Explore "The Hobbit" at Pittsburgh Public Theater, check out a new exhibit about fireflies at the Children's Museum or enjoy music from the recording "Suite for Africa" — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Exhibit
A new exhibit at the Children’s Museum evokes the wonder of synchronous fireflies, those bioluminescent beetles that blink in collective patterns. “Spontaneous Order: The Rhythm of Fireflies,” by artists Sally Weber and Craig Newswanger, uses 200 “firefly” jars suspended overhead, glowing blue and gold in response to each other. The exhibit continues through Jan. 5.
Visual Art
Six Pittsburgh-based artists explore family histories, childhood memories, personally significant landscapes and more in “Nearing Each Other,” the new exhibit in the Carnegie Museum of Art’s first-floor Forum Gallery. Artists including Christine CMC Bethea, Addoley Dzegede and Jamie Earnest contribute paintings, drawings, photography, textiles and found-object works. The exhibit, a collaboration with Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, opens with a reception Thu., Oct. 17.
Music
MCG Jazz presents a unique collaboration between renowned Azerbaijani pianist and composer Amina Figarova and the Matsiko World Orphan Choir, an ensemble of orphaned and at-risk children from war-torn Liberia. The program features the premiere of music from the recording “Suite for Africa.” There are two performances, Fri., Oct. 18, and Sat., Oct. 19, at the MCG Jazz Concert Hall.
Music
Alumni Theater Company is dedicated to nurturing and showcasing the talents of young Black artists. On Sat., Oct. 19, the troupe best known for stage works presents its first-ever hip-hop concert. Mic-Check is headlined by James Perry and WITAQ, along with BrothaMans, King Curry, Kilo, and DJ Vance Vaughn. The show’s at ATC’s space in Larimer.
Dance
In traditional cultures, few times of year are more important than harvest season. In “Bonfire Triptych: Rhythms of Autumn,” dancer and choreographer Shana Simmons and composer PJ Roduta collaborate on a show inspired by the community practices around harvest time in Northern European countries, from the importance of fire to the honoring of ancestors. The Shana Simmons Dance production takes place Sat., Oct. 19, at Attack Theatre Studios, in Lawrenceville.
Stage
J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” comes to Pittsburgh Public Theater in the form of Greg Banks’ widely produced 2019 stage adaptation. The Public’s Marya Sea Kaminski directs a cast of seven as Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, the dragon Smaug and elves, goblins and more too numerous to name in this imaginatively staged adventure through Middle-Earth. Performances run Wed., Oct. 23, through Nov. 10.
