Four Madison food entrepreneurs talked about the steps that came next for them — and the steps still to come — at a Cap Times Idea Fest panel Saturday afternoon in the Play Circle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union.

I was part of the planning team for the American Theatre Critics Association's first ever onilne national conference. Featured: Oskar Eustis and Soraya Nadia McDonald in conversation; Michael R. Jackson ("A Strange Loop"); Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty; New York Times' Maya Phillips.

In this panel discussion moderated by ATCA member Lindsay Christians, three emerging writers (Maya Phillips, Marshall Mabry IV and Kimberly LaBerge) talk about their journeys to finding a voice in theater criticism.

For this live episode, recorded on Saturday at the Play Circle at the Memorial Union, Lindsay sat down with Twin Cities chef Yia Vang for a conversation about his life and the Hmong food he makes out of a food truck outside Sociable Cider Werks.

For many, "classical theater" brings to mind William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov and Samuel Beckett. Many predominantly white theater companies are grappling with that schema as they make room for more diverse voices. “There’s a misperception that if it’s classical (theater), classical language, it doesn’t mean people of color," said Gavin Lawrence, an actor, theater director and playwright, in a recent Cap Times cover story.

Kerry Reid, Windy City Times theater critic, (l-r) Melisa Pereyra, APT actor, Aparna Dharwadker, UW English and Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies professor, Brenda DeVita, APT artistic director, and Lindsay Christians, Cap Times reporter and moderator, addressed questions about "How do we stage Shakespeare in the age of #MeToo?" in a Cap Times Talk at Promenade Hall at the Overture Center on Tuesday night.

It’s the people that make or break a tavern, speakers agreed at a Cap Times Talk Tuesday at the High Noon Saloon. The event, moderated by Cap Times food writer Lindsay Christians, tackled the question “What’s happening to the neighborhood tavern?” and in particular how venerable Madison bars are being taken over by new ownership.

Have you ever wondered how restaurant critics work? How they choose places to review and decide what to order? Does the restaurant know they’re coming and give them special treatment? Do they wear disguises? If these questions intrigue you, come to the High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave., on Monday, Oct. 26, to hear Madison food critics dish about their jobs in a panel discussion. They'll be talking about how and why restaurant reviews are important, how Madison’s restaurant scene has grown and about critics’ anonymity in the Internet age.

Panelists share a laugh Tuesday at the High Noon Saloon during a Capital Times panel discussion about the farm-to-table movement in Madison. From left, Dan Fox, Lisa Kivirist, Ed Hong, Melanie Nelson, Robert Pierce, Tory Miller, and emcee Lindsay Christians.

Journalist Lindsay Christians, whose professional home base is Madison, Wisconsin’s The Capital Times, has been a member of ATCA for almost 15 years. During that time, she has been deeply involved in playwright awards and conference planning committees. In recent years, she has been a leader in moving ATCA into digital event development. With her tenure as chair of the Conference & Event committee coming to a close, and a book addressing her passionate interest in food and wine newly published, we took the opportunity to find out more about Lindsay, her vision for what ATCA has done for her, reflections on what she has done for ATCA, and what might come next.

In summer 2019, cocktail writer Robert Simonson invited me to the Door County Kinetic Arts Festival to help judge a cocktail competition (shown). Linked here is the interview I did the day after, focusing on his new book, "The Martini Cocktail."

The farm-to-table movement ushers locally grown foods to restaurant guests. Now a lake-to-plate effort aims to add fresh, ethically sourced fish to a meal, next to roasted carrots and crisp micro-greens. Our guest, a Madison reporter, traces seafood from wild open waters to Wisconsin dining rooms.

I’d like to help people understand the arts are part of what makes us human. The arts allow us to express our humanity and contribute to our ability to be compassionate and empathetic. They’re part of what gives us a soul. I’d like to see the arts prioritized at a policy level. On the food side, I’d address the issue of food insecurity. We waste an incredible amount of food in our country and there is absolutely no reason that any child should go hungry.

"Hamilton," now running in Overture Center through Dec. 8, is a new musical for a new generation of theatergoers. Last week, five high school students from Overture's Jerry Awards Student Critics Program checked out the show as part of their season of reviewing.