Welcome to Madison's newest arts blog! My name is Lindsay, and today is my second day as fine arts reporter for the Capital Times, a job I am blessed and thrilled to have. This weblog is meant to be a way for me to share news, thoughts and ideas about Madison area arts that will develop into a larger dialogue.

Or not. Perhaps it will be a place to talk about theatre news, like whether or not "In the Heights" deserved to get the Best Musical Tony Award this year, or if you're planning to see Avenue Q when it comes to the Overture Center.

Maybe it will be a home for tidbits about the smaller music groups in town, like the Pro Arte Quartet or the Ancora String Quartet, or the word on the latest recital worth catching at the UW.

It could even become a spot to promote some cool new installation art, or talk about what kind of dance we need more of, or where to find a great show in Milwaukee or Door County or Chicago.

The title for this blog, "On the Aisle," is not original -- it's taken from a column written by Claudia Cassidy, one of Chicago's most powerful theatre and music critics for more than 40 years. Passionate and exacting, her love of the arts was obvious in her writing, as were her high standards for it.

Cassidy's biographer, Jennie Clare Carroll Casey, wrote that "her reviews serve as a colorful, albeit personal, chronicle of four decades of provocative theatre." Cassidy set a high bar for arts critics following her, to be knowledgeable, fair, and invested in the arts scene. I will use her, and critics like her, as a model for covering Madison arts.

And before I go, a little about me: I am a recent graduate of UW-Madison, where I earned a masters in Theatre Research. I got my undergraduate degree in journalism at Michigan State University and am originally from northwest Ohio. My husband, Patrick, is a piano accompanist, and we live on the east side of Madison with our two cats.

Have a performance or gallery opening you think deserves some space here? Let me know at LChristians@madison.com.

Cheers!

Lindsay