Things to do in Western Pa.: March 10, 2021
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Newly opened art exhibitions include a Women’s History Month retrospective and a showcase of watercolor works.
For music, there’s everything from “trucker rock” to swing to choral works.
Both kids and adults can put pen to paper for Ligonier Valley Writers programs, while Pittsburgh Public Theater is seeking reminiscences of the past year and hopes for the future.
The details are here, in this week’s Big List.
Art
• Leading ladies: Latrobe Art Center is celebrating Women’s History Month with the free exhibit, “Remembering Her: A Reflection on Latrobe’s Women in the Arts,” on display through March 31. The exhibit focuses on five women who were gifted artists and also leaders in the development and growth of Latrobe, including art center co-founders Elizabeth Hazlett and Nancy Rogers Crozier.
Details: latrobeartcenter.org
• New works: “Waterworks 2021,” a new exhibit by members of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, is running through April 2 at the North Hills Art Center, 3432 Babcock Blvd. Center hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; admission is free.
The new works in watercolor and other water media also can be viewed on the society’s website.
Details: northhillsartcenter.org and pittsburghwatercolorsociety.com
• Calling all artists: Entries are due by Friday for Greensburg Art Center’s upcoming juried biennial. Juror is Kurt Shaw, a painter, art appraiser and former owner of Shaw Galleries in Pittsburgh.
Details: greensburgartcenter.org
Books
• Talk about books: Venture Outdoors is hosting a free book club monthly through May. At 10 a.m. March 17, the book to be discussed is “Nonbinary — Memoirs of Gender and Identity,” by various authors. Discussion leader is Nicole Peeler, urban fantasy author and director of the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction Program.
To register for the virtual session, visit ventureoutdoors.org.
Film
• Cinema at home: These titles are available for streaming through March 31 from Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Harris Theater @ Home virtual cinema: “Crock of Gold — A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan,” about the tortured Irish vocalist, best known as the lead singer/songwriter of the Pogues, who combined traditional Irish music with punk rock; “Stand Down Soldier,” the fictional story of Sgt. Stacy Armstrong who returns home from three deployments with PTSD; and “Two of Us,” about two retired women neighbors who have been secretly in love for decades.
For tickets, visit trustarts.org.
Food
• Sunday brunch: Seatings for Brunch in the Garden are planned for 10:30 a.m. and noon Sunday at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Pricing includes admission to the aviary, prix fixe brunch menu and a complimentary mimosa for adults. Fee is $55, or $35 for ages 12 and younger.
Details: aviary.org
Kids’ stuff
• Go camping: Summer camps return this year to the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History in Oakland, with Monday-Friday sessions from June 20-Aug. 7. Full-day camps are available for campers ages 6-13 at both museums, with camps for high school students at the Museum of Art. Sessions also are planned at Powdermill Nature Reserve in Rector.
Scholarships and reduced prices for those meeting income guidelines may be available.
Details: camps.artandnaturalhistory.org
• Calling student poets: Submission deadline for the Ligonier Valley Writers’ Student Poetry Contest has been extended until March 18. First, second and third place cash prizes will be awarded in nine categories. Another prize will be given for the best submission in each of three grade groups. Contest is open to students in grades 4-12.
Details: lvwonline.org
Magic
• Now you see it: Monday Night Magic: Live Online celebrates Women’s History Month with a new program premiering each Monday in March. The March 15 episode will feature Nikola Arkane and Ekaterina with host David Corsaro. Tickets start at $20.
The off-Broadway magic series is co-presented by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Liberty Magic series.
Details: trustarts.org
Music
• Welcome back: Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience will present “Manfred Honeck Returns,” premiering at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The online concert will feature Honeck conducting a program of Mozart, Walker, Messiaen and Tchaikovsky with the Pittsburgh Symphony and horn soloist William Caballero. A ticket is $15.
Details: pittsburghsymphony.org
• Rock out: East Coast Turnaround will play its brand of “trucker rock” at 7 p.m. Thursday in Greensburg’s The Palace Theatre, as part of the weekly VIP Experience livestream concert series featuring regional acts. The free concert will stream on The Palace Theatre and Westmoreland Cultural Trust Facebook pages.
Details: thepalacetheatre.org
• Swingin’ good time: Neon Swing X-perience will play “A Virtual Evening of Originals,” livestreaming at 8 p.m. Friday. Viewing is free, although registration is required. A post-concert meet-and-greet with the band will take place via Zoom; fee is $25, with proceeds to benefit Westmoreland Cultural Trust and the band.
Details: thepalacetheatre.org
• Sing along: The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will offer a “Just Sing! Singing for Self Care Workshop” for high school students, led by artist in residence, vocalist and educator Anqwenique Kinsel, at 2 p.m. March 21 on Zoom. A March 28 session for adults is sold out.
Details: 888-718-4253 or thewestmoreland.org
• Choral music: Pittsburgh Camerata is offering a virtual musical program combining previous recordings of the ensemble alongside new recordings of soloists, available through March 28 on the group’s YouTube channel.
For information on other upcoming performances, visit pittsburghcamerata.org.
• Plan ahead: Country music icon Trace Adkins is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 30, 2022, in The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Tickets are $64-$94 at thepalacetheatre.org.
Theater
• Put ‘em on the spot: Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks will host “Shakespeare Unscripted,” an interactive evening of improv, from 8-9:30 p.m. Saturday on Twitch. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. with pre-show banter and a preview of how the audience will direct the action, giving suggestions for characters’ fatal flaws and donations for a song, sonnet or rhyming couplet made up on the spot.
Details: pittsburghshakespeare.com
• Past and future: In a tribute to the ghost light left burning in an empty theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater invites supporters to share stories of what they were doing a year ago and their hopes for the future using #PittsburghGhostlight on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• ‘Red Scare’: Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Theater-by-the-Grove will present Topher Payne’s 2013 play, “Perfect Arrangement,” via livestream at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. The play begins as a comedy reflecting classic 1950s sitcoms, then becomes an examination of fear in the “Red Scare” era.
Livestream fee is $20 for group viewing, $10 per person or $7.50 per IUP student, available at 724-357-2787 or iup.edu.
• Spring plays: Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama’s spring plays will be streamed free online, including the March 16-18 and 20 presentation of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Everybody,” directed by Kyle Haden, senior associate head of the school.
For details and to register for viewing, visit drama.cmu.edu.
Writing
• Comeback: Ligonier Valley Writers will publish a 2021 edition of the literary magazine, “The Loyalhanna Review,” after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic. Those interested in submitting writing or artwork can find guidelines at lvwonline.org.