Madison Plays in February
Written by Zhiyun Zhao
Photography by Tori Tiso
The winter in Madison this year has been extremely cold. Hopefully the weather will be better in February so that theatre lovers (like me) can walk to the theatres and see the plays that open this month. Here are my top picks for the month of February:Henry the Fourth Part Two and A Valentine’s Affair 2019Madison Shakespeare Company produced Shakespeare's Henry the Fourth Part One last year, and now the audience in Madison will be able to see Part Two this February. This play opens at Bartell Theatre on February 8th and closes on February 16th. The company will also produce A Valentine’s Affair 2019, which performs six Shakespeare's romantic scenes, from February 12th to February 14th at multiple locations in Madison.Trouble in Mind This production is a collaboration of the Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre, Madison's community theatre company, which promotes women playwrights and directors, and the University of Wisconsin Afro-American Studies Department. Written by Alice Childress, Trouble in Mind discusses racism in theatre. This play runs from February 22nd to March 9th at Bartell Theatre. If you are interested in learning more about female artists in theatre, the Afro-American Studies Department and the Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre also co-host a symposium called “Women Theatre Artists” on February 15th. More details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/391571774750360/permalink/391573498083521/ Tickets for both Trouble in Mind can be purchased here: bartelltheatre.orgInto the Woods University Theatre and University Opera's production of Into the Woods runs from February 21st to February 24th at Wisconsin Union Theatre. The musical rewrites the stories of several famous fairytale characters, including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. The Broadway production won three Tony Awards in 1988, and has been produced multiple times since then. A 2014 film adaptation stars Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. You can get your ticket for UW-Madison's production here: https://union.wisc.edu/index.php/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/into-the-woods/