Things to do in Western Pa.: April 14. 2021

Some high school musicals have adapted to the pandemic by going virtual. The iconic Pittsburgh cookie table is now a drive-thru.

But don’t despair, live entertainment and activities also are on the horizon.

The details are here, in this week’s Big List.

Acting careers

• Breaking in: Prime Stage Theatre’s Innovative Master Classes series will present “Get in Front of an Agent” online at 2 p.m. April 24. The class will take an in-depth look at how the talent industry functions through the viewpoint of an agent, along with a walk through the steps needed to break into the industry.

Fee is $75; space is limited. To register, visit primestage.com.

Architecture

• Great street: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will present a virtual tour of Pittsburgh’s Grant Street via Zoom at 2 p.m. Thursday. Tour covers the northern half of what the American Planning Association designated one of America’s Ten Great Streets in 2012, from the Modernist U.S. Steel Tower to the Beaux-Arts Pennsylvanian, with Art Deco gems in between.

The $7.50 ticket is at phlf.org.

Fashion

• Very fashionable: A fashion show and purse auction is set for 2-4 p.m. May 22 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. Saint Francis University costume designer Bonnie Resinski will discuss women’s clothing from the 1890s to the 1990s, along with social, political, economic and designer influences on those fashions. Event will include tea and treats, games of chance and a prize for the attendee with the best hat.

Fee is $25. Space is limited; reservation deadline is May 14 at 724-238-6015 or sama-art.org.

Film

• Hop in the car: The Allegheny County Drive-In Movies series is offering free movies at dusk Fridays in the Boyce Park Wave Pool parking lot and Saturdays in the Settlers Cabin Wave Pool parking lot. Attendance is first-come, first-served; capacity is limited to 100 vehicles per movie. All attendees must be in vehicles.

Weekly movie schedules for both parks are posted at alleghenycounty.us.

• Cinema at home: Offerings available through April 30 from Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Harris Theater @ Home virtual cinema are the 2021 Oscar-nominated short animated, documentary and live action films; “Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings The Band,” about the pioneering African American female jazz pianist, arranger and composer; and “Jazz on a Summer’s Day,” with performances filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island.

To purchase tickets, visit trustarts.org.

• Make a scene: Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh will host a virtual screenwriting seminar at 6 p.m. April 21. “”What Makes Great Scenes Great” will be led by Steve Cuden, co-creator of the hit Broadway musical, “Jekyll & Hyde.” Fee is $10.

Details: wifmpit.org

Food and drink

• Walk the walk: Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce will host the third annual Wine, Whiskey & Sweets Walk from 1-5 p.m. May 8 in Ligonier. The outdoor walking event, beginning in the Town Hall courtyard, will feature samplings of more than 15 wines and whiskeys, along with sweet treats.

Ticket sales for the 21-and-over event are limited; no tickets will be sold on site. Fee is $25.

Details: 724-238-4200 or ligonier.com

• Cookie table: Dress for Success Pittsburgh will host The Black & Gold Cookie Table at Hartwood Acres: A Drive-thru Fundraising Event from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. May 16. Music will play as participants drive through the Allegheny County park. Black and gold or Andy Warhol-inspired attire is recommended for a photo opportunity.

Fee of $100 per vehicle includes two dozen cookies from The Little Kitchen, a local woman-owned-and-operated business; picnic blanket; swag bag; and raffle ticket for prize valued at $2,000.

To purchase tickets by April 30, visit e.givesmart.com.

High school musicals

• Flash forward: Fox Chapel Area High School’s spring musical, “Songs for a New World,” will stream at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. More than 50 students are participating in the collection of scenes and songs that tell stories of individuals or group of people coping with “moments in life that seem perfect when, in a flash, everything changes.”

Individual tickets is $15, family ticket is $25, at showtix4u.com. Ticket purchasers will receive a link and access code via email, valid only for the show time purchased.

• Pop and parables: Derry Area High School will present “Godspell,” blending songs in various styles with the parables of Jesus, at 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Hit songs from the musical include “Day by Day.”

Small in-person audience will be limited to family members. Tickets to view the livestream are available at showtix4u.com.

• Never grow up: The Valley High School drama club’s recent production of the Peter Pan origin story “Peter and the Starcatcher” was recorded and will be available for streaming at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Streaming tickets cost $20 and are available online at vhsdrama.org/boxoffice.

Humanities

• Smart talk: The Pittsburgh Humanities Festival is virtual this year, with these programs streaming on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Facebook page and YouTube channel: “Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound,” with Daphne A. Brooks, 7 p.m. today; “Cookie Activism: Using Sugar as a Platform for Social Justice,” with Jasmine Cho, 7 p.m. April 21; and“Gun Violence Prevention: A Discussion with Young Community Leaders,” 7 p.m. April 28.

The festival, launched in 2015, is a a production of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presented by Citizens Bank.

Details: trustarts.org

Kids’ stuff

• “Les Miz”: An immersive three-week musical theater camp for ages 10-18 is planned for July 19-Aug. 6 at The Strand Theater in Zelienople. Camp will culminate with Aug. 6-8 performances of “Les Miserable.” Program offers extensive training, rehearsal and production experience. Fee is $300.

Details: 724-742-0400 or thestrandtheater.org

Music

• Student composers: The Pitt-Greensburg Chorale and Chamber Singers will present their spring concert virtually at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The evening’s program, “Our Trees Bear Fruit,” will feature the premiere of four new works, three of which were composed by Chorale students.

The free livestream will be available via boxcast.tv.

• Americana sounds: Pittsburgh-based modern folk/Americana band Buffalo Rose will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday in Greensburg’s The Palace Theatre, as part of the weekly VIP Experience live­stream concert series featuring regional acts performing original music. The free concert will stream on The Palace Theatre and Westmoreland Cultural Trust Facebook pages.

Details: thepalacetheatre.org

• Jazz live: Pittsburgh-based jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter John Shannon will perform at noon Friday as part of the Saint Vincent College Music at Midday series, livestreaming on the college’s Facebook page.

• The “Bird”: Pittsburgh Opera will offer a free livestream of its upcoming production, “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday on its YouTube channel and Facebook page. Seats for in-person performances April 10-22 are sold out, although a wait list is available for seats that may become available.

Details: pittsburghopera.org

• Drive-in music: These concerts are scheduled, rain or shine, at the Starlight Drive-In in Butler County: The Clarks with special guest The Vindys, 8 p.m. June 5; and Fitz & The Tantrums, 8 p.m July 7. Advance ticketing for both shows is by the carload; prices vary. Parking is first-come, first-served.

Tickets are available at druskyent.com or eventbrite.com.

• Sweet Baby James: James Taylor and His All-Star Band, with special guest Jackson Browne, have announced rescheduled U.S. tour dates, including an Aug. 3 show at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Previously purchased tickets will be honored. Anyone unable to attend the rescheduled date should contact the point of purchase for refund information.

Details: tour.jamestaylor.com

Science

• Down to earth: Earth Week programming is planned April 21-25 at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Special events and programs will include daily on-site programs, pop-up experiences on select days, virtual experiences on Facebook and sensory sensitive hours. Among topics are healthy eating, planting and composting, clouds, water purification, biodiversity, ocean plastic and more.

Building capacity is limited; visitors should purchase timed tickets.

Details: carnegiesciencecenter.org

Shopping

• Made by hand: The Handmade Arcade Spring Marketplace will take place virtually from April 30-May 2, featuring wares by more than 60 makers who live or work in Allegheny County. Products include home goods, jewelry, clothing and decor. In anticipation of the market, sellers are sharing stories about their products, inspirations and processes via the organization’s social media outlets.

Details: handmadearcade.org

Theater

• Lost love: “The Bergerac Simulation,” a new commission of the classic love story, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” adapted by Mora V. Harris, is next up in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Public PlayTime “Classics N’at” virtual reading series. Access to the stream begins at 7 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday. Donations begin at $10.

Details: ppt.org

• In memory: Seton Hill University Department of Theatre and Dance will stream recorded performances of “The Wolves,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist play by Sarah DeLappe, at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The play, with a student cast, follows the shifting relationships among members of a girls’ soccer team as they deal with a tragedy.

The play is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals and in memory of longtime Seton Hill University costume designer and theater instructor Sue O’Neill. Access to the stream is “pay what you can” at alumni.setonhill.edu.