20/20 Performing Arts founders talk theater, inspirationVideo
Two Penn-Trafford High School alums have a “perfect vision” of how to share their love of theater with young performers. Madison Nick and Jonathan Heinbaugh, both of Penn Township, are co-founders of 20/20 Performing Arts, a new school that focuses on providing acting classes, workshops and summer camps to students...
Help Lincoln Caverns celebrate 90 seasons of underground fun
Ann Dunlavy is inviting visitors to “Come to the Dark Side.” Dunlavy is president and general manager of Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon, a tourist attraction that has been a part of her family since it was discovered in 1930 and purchased by her grandfather, Myron Dunlavy Sr. of Buffalo, N.Y....
Take to the wild in one of Western Pa.’s parks
Spring officially arrives March 19, marking the end of a cold Western Pennsylvania winter and the beginning of warmer, sunnier days. If ever there was a good time for swapping the “winter blues” for blue skies, this is it. With schools canceled and many parents working from home during the...
Catch a one-of-a-kind retelling of Shakespeare at the Geyer
Seeing Actors and Artists of Fayette County’s production of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged” is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No, really, it’s a one-time, never-see-it-like-this-again show. Director Andrew Johnson of Donora said that’s because the play written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield that parodies the plays of...
Riverfront Theater’s ‘Proof’ is about family (and a little math)
Four Pittsburgh actors play characters that are an integral part of the search for answers behind a mysterious mathematical proof in Riverfront Theater Company’s production of David Auburn’s drama, “Proof.” The play that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play is the story...
Eclectic mix highlights annual Kerr Museum Antique Show
Twenty-five antiques dealers representing eight states will set up shop March 13-15 at Oakmont Country Club for the 16th annual Kerr Memorial Museum Antique Show. The show and sale featuring furnishings, fine arts and decorative pieces from the 18th to 20th centuries is the major fundraiser for the Oakmont museum...
‘The Band’s Visit’ delivers quiet, powerful message on Benedum Center stage
The musical “The Band’s Visit” isn’t the kind of stage spectacular — with big production numbers, massive colorful sets and glitz-and-glam costumes — that typically wins awards on Broadway. But surprisingly it did, capturing 10 Tony Awards in 2018, including Best Musical, and the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Musical...
Delight in the sights, sounds of ‘Rhythm of the Dance’ at PalaceVideo
The National Dance Company of Ireland’s “Rhythm of the Dance” show is back in the states for another round of shows, just in time to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day season with the troupe’s American fans. It’s not like the champion dancers, professional singers and musicians had a chance to...
Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show is a sure sign of spring
Over nearly four decades, The Duquesne Light Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show has grown to be the place to go before shopping for improvements or new additions to the home. John DeSantis, the show’s executive director, has been leading the charge in providing the people to help make those projects...
Stage Right’s ‘Cabaret’ an always relevant social commentary
Irwin native Mandie Russak has frequented the Kit Kat Club before, where she welcomed visitors as the Emcee in a previous production of “Cabaret” by Split Stage Productions in 2017. She returns to the seedy night spot as the unforgettable Sally Bowles, an English cabaret performer during the rise of...
Theatre Factory tackles deep issues in ‘She Kills Monsters’
A game of Dungeons and Dragons holds the key to secrets about a deceased relative in Qui Nguyen’s contemporary play, “She Kills Monsters,” being performed Feb. 28-March 8 at The Theatre Factory in Trafford. The play focuses on a young woman, Agnes Evans, trying to come to terms with the...
Disney on Ice takes you on a fun ride with ‘Road Trip Adventures’Video
Disney on Ice is inviting families to join their favorite Disney characters on a winter road trip to magical destinations. The latest ice skating show from Disney and Feld Entertainment, “Road Trip Adventures,” is all about the fun times and adventures of the open road. Going along for the ride...
Seton Hill students engage in ‘comedy of manners’ with ‘The Rivals’
Seton Hill University typically performs a classical work during its season in an effort to expose a variety of literary examples to its theater students. When Steven Wilson was asked to direct Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 18th century comedy of manners, “The Rivals,” he knew he faced a challenge. “‘The Rivals’...
‘Cats’ struts into Pittsburgh’s Benedum CenterVideo
The feline fantasy that is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical “Cats” is bringing its North America tour to Pittsburgh. Benedum Center will be the setting Feb. 25-March 1 for the latest gathering of Jellicle cats as part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Based on T.S....
Vote for your favorite during annual South Side Soup Contest
Carmella Salem and Michael Alberter, co-owners of Carmella’s Plates and Pints on East Carson Street, South Side, know how to beat winter’s chill with a hearty bowl of homemade soup. They also know how to beat the competition in two out of four categories in the South Side Soup Contest,...
‘Blippi Live!’ brings internet sensation to Pittsburgh stage
Stevin John credits his 2-year-old nephew for convincing him to give up his job as a camera operator in the Los Angeles film industry to carve out a career teaching and entertaining young kids via the internet. “I’d sit and watch him viewing the low-quality children’s videos on YouTube and...
‘The Sunshine Boys’ light up latest Greensburg Civic Theatre production
Neil Simon’s original “The Sunshine Boys” on Broadway featured Sam Levene as Al Lewis and Jack Albertson as Willie Clark, two stubborn ex-vaudevillians – formerly partners in a comedy-duo – who haven’t spoken to one another in many years. In other versions of Simon’s play, the 1975 feature film had...
‘The Queen of Cardistry’ settles in at Liberty MagicVideo
Anna DeGuzman is a whiz with a deck of playing cards. With an Instagram following of more than 90,000 and a popular YouTube channel where she posts her latest card tricks, she is affectionately known as “The Queen of Cardistry.” Her brand of close-up magic will be on display during...
Looking for love at the Geyer with ‘Sweet Charity’
A classic Broadway musical with a lot of heart is a perfect Valentine’s Day weekend treat on stage
Feb. 13-16 at Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Neil Simon’s “Sweet Charity,” directed by Rachael Szabo and Tyler Handford of Connellsville, features Vanessa Clarke-Deaver of Greensburg as hopeless romantic Charity Hope...
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with these out-of-the-box suggestions
A romantic dinner at an upscale restaurant with that special someone might be a nice way to celebrate Valentine’s Day — but it’s oh, so predictable. With the holiday of love just around the corner, how about considering something entirely different this year? Maybe a little offbeat, even a little...
Split Stage tackles award-winning musical about mental illness
Split Stage Productions is tackling an award-winning contemporary musical that explores how a suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. For Laura Wurzell of Delmont, who is directing the show being staged Feb. 7-15 at Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, the story offers the chance to meld together two...
‘Hollywoodland’ features best-loved songs from the silver screen
Two performances of the most loved songs from the movies — including classics like “Over the Rainbow,” “Pennies from Heaven” and “Whistle While You Work” — will warm a winter evening for audiences at “Hollywoodland: Songs From the Silver Screen.” The musical production, being presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust...
Monster Jam a family tradition for Grave Digger driver Krysten AndersonVideo
Monster Jam is a family tradition for Krysten Anderson. As the only daughter of Dennis Anderson, professional driver and creator of the iconic Grave Digger monster truck, Krysten is following in her father’s footsteps. The 22-year-old will be behind the wheel of Grave Digger when Monster Jam Triple Threat Series...
Riverfront Theater’s musical revue covers all aspects of love
Riverfront Theater Company celebrates Valentine’s Day with the musical revue, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” Feb. 12-15 at Aspinwall Riverfront Park. The show covers all the bases of love — from first dates to marriage, from children to “the twilight years” — set in a series of vignettes...
Gritty, beautiful ‘Miss Saigon’ latest in PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh seriesVideo
The North American tour of “Miss Saigon” – a powerful love story set in Saigon in 1975 near the end of the Vietnam War – stops in Pittsburgh Feb. 4-9 for eight performances at Benedum Center as part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. Audiences will experience...