Theater & Arts

StoryZ Theatre will launch its new season with a staged reading of “The Happiest Man On Earth” by Mark St. Germain, inspired by the best-selling memoir of Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku. Jaku recounts his journey as a young Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, his survival at the Auschwitz death camp...

The unofficial end of summer? Psh! The temperatures are still high, the sun is still out and there’s still plenty to do before we call it a day on the most beloved season. Enjoy your long weekend with these events. Acrisure Stadium Kickoff and Rib Festival It’s time for football...

Summer vacation is coming to an end — if it hasn’t already — even if it’s still blazing hot outside. Get some family time in with these events around Pittsburgh this weekend. Pittsburgh Water Lantern Festival This festival is both a fun and a meaningful experience for attendees. Held at...

The Pittsburgh New Works Festival will bring together 14 brand new one-act plays from around the world with local Pittsburgh theater talent, all starting on Aug. 21. This festival season will encompass four weekends, with performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Genesius Theater at Duquesne University. A...

A tradition is returning to Hartwood Acres with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “Ballet Under the Stars” program on Aug. 24. With a variety of pieces from PBT classics past and future, this free performance will wow attendees of all ages. “We are pleased to be participating in this community-based tradition, and...

“One, two, you know what to do.” The inaugural production held in Madison Arts Center’s new cabaret space is the third in Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s August Wilson’s American Century Cycle Experience, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Before Saturday’s matinee performance, founder and producing artistic/technical director of the company Mark Clayton...

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s an amazing collection that contains artifacts and art from all over the world, both old and new. But one of the most mesmerizing pieces in the whole museum is the massive “A Sunday Afternoon on...

Continuing a winning streak with their August Wilson’s American Century Cycle Experience, Pittsburgh Playwrights’ production of “Two Trains Running” takes the audience on a fantastic ride — and marks a milestone. Playwrights has shown a long-standing dedication to producing Wilson’s work. As of this production, they have now twice completed...

It may still be hot out, but there’s something in the air that’s suggesting a whisper of fall. Maybe it’s all the back-to-school sales or the Halloween decorations all over stores. Or maybe it’s the football. Hold on to summer a little longer with these events this weekend. Little Italy...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center’s chairman and said he’ll host the awards...

Audiences will have the opportunity to see Shakespeare in a whole new light Thursday through Sunday at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale in the musical “Something Rotten!” With numerous awe-inspiring dance numbers, catchy music and endless laughs, this show is bound to please audiences. “It’s a lot of...

It was a glorious Sunday night in August to see August Wilson’s words performed outdoors. In this case, the play was the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Fences,” the first of three of Wilson’s works being produced this month by Pittsburgh Playwrights as part of its August Wilson’s American Century Cycle Experience. Considering...

All corners of the city will be full of excitement in the next few days, so this August weekend is the best time to venture out and explore. Here are a few events to get you started. Barrel and Flow This acclaimed festival celebrating Black brewers and artists is back...

After a week of sweating from the heat outside, take this weekend to sweat from concerts, monster truck rallies and dance parties instead. Here are a few ways to turn up the heat on your weekend. Lawrenceville Art Crawl Encompassing more than a dozen blocks along Butler Street in Lawrenceville,...

In the midst of the second act of Quantum Theatre’s “Seagull” on Sunday night, I was reminded of the first half of the Langston Hughes poem “Dreams”: “Hold fast to dreams / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly.” In the case of...

A play set in Western Pennsylvania will debut in August at Iron Horse Theatre Company in Ambridge. The two-act play “Coach and Mrs. Jagoff” features main characters Jake Sebastian, a successful high school football coach and his wife, Lynn, who live in Fisk, a declining industrial town. “(The Sebastians) employ...

As Pittsburgh CLO executive producer Mark Fleischer looked out over the crowd at the Benedum Center before Friday’s opening night performance of Disney’s “Frozen,” he said, “It’s great to see so many blue dresses on young people. How many people are here seeing your very first live musical?” The response...

No plans for a summer vacation on the horizon? No worries. Take a staycation right here in Pittsburgh this weekend with a whole bunch of fun, active and relaxing events. Vintage Grand Prix A local tradition returns to Schenley Park this weekend. Gawk at — and cheer on — your...

If you’re intimidated by the cucumber-hungry crowds of Picklesburgh and you’re looking for something else to do this weekend, don’t worry! There’s still plenty going on around Pittsburgh (outside of Downtown). At least five things, in fact! Swissvale Edible Garden Tour Right at the height of the growing season, Swissvale...

For its third year, PICT Classic Theatre will bring back its “Bards from the Burgh” staged reading series at Carnegie Stage in Carnegie. The series will allow theater enthusiasts to hear four never-before-seen plays read onstage by actors. All four playwrights have connections to Pittsburgh. PICT artistic director Elizabeth Elias...

Forty years ago this very day, a film for the ages opened in theaters. Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, “Back to the Future” would go on to become the highest grossing film of 1985, earning nearly $400 million worldwide. With an engaging plot and irresistible humor, it’s become...

Whether you’re a walker, a biker, a dancer or a driver, it’s a great weekend to be on the move in Pittsburgh. Here are some destinations right in your backyard to check out. OpenStreetsPGH Three and a half miles of car-free fun will stretch through Shadyside, East Liberty, Larimer, Point...

NEW YORK — Manuscripts, music and lyric drafts, recordings, notebooks and scrapbooks from Stephen Sondheim have been donated to the Library of Congress, offering the public a chance to see firsthand the creativity of one of musical theater’s giants. The collection includes about 5,000 items, ranging from drafts of songs...