We are organizing a program of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. The series includes music, film, and art. The culmination of these events is a multi-media production titled The Greatest War: World War One, Wisconsin, and why it still matters. It is a live rock 'n' roll history show that combines music (both original songs and period traditionals) with images (photos, film, art), plus live readings of contemporary letters, diaries, articles, and speeches. The historical focus is WWI from Wisconsin's point of view, so we are using as much written and visual material of and by Wisconsinites as possible. The show is Sunday 11 November 2018 at the historical Barrymore Theatre in Madison. (www.thegreatestwar.org). Equal parts rock opera and documentary, the show uses music, imagery, and words to tell the story of the Armistice and the war that lead up to it. Using letters, diaries, and articles written by Wisconsinites, it presents a way of connecting the past with our world today. And it draws the audience in with compelling music written and recreated by Wisconsin musicians: Madison Irish rock legends The Kissers; acclaimed Madison singer/songwriter/bagpiper Sean Michael Dargan; Milwaukee's polka/hip-hop powerhouse November Criminals; and Milwaukee's ukulele provocateur The Viper and his Famous Orchestra. The music will be accompanied by a live display of photos, film, and artwork from 1914-1918, projected on a giant, 24 x 14 foot, interactive video wall.
Past is prologue. Today's geopolitical world has been shaped by no single factor more than the First World War. The Greatest War is a multimedia, exhibition-rich, live music exploration of the modern, living legacy of the conflict and the uneasy truce that ended it. 100 years to the day after the Armistice, the historic Barrymore Theatre will brim with this rock 'n' roll history show, expounding upon and exalting that legacy, while searching for meaning in "The War to End All Wars." We want people to come to the show curious about what it was and why it should still matter; we want them to leave with some answers, a song in their head, and even more curiosity for their own future investigations.