This Saturday, the Arcade Comedy Theater and Knights of the Arcade attempts to turn the notoriously reclusive Dungeons & Dragons role playing game into a spectator sport with “Knights of the Arcade: An Epic D&D Comedy Adventure.” Dungeon Master Fred Betzner and featured players Dave Ranallo, Liz Labacz, Mike Rubino, Brad Stephenson and Joseph Lyons improvise the live show, with the overall goal of keeping the fan-favorite game fun and focused as they build their story. The Knights of the Arcade assemble for An Epic D&D Comedy Adventure this Saturday from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Arcade Comedy Theater on Liberty Avenue downtown.
In celebration of their 35th anniversary, the Mattress Factory presents "DETROIT: Artists in Residence." Detroit-based artists Design 99, Jessica Frelinghuysen, Scott Hocking, Nicola Kuperus & Adam Lee Miller, Russ Orlando, and Frank Pahl all present their reactions to the swift socioeconomic changes of their city. Their edgy creativity evokes the same spirit found 35 years earlier at the Mattress Factory’s opening. The show opens this weekend and can be visited on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mattress Factory on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Look for the show to continue its run throughout the year until May of 2014.
Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre presents a darkly comedic whodunit with “A Skull in Connemara.” Written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, playwright, and director Martin McDonagh, the story follows Mick Dowd, a man charged with disinterring bones in his local cemetery to save space. As the time approaches for him to dig up the bones of his own wife, Dowd must contend with rumors of his own involvement in her death seven years earlier. Complete with flying skulls and bloody scenes, the Pittsburgh Premiere of McDonagh’s work premieres this weekend under the direction of Martin Giles. “A Skull in Connemara” premieres this weekend, with shows on Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m at the Charity Randall Theatre in Oakland. Look for shows to continue throughout the month of September.
The struggle of the Tuskegee Airmen enters narrative form in New Horizon Theater’s “Black Angels over Tuskegee.” The story is told with a narrative of six men embarking on a journey to become pilots in the U.S. Army Air Forces. The play goes beyond the typical surface headlines of the popular story to reveal the courage and endurance of the brave Airmen who fought through Jim Crow-era struggles against overwhelming odds in their efforts to excel. Part of the proceeds from the nights ticket sales will benefit the construction of a Tuskegee Airmen Memorial at the Sewickley Cemetery. “Black Angels over Tuskegee” runs for one night only, this Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Byham Theater in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh.
