Pittsburgh Owlscribe

  One of the Hearts in the Garden Displays Credit all photos: Scott Goldsmith Pittsburgh Botanic Garden invites all nature lovers to visit and discover the unique heart-shaped additions throughout its 65 acres of gardens and woodlands. Starting February 7, visitors to the Garden can pick up a clue sheet to help them find hidden hearts. The Garden’s Horticulture and Conservation team are using natural and found materials to craft heart-shaped designs along the Garden’s pathways. Hearts in the Garden will be on display February 7-16 and is included with daily admission to the Garden. Visitors can also enjoy heart-themed specials in Canopy Café and shop for nature inspired merchandise along with spring gardening tools, seeds and décor Gappy Valentine's Day Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is located at 799 Pinkerton Run Road, Pittsburgh 15071. Garden features include Garden of the Five Senses, Allegheny Plateau Woodlands, and Hillside Pollinator Garden. To purchase tickets or learn more, vis...

  Taha Mandviwala (Pi), Toussaint Jeanlouis, Shiloh Goodin and Anna Leigh Gortner (puppeteers, Bengal tiger-Richard Parker), LIFE OF PI Tour Photo by Evan Zimmerman.            It’s hard enough to imagine floating in a lifeboat on the Pacific for 237 days and surviving. Add to that the extra peril of having as boatmates a zebra, orangutan, and hyena (temporarily) and a ferocious Bengal tiger. Preposterous, you say.           But that’s the story Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano), a rep from shipping company whose boat sunk and left the menagerie afloat, and Ms. Chen (Mi Kang), a rep from the Canadian embassy, get from the hospitalized teenage survivor named Pi. As they listen to his story as part of their investigation into the incident, they grow ever more skeptical.           The adventurous tale begins in Pondicherry, where Pi’s father (Sorab...

Piffaro:  The Bassanos  - From Renaissance Italy to Tudor England Saturday, February 8, 2025 • 7:30 PM Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside Piffaro, The Renaissance Band , returns to Pittsburgh on  Saturday, February 8  with their program,  The Bassanos  - From Renaissance Italy to Tudor England . The Bassanos is about a family – a large, multi-generational, very musical family. Some of them formed the cornerstone of Venetian professional music-making for decades. Others were the most influential group of wind players at the English court, also for decades. This family’s roots can be traced back to the Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, where they were referred to as the family  Piva  – the Italian word for bagpipe, or piper – so they may have been a family of bagpipe players. The musical journey takes our pipers from Italian town to English metropolis, where from about the year 1500 on, they are known as the Bassano family. Hear an except of...

            Reviewing theater reminds me of a story a friend once told me. Working in retail, he said he’ll see women (and men) come into his store pushing a baby stroller and, as they make their way through the aisles, cause fellow customers to stop, look at the baby and say things like “what a cute baby!” or “this is the sweetest child I’ve ever seen.” All this no matter how comely or homely the baby might be.           Similarly, a reviewer is asked to comment on a playwright’s work, his love child, if you will. Some plays are pleasant and engaging, others not so much. The problem is how do you delicately write about the latter to stay true to the truth yet do so empathetically enough so as not to eviscerate the playwright’s confidence or spark an intense personal vendetta.           If Pittsburgh playwright Darrin J. Friedman, whose play T...

  This afternoon I caught my first Met Opera Live in HD production at the Cinemark Theater in Robinson. Something I’ve been meaning to try for a long time, the Met HD series expanded from an initial six transmissions to 10 in the 2014–15 season and today reaches more than 2,000 venues in 73 countries across six continents.           Beginning live from the Met at 12:30 p.m., Aida starred soprano Angel Blue making her Met Opera debut in the title role. The 3 hour, 40 minute long performance included one 15 minute intermission as well as interviews with cast members such as mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi (Amneris) and behind the scenes look at some of the production elements.                   I believe I heard that this staging of Aida was the first for the Met in 25 years, although I may have heard incorrectly. It seems highly unlikely that such a popular op...

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce LIFE OF PI, the Tony Award®-winning theatrical experience that has wowed audiences around the globe, comes to the Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 from January 28 through February 2, 2025.   Tickets are on sale for LIFE OF PI presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and part of the 2024-2025 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series lineup.     For tickets and information, visit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust official ticket sources: TrustArts.org, in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call guest services at 412-456-4800; group sales TrustArts.org/GroupSales | 412-471-6930. The Benedum Center, Theater Square Complex and Cultural District are projects of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.   For more information about the Cultural District, visit TrustArts.org/visit.   Produced by Simon Friend, Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, Mark Gordon Pictures, and NETworks Pr...

  Dr. Vernell Audrey Watson Lillie and Rob Penny City Rewinds:   KUNTU REP: A Dramatic Collage   Directed by Monteze Freeland Monday, January 27th - 7pm  In collaboration with the Kuntu Archives at the Curtis Theatre Collection at the University of Pittsburgh, City Theatre is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the inception of Kuntu Repertory Theatre. An evening of excerpts from the prominent works of Dr. Vernell Audrey Watson Lillie and Rob Penny, including  Little Willie Armstrong Jones ,  Mahalia Jackson: Standing on Holy Ground ,  Crawford Grill Presents Billie Holiday ,  Diane’s Heart,  and more.  A reception will follow for former Kuntu members and patrons to reunite and celebrate the Pittsburgh institution's legacy. Items from the Kuntu Rep archives will be on display for visitors to experience. The cast includes: Kevin Brown Karla C. Payne Chuck Timbers Jr. Cheryl El Walker Music direction will be provided by  Deryck T...

  We're elated to announce the upcoming exhibitions at the Trust Visual Art Galleries this winter! Monumental Eternal: Le'Andra LeSeur Wood Street Galleries February 1 - May 17 Opening Reception: Saturday, February 1, 5-8pm The End That Never Was: Carnegie Mellon University 1st & 2nd Year MFA Exhibition SPACE Gallery February 15 - April 27 Opening Reception: Friday, February 21, 5-7pm Women I've Been: Melike Konur 820 Gallery March 9 - July 20 Opening Reception: Sunday, March 9, 1-4pm Save the Date Join us on  Friday, March 28th  for the next Gallery Crawl! Artist Opportunities Juried Visual Art Exhibition: OPEN CALL Apply to showcase your work at SPACE Gallery during the 2025 annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. Cash Prizes included!  Applications Due February 27th Celebrating 45 Years of CAPA: Alumni & Faculty Exhibition Calling all CAPA Alumni & Faculty! Apply to showcase your work at SPACE Gallery in celebration of the 45th anniversary of Pi...