Join LGM Alumni for Virtual Trivia Night

On April 29, LGM alum and friends will have a lively opportunity to connect and show off their smarts during the 2^nd annual Trivia Fundraiser. This year, using a virtual format that has quickly become a favorite way for trivia buffs and novices alike to enjoy the thrill of the game, even more alum will have the chance to connect with their class members or others to form teams to compete in this fully-interactive team trivia experience.

Like in-person versions, the event will include lively music, challenging trivia, friendly competition and an overall fun vibe – all while raising funds for the LGM Scholarship fund that helps ensure anyone who wants to engage in the LGM experience is able to do so. Cost is $10/person, $50/team of 6. Prizes and other special bonuses, including a menu of local carry-out meal kits will be available.

Memorial Union Terrace, Memorial Union and Union South Access Will Expand to All Beginning May 10

April 19, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Wisconsin Union
Phone: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

MEMORIAL UNION TERRACE, MEMORIAL UNION AND UNION SOUTH ACCESS WILL EXPAND TO ALL BEGINNING MAY 10

MADISON – Beginning May 10, all, including Wisconsin Union members, community members, and visitors can visit the Wisconsin Union’s Memorial Union Terrace, Memorial Union and Union South.

The return of the yellow, green and orange sunburst Terrace chairs to the Terrace on April 14 marked the annual start of months of experiences at the Terrace, called Terrace season. 

Terrace season 2021 began with access temporarily limited to current University of Wisconsin-Madison staff, faculty and students due to the Badger Badge Program. This program, in which only UW-Madison students, staff and faculty can participate, requires that UW-Madison students, staff and faculty visiting campus buildings, including Memorial Union, Union South and the Terrace, have Badger Badges with “building access granted status.”

Beginning May 10, all patrons can enjoy Memorial Union’s outdoor and indoor seating as well as seating at Union South on a first come, first served basis. Safety guidelines include wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and not moving tables and chairs from their designated locations.

While visiting Memorial Union or Union South, patrons can order food through Grubhub for pick-up at the counter of a restaurant, market or café or order at a dining option’s counter. Guests can also order food for pick-up through kiosks from der Rathskeller, the Sett, Prairie Fire, or Peet’s Coffee.

The Wisconsin Union team continues to be committed to providing safe, clean facilities for its visitors and team members. In addition to regular, rigorous cleaning of its buildings throughout each day, the Union is providing table self-cleaning stations for Terrace visitors and has increased the frequency of cleaning of shared spaces at both Union South and Memorial Union.

The Wisconsin Union has been a membership organization for more than 100 years. All can join the Wisconsin Union as annual or lifetime members, including those with no UW-Madison affiliation. Lifetime and annual Wisconsin Union members enjoy many benefits, including discounted tickets to Wisconsin Union Theater performances and discounted art experiences with the Union’s art studio Wheelhouse Studios. More information about membership is available at union.wisc.edu/membership.

Patrons can visit TerraceSummer.com to learn more about the 2021 Terrace season experience.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.  

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/access-2021.

Keller, Inc. to Build for Rhodes Bake-N-Serv, Wisconsin Pallet & Storage

Contact: Katie Mangin, Director of Marketing, 920-759-3335

Keller, Inc. has been chosen as the general contractor on a 7,500 square foot building addition project for Rhodes Bake-N-Serv located in Columbus, Wisconsin. Keller has also been chosen as the general contractor on a building addition project for Wisconsin Pallet & Storage located in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Keller, Inc. is an award winning, single-source, design/build general contractor headquartered in Kaukauna, WI, with additional offices in Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau.  As 100% employee-owned, they are leaders in the construction industry specializing in new construction, remodel, retrofit, and reroof projects. They have the staff and expertise to take projects from the early phases of design through the construction process to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

For more information on Keller, Inc., Top Metal Builder in the Nation as reported by “Metal Construction News”, visit www.kellerbuilds.com.

Lift Every Voice: Madison Ballet’s First-Ever Dance Film Series

MADISON, WI –  Madison Ballet is taking ballet beyond the stage to create their first dance film series, Lift Every Voice. This project among invited artists from our community brings three new dance works to life in the form of three short films. Choreographers Rachelle Fochs, Kia Smith and Jacob Ashley are paired respectively with filmmakers Dave Alcorn, Jordan Biagomala and John Urban.  Each choreographer and filmmaker collaborate with Madison Ballet’s dancers to form a new ballet.  The three ballets in Lift Every Voice provide choreographers of color, filmmakers and dancers the opportunity to create, collaborate and share their experiences with one another — forging pathways for those artists who follow.

“This project reflects Madison Ballet’s commitment to dedicating its time, space and resources to bringing important new works by choreographers of color to life through its dancers and the film medium.  Madison Ballet amplifies the shared vision of all those involved in this collaboration,  as it presents Lift Every Voice to our audiences in the Madison community and beyond, and looks forward to continuing this initiative for years to come.”   Sara Stewart Schumann, Artistic Director

Grounded in classical dance, these works only hint at the visions of Sugar Plums most of us think of when we hear the word “ballet.”  The film medium gives the choreographers and dancers a wonderful collaborative tool, allowing them to bring imagination to life in a reality that, until now, could only be dreamed.  These thought-provoking ballets remind us that dance – and the joy it brings – remain essential to our community.  Following the release of the films, Madison Ballet hopes to present in-person “triple bill” viewings of the three films and facilitate conversations about the project’s goals for community growth. 

The films will be released for free viewing on Madison Ballet’s YouTube with the dates as follows: April 15, 2021; April 22, 2021; April 29, 2021.  All films will close for viewing on May 16, 2021. 

Subscribe to Madison Ballet’s YouTube channel and activate notifications to receive an alert when the films are released. 

For nearly 40 years, Madison Ballet has been an integral part of the vibrant Dane County arts community. Full scale productions of inspiring traditional ballets, innovative contemporary performances, and the timeless holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” reach more than 13,000 people each year. The School of Madison Ballet empowers students of all ages and skill levels with the poise, confidence, discipline, and fundamental life skills intrinsic to the study of dance. Outreach programming, presented in partnership with dozens of local school and community groups, enriches thousands of young people’s lives by introducing them to the joy of dance.

Contact: Gretchen Bourg, Managing Director

Phone: (608) 571-7670

Email: gretchen@madisonballet.org

Author Ocean Vuong to Take Attendees on Journey of Self-Discovery During Free, Virtual Reading from His Debut Novel on April 22

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2021

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

AUTHOR OCEAN VUONG TO TAKE ATTENDEES ON JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY DURING FREE, VIRTUAL READING FROM HIS DEBUT NOVEL ON APRIL 22

Vuong to read from ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ and participate in a Q&A at Wisconsin Book Festival event co-hosted by the Wisconsin Union Theater

MADISON – The Wisconsin Union Theater, in partnership with the Madison Public Library’s Wisconsin Book Festival, will host a virtual reading with author Ocean Vuong, who will read from “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” his powerful novel about self-discovery through storytelling, followed by a moderated Q&A with Vuong on April 22 at 7 p.m. CDT.

“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” examines the intersection of complex themes, such as race, class, masculinity and family, and considers how people’s connections with others help construct their own narratives.

Vuong composed the novel as a letter from a son to his mother, who cannot read, a paradox that allows Vuong to explore whether language can transcend time and circumstance to bring two people closer together.

Vuong established his writing career in 2016 with his collection of poems titled “Night Sky With Exit Wounds.” “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is Vuong’s debut novel. He carries his poetic style into his fiction, defying traditional genres to create a final product that blends poetry, prose, essay and letter.

“The vulnerability and honesty portrayed in ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ illuminate Ocean Vuong’s unparalleled talent as an artist and, in a sense, a poetic journalist,” said Wisconsin Union Theater Director Elizabeth Snodgrass. “Vuong embraces the raw emotion of his characters, in their times of beauty and their moments of hardship, in order to paint an intimate portrait of what it means to be human.”

Guests must register to obtain access to this free, virtual reading and Q&A. Patrons can pre-register here to receive a link to this event.

Daniel Sanji, the cultural programming intern at the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Student Center and APIDA Heritage Month chair, will serve as the Q&A moderator. Event organizers are honored to have this event included in APIDA Heritage Month 2021, a month-long exploration of the many ways that APIDA identity is shaped both within and outside the community.

This presentation is part of the Wisconsin Union Theater team’s commitment to taking action against racial inequities, which includes presenting events that highlight BIPOC’s stories. Click here for a full statement on the Theater’s stance.

The Theater team is hosting this event in partnership with the Wisconsin Book Festival. The Wisconsin Union Theater presents this event, in part, with the help of financial support from Wisconsin Arts Board funding from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Wisconsin Union Theater team strives for all of its spaces to be accessible. The Theater will offer live captioning for this event. Those that need accommodations can reach out to the Theater team at wisconsinuniontheater@union.wisc.edu.

Click here for more information about the reading and Q&A with Vuong.  

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About the Wisconsin Union Theater

For more than 75 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an expansive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater.

[Click here to download a photo of Ocean Vuong. Photo by Tom Hines.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/ocean-vuong.