Walk the red carpet down memory lane as Bodiography Contemporary Ballet presents Red Carpet Rollout, a celebration of the company's decennial, Feb. 24 and 25 at the Byham Theater. After attending the 2011 Donate Life Hollywood film festival, in which she accidentally got in the wrong line and got the full-blown Hollywood-celebrity red-carpet treatment, Bodiography founder and artistic director Maria Caruso (pictured) wanted to bring that experience home. "I wanted to celebrate the company, our fans and all the things in and about Pittsburgh that I love," says Caruso. Each evening begins at 7 p.m., with a walk down the red carpet and art exhibit, followed by a two-hour multimedia performance featuring 20 dancers in excerpts from 13 of Caruso's ballets. Celebrity MCs will introduce the ballets, providing background on each. The program includes the premiere of Caruso's latest ballet, "Eyes Wide Open," and a take on the four seasons, with music by Cello Fury. Following each performance, audience members can attend one of two receptions lasting until 1 a.m., with $100 ticket-holders having access to a VIP reception. Steve Sucato 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 24, and 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 25. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $20.75-100.75. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org
In 1962, when the Atlantic was wider, Walter Bart's grandfather — who worked for European GM brand Opel — traveled on business from Holland to Detroit. From that brief trip, Bart and his acclaimed Dutch/Flemish theater troupe Wunderbaum have spun Detroit Dealers, a multimedia performance freely mixing fact and fiction. The 90-minute work, world-premiering here for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Distinctively Dutch festival, starts with a documentary about Walter Bart searching for his "overseas family." He finds Rosemarie Wilson, an African-American poet and singer who represents American car culture to Bart's bike-centric Amsterdam perspective. "She really loved her Hummer," says Bart, 33, of Wilson. "It's like a battle between Bike City and Motor City, in the same family." There is storytelling, and even a rap battle. Meanwhile, a live two-piece band performs Motown hits and more, and Wunderbaum's Maartje Remmers portrays three versions of the automobile, from a 1960s "Elvis car" and today's traffic-jammer to the car of the future. "I think the world now has a car problem," says Bart. "How responsible were our grandparents for the world we're living in now?" Bill O'Driscoll Thu., Feb. 23, through Sat., Feb. 25. Trust Arts Education Center, 805 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $30. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org
Thu., Feb. 23 — Stage
Point Park's Conservatory Theatre Company takes you back to the world of grueling Depression-era dance marathons as Tomé Cousin and Peter Gregus present their new musical adaptation of June Havoc's 1963 play Marathon 33. The first performance by the student cast of 27 is tonight. Cousin, an acclaimed Broadway choreographer and performer, and Gregus (a cast member in the Tony-winning Jersey Boys) jointly direct and choreograph. Original music and arrangements are by Douglas Levine. Mariluz Orbay 8 p.m. Continues through March 4. 222 Craft Ave., Oakland. $18-20. 412-392-8000 or www.pittsburghplayhouse.com
Fri., Feb. 24 — Opera
In Mozart's opera La Clemenza Di Tito, the daughter of the former emperor is using her admirer to remove Emperor Tito, who isn't returning her love. Tonight, in the first of two performances, Undercroft Opera stages this story of power struggles and betrayal, sung in Italian, at the Seton Center Auditorium. The production showcases local talent, directed by Patrick Brannan, with the Undercroft Orchestra conducted by Walter Morales. MO 7:30 p.m. Also 7:30 p.m. Sat. Feb. 25. 1900 Pioneer Ave., Brookline. $20-35. 412-422-7919 or www.undercroftopera.org
Fri., Feb. 24 — Stage
Hospitality Suite is Roger Rueff's 1989 play about two salesmen and a young engineer from an industrial-lubricants company, all in personal crisis and stuck in a hotel room in Wichita. The play later became the Kevin Spacey film The Big Kahuna. Starting tonight, stage troupe Cup-A-Jo Productions and 72nd St. Films are producing Hospitality Suite as a stage/film hybrid: a play with live camera feeds that let the audience see different perspectives. The cast includes Jeff Monahan and Everett Lowe. Befitting the multimedia approach, the venue is Pittsburgh Filmmakers' Melwood Screening Room. Bill O'Driscoll 8 p.m. Continues through March 11. 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $20. 412-334-3126 or [email protected]
Fri., Feb. 24 — Dance
Tonight, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Samudra: Churning Oceans. The performance blends traditional Indian dance with contemporary techniques. Samudra is Sanskrit for "gathering waters"; the show, a collaboration between Srishti Dances of India and the Spilling Ink Project, explores the immigrant experience. Performers include Srishti founder Sreyashi Dey, formerly of Pittsburgh, and her twin daughters. The Spilling Ink Project presents tales from Indian folklore, as they unravel through rich, traditional South Indian classical-dance forms. MO 8 p.m. Also 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 25. 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. $15-25. 412-363-3000 or www.kelly-strayhorn.org
Sat., Feb. 25 — Stage
Stage troupe Bricolage's unique annual fundraiser is a 24-hour affair. Bricolage Urban Scrawl starts with six playwrights each taking a 90-minute city-bus ride, and ends with six fully staged 10-minute plays. In between come the hyper-speed writing, casting, memorizing and directing, by some of Pittsburgh's best (and most risk-loving) playwrights, actors and directors. B.U.S. 7 is performed tonight, though a VIP pass lets you watch Friday's auditions, too. BO 7:30 p.m. 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $100 ($125 VIP pass includes Fri., Feb. 24, event). www.bricolagePGH.org
Mon., Feb. 27 — Words
A lover of extreme situations, journalist and author Sebastian Junger once worked as a high-climber for tree-removal companies; the author of The Perfect Storm has since covered war crimes in Kosovo and wildfires in the American West. Join him at Monday Night Lectures as he navigates the trenches of Afghanistan in a discussion of War, his vivid account of fear and survival in Korengal Outpost, the most dangerous military location in Afghanistan. War was adapted into the 2010 documentary film Restrepo. MO 7:30 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $15-25. 412-622-8866 or pittsburghlectures.org
Wed., Feb. 29 — Stage
Being a black gay man down South might not be what you think. Ask E. Patrick Johnson, the North Carolina-born, Chicago-based scholar and performer who wrote 2008's Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, a compilation of oral histories. Johnson adapted some of the stories into Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales, a one-man show playing tonight at Pitt's Charity Randall Theatre. With stories of transgenderism, coming out, religion and more, Johnson channels men from teen-agers to New Orleans' 93-year-old Countess Vivian to illustrate their complex relationships with their home turf. The show is free. BO 8 p.m. Stephen Foster Memorial, Forbes Avenue at Bigelow, Oakland. Free. 42-624-7529 or www.play.pitt.edu
Wed., Feb. 29 — Music
Inspired by a street musician's rendition of "Stand By Me" in Santa Monica, Calif., Grammy-winning producer Mark Johnson launched Playing for Change. The project allows raw, international talents to connect with the world, with artists like Bono and Ziggy Marley collaborating on their recordings. Tonight, Playing for Change: The Band visits the Byham Theater, playing music that blends global flavors, from New Orleans to India. The lineup includes street players from The Netherlands, Congo, South Africa and the U.S. The show is presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and proceeds benefit underprivileged musicians and communities around the world. MO 7:30 p.m. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $28-38. 412-456-6666 or www.trustarts.org
