Mike Leckrone, accompanied by a trio of jazz musicians, will offer an evening of remembrances, anecdotes, trivia, Badger Band stories, and revelations about his 50 years as UW Band Director. Interspersed with his stories will be musical selections that were significant in the development of popular music in the United States. One of the featured segments of the performance will be Leckrone’s transformation of an audience into a simulated big band.
Support provided by the Madison Community Foundation Fund for Theater.
Back after SOLD OUT performances in December 2019 and December 2021!
ALL IS CALM, takes place on the Western Front, Christmas, 1914. A German soldier steps into No Man’s Land singing “Stille Nacht.” Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, and peace. A remarkable true story, told in the words and songs of the men who lived it. Tickets (starting at $20) go on sale in October 2022 and will available at Overture Center Box Office in person, online, or by phone at (608) 258-4141.
Support provided by the Madison Community Foundation Fund for Theater, the Pleasant Rowland Foundation, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation.
Slice into a Community Conversation on Culture, Class, Race, & Cake
Dasha Kelly Hamilton cuts into a cake, revealing what its history and ingredients can teach us about race, class, and equity in America. Experience the live performance by Dasha and her baker, plus a delicious conversation and cake. Tickets on sale in January 2023.
Dasha Kelly Hamilton is a writer, performance artist, and creative change agent, applying the creative process to facilitate dialogues around human and social wellness. She is the author of two novels, three poetry collections, four spoken word albums, and one collection of personal vignettes. She has taught at colleges, conferences, and classrooms and curated fellowships for emerging leaders. An Arts Envoy for the U.S. Embassy, Dasha has facilitated community building initiatives in Botswana, Toronto, Mauritius, and Beirut. Her touring production, Makin’ Cake, uniquely engages communities in a forward dialogue on race, class, and equity. Dasha is a national Rubinger Fellow and, concurrently, Poet Laureate for the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin.
Support provided by the Madison Community Foundation Fund for Theater and the Pleasant Rowland Foundation.
Welcome to Listening with Leckrone, a new podcast produced by Sam Taylor. In each episode, our host, Mike Leckrone, legendary music educator and former director of the University of Wisconsin-Marching Band, will explore moments in popular music history, pairing musical samples with historical context and anecdotes.
In 2020, Four Seasons Theatre celebrated 10 years of bringing musical theatre entertainment out into the community—and sneaking in some education, too. Our community outreach programming brings some of the best local singers into a variety of venues, armed with Broadway music and the stories of the composers, lyricists, playwrights, and artists who create it. Each year our outreach performers visit senior centers, libraries, schools, retirement communities…you name it, we’ve probably schlepped a keyboard there and performed. We bring live musical theatre to those who might not otherwise have a chance to engage with it—and we help our performing artists at the same time, both with financial support and with a chance to work new material into their repertoire.
Learn more about our FST Outreach Programs.
Learn more about FST Beyond the Page Library Programs.