the flavor of everything else. The crunchy scallop roll utilizes lots of that spicy mayo I’m so in love with. The scallop lends its sweetness but is a bit masked by all the sauce. Crunch comes from tempura crumbs on the exterior. For a place that puts the tempura crunch in so many rolls, the veggie tempura plate was a little disappointing. Instead of the delicate batter encrusting a forest of vegetables, it was a clearcut of potato, sweet potato, one lonely stalk of asparagus and two huge crowns of broccoli. Donburi, yaki udon, soba, hibachi and teriyaki dishes round out the menu. Tokyo Sushi’s lunch bento offers good variety and is not too much of a splurge. In the teriyaki salmon bento, a modest salmon filet is coated in teriyaki and arrives atop a bed of perfectly sautéed vegetables. The pork katsu bento is a crispy medallion of deep-fried pork sliced over a bed of lettuce, served with a light sweet ketchup for dipping. Both are served with miso soup, gyoza, a California roll and rice. While I worry that the menu might be too extensive to be consistent on all fronts, there’s plenty to like. The cozy and casual atmosphere is great for groups and families as well as solo diners or couples who want to belly up to the sushi bar without leaving the neighborhood. ■

EATS EVENTS

Vegan pop-up SUNDAY, MARCH 15

Vendors will be selling vegan food, desserts and products at the Madison Vegan Spring Pop-up Market at Goodman Community Center. Also on hand: advocates for animal welfare and nonprofit groups that run sanctuaries and rescues. It’s a good opportunity to get involved with the flesh-free community. Free but RSVP is requested at tinyurl.com/veganpopup2020. At 149 Waubesa St., 11 am-4 pm.

Cooking with Beer for St. Patrick’s Day MONDAY, MARCH 16

Delta Beer Lab hosts a hands-on class that will walk participants through how to prepare a traditional St. Patrick’s Day feast — with beer! Chef Rachel Hanson teaches how to make corned beef with the brewery’s PTR.01 porter, roasted potatoes and carrots with a beer glaze, and Irish cabbage and bacon in a beer broth. Tickets ($30) for the 90-minute tutorial include the class, a flight of four brews, and a full pint of beer. Space is limited. Participants must sign up in advance at tinyurl. com/deltabeerclass. At 167 E. Badger Road, 6:30-8 pm.

St. Patty’s Day Dome Dinner TUESDAY, MARCH 17

Robinia Courtyard teams up with Door County Brewing Company and Hacienda Beer Company for a St. Patrick’s Day fourcourse meal with five beer pairings. Menu features traditional Irish fare (with a beer twist) including seared blood sausage, shepherd’s pie, corned veal cheeks, and sultana bread pudding. The meal will be served in the restaurant’s outdoor heated domes. Tickets ($35) at tinyurl.com/stpattysdaydomedinner. At 829 E. Washington Ave., 6-8 pm.

BEER

FOOD NEWS

Jacksin Jr. backs off An imperial IPA without the high ABV BY ROBIN SHEPARD

Increasing sales of beers that are lower in alcohol yet still full-flavored has Ale Asylum tweaking some of its most popular seasonals. Jacksin Jr. is a new, lighter version of its imperial IPA Satisfaction Jacksin. Ale Asylum backed off the malt bill and turned to a yeast strain more common to New England hazy pale ales and IPAs. The result is huge hop character with a surprising upfront sweetness. That touch of orange, pineapple and strawberry resembles a juicy New England IPA, but the piney Centennial hops and rich malty background in a second wave of flavor more closely resembles a West Coast IPA. Though the flavors

resemble an imperial IPA, at 6 percent ABV, this is lighter on the palate. It pairs well with a sharp Wisconsin cheddar or entrees with some spiciness and heat; I like it with Thai cuisine. Jacksin Jr. sells for $6/glass and $18/ growler (refill) in the Ale Asylum taproom and around $8-$9 for six-packs of 12-ounce cans that just hit local stores. Ale Asylum is reducing the strength of several of its seasonal beers for 2020 including Hu$h Money IPA, Bedlam! Belgian IPA and Ghosted hazy IPA. While the goal is to maintain flavor in those beers, all will be adjusted to fall between 6 and 6.5 percent ABV. ■

Spent grain goes to the dogs Wisconsin Brewing Company expands its Porter’s Biscuits line BY MICHAEL MUCKIAN

and other ingredients. There is no alcohol or chocolate in the mash, both of which would be bad for dogs, Glowac says. During its first year, Porter’s Biscuits were available only through Mounds’ area stores, with proceeds going to support various Dane County dog parks, including one located near the brewery. Since then, distribution has expanded to some 20 retail outlets, including Hy-Vee, Metcalfe’s Market, UW Provision, the Willy Street Co-op and others. The average retail price is $8.50 for an 8-ounce recyclable plastic beer cup filled with biscuits. The label includes a coupon for a free pint at the brewery. These days proceeds support the brewery’s own dog-friendly efforts, which last year included treating the nine-acre American Way Pond next to the brewery for phosphorus pollution and the resulting blue-green algae blooms that can be deadly for dogs. A $50,000 Urban Water Quality Grant from Dane County to the city of Verona enabled the pond to be treated with aluminum chlorohydrate, which inactivates the phosphorus by converting it to a stable insoluble element, improving water quality. “It’s hard to keep dogs from jumping into a pond on a hot day,” Glowac says. “Dogs and blue-green algae are not a good combination.” The increased safety is good news not only for dogs visiting the brewery with their owners, but also Wisconsin Brewery’s own dog, who is constantly on the premises. His name is Porter and he is, of course, a chocolate lab. ■

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Brewers have been sharing the spent grain left over from the beer-making process with farmers since the Middle Ages. The monk-brewers of Europe fed the grain — high in protein, fiber and essential amino acids — to their own livestock. These days brewers worldwide offer their spent grain, free, to farmers willing to haul it away, saving money and resources by keeping it out of local landfills. Several years ago, Wisconsin Brewing Company added a new twist to the practice when it launched Porter’s Biscuits, natural dog treats produced from the mash used to make the brewery’s Chocolate Lab Porter. According to consultant Wayne Glowac, who manages the Verona brewery’s special projects, the product is the perfect combination of the brewery’s dog-friendly ethos and its commitment to sustainability. “This is how we serve our brewery guests of both the two-legged and fourlegged variety,” says Glowac. “Our taproom has ample beer for the first type, and plenty of clear water and free Porter’s Biscuits for the second.” The biscuit idea was hatched in 2017, and Wisconsin Brewing originally partnered with Mounds Pet Food Warehouse to develop and distribute the product. The biscuits are produced by K9 Kitchen, a Hortonville company run by Cheri and Jeff Riedl, who also run K9 Corps Agility, a dog agility training course. In addition to the brewery’s spent grain, the biscuits are made of spelt and white rye flour, rolled oats, coconut and peanut flour,

EMPHASIS

Flower power

A McFarland company is both a women’s running brand and a motivational force BY TAMIRA MADSEN

In 2011, Mel Charbonneau participated in a half marathon in Green Bay. While training for the run, she got to know a group of women who were also running the event. They would exchange emails about their reasons for running and their doubts about being successful. The discussions struck a chord with Charbonneau. At the 2011 run in Green Bay, the group was given flowers from a craft store to commemorate the event. The flower, as a symbol to encourage women, stuck with Charbonneau. The following year, she launched Fellow Flowers, a women’s running brand that sells greeting cards, prints and women’s running apparel — T-shirts, tank tops and sweatshirts. But Fellow Flowers is also focused on motivating women of all ages and ability levels to run, and feel more confident. The products bear motivational messages penned by Charbonneau. Symbolic flowers to wear in your hair or on your wrist, inspired by that 2011 race, are Fellow Flowers’ signature item. The polyester flowers come in 13 colors, each with a “backstory” meant to inspire. Dark pink, for instance, means “worthy”: “Fierce. Beauty, clarity,

purpose. Standing your ground. Realizing your strength. Owning your power. I am worthy.” “Stories matter,” says Charbonneau, who lives in McFarland. “Women need to get honest about the changes they’re willing to make, so they don’t get stuck or give up.” Charbonneau thinks that women “are so much more alike than we think.” She sees woman-to-woman support as crucial, especially for those starting training. “The way we recognize that is…to share those small wins.” Fellow Flowers is now Charbonneau’s full-time job. Meanwhile, her husband, Jason Charbonneau, learned screen printing and in 2016 launched a McFarland-based print shop, 608 Threads. The shop designs all of Fellow Flowers’ apparel. A woman in Utah handmakes the company’s flowers. Fellow Flowers vends at running events as well as through its website. The website also includes a blog, where Charbonneau shares stories of women overcoming adversity. She also spearheads a variety of running campaigns. She ultimately sees her role with Fellow Flowers as a life coach to women, inspiring them to persevere and helping them to tell their own stories of triumph over obstacles. ■

Mel Charbonneau’s Fellow Flowers is all about inspiration, from cards to its signature flowers.

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been sexually active — but in the past few years, care provider for a referral to an urogynecoloit seems to have gotten worse. If I am being gist,” said Dr. Herbenick, “especially one who penetrated vaginally, especially if it’s vigorous likes to get to the bottom (no pun intended) (which I prefer), and I orgasm, sometimes I poop of challenging cases.” accidentally. If I try to clench up to keep this If this happens to you at other times — if from happening, it doesn’t work and I can’t you poop yourself when you fart or orgasm. This used to happen once in sneeze — be sure to share that ina blue moon, only with particuformation with the specialist. larly intense orgasms, but now “There are lots of tests it happens more frequently. that health-care providers One person I’ve been seecan use to examine her ing really likes anal, and rectal function,” said that makes the problem Dr. Herbenick. “These even worse. To be clear: I tests can include a digital have no desire for poop in rectal exam, a sigmoidmy sex life. It’s gross, it’s oscopy (insertion of a embarrassing, and my parttiny tube with a camera to ners do not enjoy it. Nor do I. look for issues such as inI’ve tried going to the bathroom flammation), an X-ray, an anal before sex, but I can never seem to ultrasound, a colonoscopy, or JOE NEW TON fully empty out. I even went to a doctor to other tests. In other words, there are talk about it, but all I got was a big shrug and no things other than a big and completely useuseful suggestions. I’ve looked online and found less shrug that can be done. And depending discussions of this happening to other people on what they find, they may suggest biofeedand them being understandably horrified, but back, surgery, physical therapy/pelvic-floor nobody mentions it being a regular occurrence. exercises, supplements, and so on.” This really sucks! Do you have any suggestions? But with all that said, doctors aren’t allOther than “give up sex completely,” which I powerful, and some problems can only be would prefer not to do. managed and not solved. Necessary Objective: Soothe Her Intestinal Tract “The fact is, our bodies don’t last forever in the ways we want them to,” said Dr. “I’ve absolutely heard of this before, and Herbenick. “And some research does point as NOSHIT already knows from internet toward more frequent anal intercourse being searches, she’s not alone and needs help,” associated with fecal incontinence.” (Agsaid Dr. Debby Herbenick. “And a ‘big shrug’ ing, childbirth, and hormone-replacement doesn’t sound like a helpful response from a therapy are very strongly associated with physician who you’re asking for help in figurfecal incontinence.) Only a small percenting out a complicated and extremely underage of women who regularly engaged in anal researched and therefore tricky sexual issue.” intercourse reported higher levels of fecal Dr. Herbenick is a professor at the Indiana incontinence, so if this isn’t a problem for University School of Public Health and auyou generally — if this is only a problem thor of Because It Feels Good: A Woman’s Guide during sex due to some tragically star-crossed to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction and numerneural wiring — you might want to steal a ous other books. And what you’re going to move from the squeaky clean gay bottoms need, according to Dr. Herbenick, is a doctor out there. Instead of just “going to the bathwho’s actually prepared to help you. So that room” before sex and hoping you’re empty, awkward conversation you had with your last treat yourself to an anal douche to make sure doctor? A conversation you no doubt dreaded you’re empty. (Alexander Cheves wrote a having? You’re going to have to have that great guide for receptive anal intercourse, “17 conversation again, maybe more than once, Tips for Happier, Healthier Bottoming,” for with other doctors. I know, I know: Talking the Advocate. Google it.) with your doctor about a sexual issue — “But finding a health-care provider who’s particularly a messy one — is difficult. And willing to listen to what’s important to her when we finally work up the nerve to speak in her sex life is the first step,” said Dr. Herwith a doctor about something like this and benick. “A sex-positive health-care provider that doctor isn’t helpful, our understandable — probably a urogynecologist or a proctologist — who’s willing to hear her out can help her figure out some good ways forward. It’s about listening to what quality of life means to her. That seems to include an active, pleaFor more Savage Love surable sex life involving vaginal and/or anal see isthmus.com. Email Dan at sex with orgasm, and without pooping, or at mail@savagelove.net or reach him on least not nearly so often.” Twitter at @fakedansavage. Follow Dr. Herbenick on Twitter @DebbyHerbenick. ■

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