This weekend, check out the inaugural Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival, the Latin American & Caribbean Festival and a production of the new musical, "Somewhere Over The Border."
The 12-foot-tall 'Little Amal'
A 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old refugee Syrian girl named Little Amal travels to Pittsburgh as part of a two-month, 35-city national tour. The Walk Productions and Handspring Puppet Company team with multiple local arts groups here for a series of events evoking human-rights issues, including a Wed., Sept. 20, visits Carrie Furnaces and Thu., Sept. 21, stops at Downtown’s City-County Building, North Shore Riverfront Park, and Wilkinsburg’s Whitney Park. All the events are free.
'Ever Evolving'
A group of 14 seasoned women artists known as The Pittsburgh Group stage their long-running biennial at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media. The show, titled “Ever Evolving,” features new works in a variety of media by such stalwarts as Adrienne Heinrich, Jo-Anne Bates, Phiris Kathryn Sickels and Tina Williams Brewer. The opening reception is 6-8 p.m. Fri., Sept. 22, at PCAM’s Shadyside headquarters.
Spanish solo dancer takes the stage
Flamenco reinvented with an avant-garde sensibility is the wheelhouse of acclaimed, internationally touring Spanish choreographer Rocío Molina. Molina’s troupe kicks off the Pittsburgh Dance Council season Sat., Sept. 23, at the Byham Theater, with “Caída del Cielo (Fallen From Heaven),” a work for Molina as a solo dancer with a live, four-member band.
Go 'Somewhere Over The Border'
Looking at Central American migration through the lens of “The Wizard of Oz,” Brian Quijada’s new stage musical “Somewhere Over The Border” tells the story of his own mother’s journey from El Salvador to the U.S. Expect cumbia, Mexican mariachi boleros, rock and hip hop in this Pittsburgh premiere, the season-opener at City Theatre. The first performance is Sat., Sept. 23, and the show runs through Oct. 15
Inaugural Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival
The Pittsburgh Silent Film Society calls “action” for its inaugural Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival, with nine films at eight venues Sun., Sept. 24, through Sun., Oct. 1. Many get live musical accompaniment. The fest opens with Buster Keaton’s classic “Our Hospitality,” at Keystone Oaks High School, with live Wurlitzer organ. Other highlights include 1920s avant-garde works on 16 mm, with a live score by musician David Bernabo, and Chaplin’s “A Woman of Paris.” A complete schedule is here.
Latin American & Caribbean Festival
Latinx and Hispanic Heritage month began Sept. 15, and this week offers multiple ways to celebrate. On Sat., Sept. 23, Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies hosts its 41st annual Latin American & Caribbean Festival. The free event in Posvar Hall features craft and food vendors and live music and dance. Alos this week, the year-old Latin American Cultural Center opens “Mexican Masks: Symbols, Celebrations, Satire and Safety,” a new exhibit at the Oakland venue.
