Laugh along at Arcade Comedy Theater's Halloween show for kids, watch Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo," or check out Point Park's Fall Dance Concert — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Words
Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Kevin Henkes kicks off Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ Words & Pictures series. Henke, whose books include the classic “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse,” has two new ones out, “Still Sal” and (with Laura Dronzek) “Finding Things.” Henke visits Carnegie Library Lecture Hall at 6 p.m. Thu., Oct. 10. Admission is free.
Visual art
Just in time for that big election you might have heard about, Brew House Arts opens “The Art of Democracy.” The group show by artists from the region working in a wide range of media is presented by Keystone Progress Education Fund and Casey Droege Cultural Productions. It “looks to explore ways that artists and activists are using their voices … to move us towards a more just and liberated world.” Artists include Ashley Cecil, Black Unicorn Library and Archive Project, Chris Ivey, Lena Chen and Susanne Slavick. It opens with a reception Thu., Oct. 10, and continues through Nov. 2.
Dance
The Pittsburgh Playhouse’s season gets rolling with the Fall Dance Concert by Point Park University’s Conservatory Dance Company. The school’s dance program is nationally known, and the six shows Thu., Oct. 9, through Sun., Oct. 13, feature works by acclaimed choreographers Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros, Roni Koresh, Juel Lane, and Kevin and Marcel Wilson.
Visual art
Painting, sculpture, photography and video that look at Pittsburgh’s artistic and physical landscape are the subject of “Adaptation – Local Notes,” a new group exhibit at The Tomayko Foundation. The Bloomfield gallery hosts work by more than a dozen artists, including Barbara Weissburger, Karen Antonelli, and Manami Ishimura. The opening reception is Thu., Oct. 10.
Comedy
Penny Arcade, Arcade Comedy’s interactive comedy show for kids ages 4 to 8, offers a special Halloween edition. Costumes are encouraged at this hour-long show at Arcade’s Downtown theater, which promotes “collaboration, listening skills and silliness” for parents and children alike. The show’s at 2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 12.
Film
One film by, and one about, a famed filmmaker with Pittsburgh connections hit the Harris Theater. Werner Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo” (1982) stars Klaus Kinski as an Irishman intent on pulling a whole steamship over a mountain in 19th-century Peru. Les Blank’s classic documentary “Burden of Dreams” depicts Herzog’s obsessive, disaster-filled effort to do exactly that. The newly restored “Burden” gets six screenings Sun., Oct. 13, through Wed., Oct. 16. “Fitzcarraldo” screens twice, Oct. 14 and 16.
