Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 24
Westmoreland Performing Arts stages pre-Easter ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’
Anthony Marino Jr. is calmly approaching what is arguably one of the more fraught roles in theater. He’s playing Jesus in the Westmoreland Performing Arts pre-Easter production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” “It’s almost easy for me to step into it because of my history with the show,” said Marino, 21,...
Upcoming PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season showcases powerful women
The 2022-23 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series has a strong theme of female empowerment. “From ‘Six,’ which allows King Henry VIII’s wives to tell their stories, to the all-female creative team of ‘Hadestown,’ to iconic leading ladies like Elsa, Tina Turner and Tracy Turnblad, this season shines a light on...
Out & About: Habitat for Humanity brings it on home with revived gala
Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity had to cancel its 2020 gala at the last minute, due to the pandemic. Work on its projects also shut down. “It’s been a tough couple of years,” board President Chad Warhold told about 160 attendees at the revived gala, held Saturday evening at Stratigos...
Out & About: Greensburg-Jeannette NAACP hosts annual human rights banquet
The theme of the Greensburg-Jeannette NAACP Annual Human Rights Banquet was “Together We Can Make a Difference.” In terms of politics, education, social and economic inequalities, there’s a lot of work to be done, said President Ruth Tolbert at the Saturday evening event at Greensburg Country Club. “Why are so...
Out & About: The Westmoreland gives curator Barbara Jones diner-style send-off
In museum circles, Barbara Jones is known for her curatorial expertise in the areas of 19th- and 20th-century art. Less well-known is her interest in a niche area of popular culture — diner food. That interest was celebrated at a retirement luncheon in Jones’ honor on Friday, the end of...
Unity’s Victory Brinker earns Guinness Record as youngest opera diva
Among pint-sized opera singer Victory Brinker’s early public appearances were the openings of the two Westmoreland Art Nationals exhibitions in spring 2019. “Her dad got in touch with us and asked if she could perform,” said Diane Shrader, executive director of the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival, which sponsors the...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: April 1-3
Whodunit? Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht will engage in “A Pathological Discussion,” with sessions at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St., Irwin. With host John McIntire, the 91-year-old Wecht will cover cases of notorious deaths, including those of Jeffrey...
Pitt-Greensburg theater director ends tenure with ‘Trailer Park Musical’
Welcome to Armadillo Acres Trailer Park, where an unlikely romance develops between an exotic dancer running from an ex-boyfriend and a highway toll collector with an agoraphobic wife. Trouble is brewing in “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” which Pitt-Greensburg Theatre Company will stage tonight through Sunday in Ferguson Theater...
Out & About: Bands booked for Greensburg’s SummerSounds concerts
Fans of SummerSounds will be happy to know that Greensburg’s free Friday night concert series is on track for a full 14-week season starting June 3. Nine bands are under contract already. That was the good news for attendees at the annual SummerSounds sponsor and volunteer appreciation party, held Tuesday...
GO Laurel Highlands launches new micro-pour tour app
Keith and Heather Fry are showcasing their newly opened Own Brook Winery by participating in the GO Laurel Highlands “Red, White & Brews” micro-pour tour starting Friday. The winery is located at 129 Perry Hite Road, a dead-end residential street in Hempfield, on a nearly 2-acre, hilltop property overlooking the...
Pittsburgh Symphony, United Way plan free benefit concert for Ukrainian refugees
Pittsburghers pull together in tough times, said Bobbi Watt Geer, president and CEO of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She’s seen it happening as the United Way and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra prepare for a concert in support of humanitarian relief for the people of Ukraine. “In true Pittsburgh fashion, all...
Out & About: Latrobe BPW tags club president as Woman of the Year
Latrobe Business and Professional Women’s Club members and guests gathered Saturday for a Spring Tea at St. Bartholomew Parish Marian Hall in Crabtree. On the agenda for the annual event is the presentation of the club’s Woman of the Year and New Member of the Year. President Deborah Bowman noted...
Out & About: Greensburg Garden Center spring tea defies last wintry blast
Winter tried to make a last stand, but flowers were blooming as the Greensburg Garden Center hosted its annual Spring Tea. Back from a two-year pandemic hiatus, the event was held Saturday at Maplewood Presbyterian Church in Hempfield. “There’s a snowstorm outside, but the atmosphere in here is spring,” said...
Spring cleaning: It’s not what it used to be, but it’s still a good idea
Spring cleaning has roots in ancient cultural and religious practices. In Jewish tradition, it is linked to the Passover, commemorating the Jews fleeing in such haste from slavery in Egypt that they didn’t have time to let their bread rise. Celebrated in early spring, Passover is ushered in by cleaning...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to play Beethoven symphonies in iconic local settings
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will break new ground — and cover new ground, too — with upcoming performances included in an extensive Beethoven in Your Neighborhood project. Under the baton of Music Director Manfred Honeck, the symphony will present all nine Beethoven symphonies in one week at iconic locations around...
Indie-pop violinist Kishi Bashi coming to Lawrenceville music hall
Audiophiles who were intrigued by “151a” — the trippy, melodic debut album by violinist/singer/songwriter Kishi Bashi — are in luck. The classically trained artist is in the midst of a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of its release. The tour comes to the Thunderbird Cafe and Music Hall in Lawrenceville...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: March 25-27
Travel photos Jeannette resident Rob McLaughlin will display his photos depicting the beauty and culture of Italy and Ireland from 4-9 p.m. Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday at the Jeannette Area Historical Society, 415 Clay Ave. The exhibition is offered in honor of the late John Howard, who was a...
Popular kid’s book character Junie B. Jones returns to Greensburg stage
Popular children’s book character Junie B. Jones returns to Greensburg in the Greensburg Civic Theatre’s Greasepaint Players production of “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook,” with three performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. As the play unfolds, someone at school has stolen Junie’s...
Sewickley’s Sweetwater Center for the Arts names new executive director
Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley has named borough resident Christine Brondyke as its new executive director. Brondyke brings experience in development and donor relations, event management and customer service in nonprofit organizations to the role. “We are really thrilled to have Christine leading an organization in the community...
Violinist Chee-Yun reunites with Westmoreland Symphony for ‘Nuevo Tango’
Violinist Chee-Yun will return to the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra to perform Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla’s tango masterpiece, “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg. The whole program has a Latin inspiration,” said artistic director Daniel Meyer,...
Pine-Richland grad Jake Pedersen joins national tour of ‘Wicked’
Jake Pedersen is following the yellow brick road to musical theater success. The 2017 Pine-Richland High School graduate recently joined the cast of the national Broadway touring company of “Wicked.” Pedersen, 23, is playing the part of Boq in the musical, which retells the story of “The Wizard of Oz”...
Out & About: Roaring 20s live again for Lamp Theatre gala
A century later, the Roaring 20s still have plenty of allure. On Saturday night, guys and dolls put on their glad rags, hopped in their jalopies and headed for Stratigos Banquet Centre for The Lamp Theatre’s fifth annual gala. The theme was Black Tie & Pearls: A Roaring 2os Affair,...
Humanities festival talk explores Pittsburgh’s ‘alternative history’
Think you know all there is to know about Pittsburgh? Author Ed Simon is betting that you don’t. He’ll be talking about his nonfiction book, “An Alternative History of Pittsburgh,” at noon March 26 in the Trust Arts Education Center in downtown Pittsburgh, to open the two-day Core Conversations series...
Herman’s Hermits, Buckinghams bringing something good to The PalaceVideo
Peter Noone has been into something good since he was 15 in 1963, when he became the face and voice of the British Invasion band Herman’s Hermits. For Carl Giammarese, the same thing happened in 1965, when he joined the pop group The Buckinghams at age 18. A lot has...
Phipps Conservatory spring show awash in ‘sunshine and rainbows’
Even though the Western Pennsylvania landscape is still a bit drab, the glasshouse at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is bursting with color. This year’s Spring Flower Show: Sunshine and Rainbows opens Saturday in the historic glass house in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section, one day before the vernal equinox. The display...
