Check out the 32nd annual JFilm international showcase, stop by the August Wilson Birthday Celebration Block Party or enjoy Comedy at the Carnegie — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Words
Last year, Carnegie Mellon professor Edda Fields-Black published “Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid and Black Freedom During the Civil War,” a definitive take on the first time a Black woman led American troops into battle, which coincided with the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history. Appropriately enough, Fields-Black discusses the book at the Frick Pittsburgh during its run of “Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated),” another interrogation of the war between the states. The ticketed talk is Thu., April 24.
Theater
The New Hazlett Theater’s CSA Performance Series (Community Supported Art) relies on subscriber dollars to give local emerging artists the resources they need to produce original stage works. The current CSA season closes with “Dragonfly Dawn,” a fantasy dance-based story about a battle between good and evil in an enchanted forest. It’s by long-time belly-dance teacher and choreographer Joanna Abel, and it gets three performances Thu., April 24, and Fri., April 25.
Film
For the 32nd year, JFilm returns with its international showcase of Jewish-themed independent features. Over 11 days the fest includes 18 comedies, dramas and documentaries from Europe, Great Britain and Latin America as well as the U.S. and Israel, all at the Oaks Theater or CMU’s McConomy Auditorium. The documentaries include “Charles Grodin: Rebel With A Cause,” a portrait of the famed Pittsburgh-born actor’s life on screen and in activism, and Ondi Timoner’s “All God’s Children,” about two religious leaders trying to bridge the gap between Blacks and Jews in contemporary Brooklyn. The festival runs Thu., April 24, through May 4.
Performance
Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse makes its “ASCEND” initiative sound a little like Cirque du Soleil: It’s variously described as “360-degree entertainment” inspired by the four elements of earth, air, fire and water, an interactive experience, and “the ultimate dance party.” The all-ages show — a combination of live music, digital projections, dance and aerialist work — opens Thu., April 24 and runs Thursdays through Sundays, through May 18, including weekend matinees.
Comedy
The fourth annual Comedy at the Carnegie brings the laughs for a cause. The evening is a blend of stand-up comedy and a live game show, with visiting actor and comic Kevin Horton presenting Next Contestant Games, which promises interactive games where “the entire audience plays along the entire time.” The evening’s featured comedian is Pittsburgh’s Derrick Knopsnyder, and the host is local favorite Aaron Kleiber. Proceeds benefit the historic Carnegie Library of Homestead’s Education & Community programs. The show, complete with cash bar, is Sat., April 26.
Block Parties
Two Pittsburgh art icons get their own block parties this Sat., April 26. At the Hill District’s August Wilson House, the ninth annual August Wilson Birthday Celebration Block Party offers a day of live music, children’s activities, food trucks and more celebrating the world-famous playwright. And Sun., April 27, the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka (which was recently hit with a federal funding clawback) hosts the third annual Vanka Block Party, with food and drink, music, art-making and more, including the debut of four original artworks inspired by Vanka’s murals in St. Nicholas church.
