ART • VIRTUAL
While the amount of visible stars in a Pittsburgh sky has changed over the years, they still remain an inspiration and guide for many artists and writers. Yet as night’s darkness receded due to technological developments with electricity and light, humanity’s relationship with the night sky changed throughout the 19th century. Learn more about this history courtesy of The Frick Pittsburgh during In Conversation: The Art and History of the Night Sky, where professors and lecturers from Chatham University and Carnegie Mellon University will discuss the night sky through the lenses of art history, astronomy, and history. 7 p.m. Free. thefrickpittsburgh.org
Fri., April 9
TALK • VIRTUAL
1Hood Media is hosting Black Light, a new endeavor to “shed light on the Black artists and activists doing amazing things with their craft.” This installment puts the spotlight on visual artist Jasmine Green, a political activist and poet born in Pittsburgh. She creates under the brand Black Girl Absolute, and her art focuses on “celebrating Black women, Black girls, and the Black community across the diaspora.” 6-7 p.m. Free. facebook.com/1HoodMedia
Photo: Courtesy of KuratedPgh
Detail of "Darnley Soot Portrait”, part of Cultured Power by Sarah Holden at KuratedPgh
ART • IRL
“... If steel represents the masculine and fiber represents the feminine, how can I reverse their expected gender associations and challenge the status quo?" This is the question posed by Chicago-based metalsmith and visual artist Sarah Holden with her solo exhibition Cultured Power, opening today at KuratedPgh. The show features a variety of sculpture and jewelry works made from some combination of steel and fiber. By using these materials, Holden sets out to challenge cultural expectations of women and how they rebel against those expectations, especially during the pandemic when many are being forced into caretaker roles. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Continues through May 29. 405 Freeport Road, Aspinwall. Free. Visitors must register for a specific time before arrival. kuratedpgh.com
Photo: Ed DeArmitt for the Pittsburgh Symphony
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Ultraviolinistics with Simone Porter
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra music director Manfred Honeck is premiering a new arrangement of Antonin Dvorák’s Seven Gypsy Songs, composed by Honeck and Tomas Ille, in Ultraviolinistics with Simone Porter. The performance will feature Simon Porter on violin, as well as Lorna McGhee on flute. Porter is an emerging artist from Seattle who has performed with national and international orchestras and symphonies, and she is known for her passionate and lively performances. The performance will also include works by Kreisler, Pärt, and Vivaldi. 7:30 p.m. $15. psofrontrow.org
THEATER • VIRTUAL
In honor of Genocide Awareness Month, Prime Stage Theatre and The Holocaust Center of Pitsburgh are presenting an original performance of Miracle in Rwanda. Based on the best-selling book Left to Tell, the one-woman play tells the true story of how author Immaculée Ilibagiza (played here by Rwandan actor and activist Malaika Uwamahoro) survived genocide by hiding with seven other women in a small bathroom for 91 days. Both Ilibagiza and Uwamahoro will be joined by Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, during a talkback after the opening night performance. 8 p.m. Recorded links available for purchase Fri., April 16-Mon., April 26. $25 includes performance and talkback; $5 talkback only. primestage.com
Sun., April 11
PLAY • VIRTUAL
It’s hard to imagine a better real-life Pittsburgh character to dramatize than former Allegheny County coroner Cyril Wecht. Being one of the most famous pathologists in the world (he worked on the JFK assassination) is just part of his story. Wecht also regularly makes controversial political statements. And for Pittsburgh Playwrights’ new play Cyril, Wecht plays himself. The story, written by Mark Clayton Southers, is centered on a journalist interviewing Wecht, and it explores new information centered around other less-known murders. The production will be filmed and will be free to view online via Facebook. Donations are accepted. 5 p.m. Free. pghplaywrights.org
Mon., April 12
THEATER • VIRTUAL
“Black women are the most resilient and resourceful people on the planet,” shares Shaunda Miles McDill, founder of DEMASKUS Theatre Collective. In conjunction with Post Theatrical, DEMASKUS presents Black Mary, an interactive theater experience showcasing the life of Mary Fields, the first African American female U.S. Star Route mail carrier. Ticket holders will have the option of choosing from three levels corresponding with different experiences, including two tiers that offer a “satchel of curated items.” 7 p.m. Continues through May 7. $18.65-$100. posttheatrical.org/deliverance
Tue., April 13
FILM • VIRTUAL
Film Kitchen returns with another round of locally made short films, all streaming virtually on the group’s Twitch channel. The monthly series serves as a platform for anyone interested in filmmaking with an open submission process. Viewers can donate to the artists via a virtual tip jar. Stick around after the show for a post-screening Q&A with hosts Matthew R. Day of Film Kitchen and Steven Haines of Jump Cut Theater, which will take place over Zoom. 7 p.m. Free. twitch.tv/jumpcuttheater
Graphic: Greta Polo; Bottom left photo: Edward Judice
Clockwise from top left: Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, Natalie Diaz, moderator Diana Khoi Nguyen, and lê thị diễm thúy “Of Sounds and Re-sounds” from the Center for African American Poetry & Poetics'
LIT • VIRTUAL
The Center for African American Poetry and Poetics’ Black Study 2.0: Black Is…Black Ain’t series continues with Sounds and Resounds. The event will feature poets Lillian-Yvonne Bertram and Natalie Diaz, as well as performance artist lê thị diễm thúy. The writers will engage in a conversation about “sound and boundary,” curated and moderated by Diana Khoi Nguyen. 6 p.m. Free. caapp.pitt.edu
