4 local comics artists are coming together this week for Copacetic Comics’s Spooky Party. Four edgy publications by local artists and editors see their releases at the party. Nils Balls’ “Ship of Soiled Doves” is a period-piece that is full of sex and violence as a group of prostitutes mutiny on an Ohio River steamboat, “Heathen” features a compilation of sci-fi and dark fantasy works by Jeremy Baum, Nate McDonough debuts a set of his work titled “Made Fun,” and editor Andy Scott presents the anthology “Andromeda Quarterly #5” featuring the work of 11 different artists. All four creators will be present at the event for signings and sketches. Celebrate the release of three great works at Spooky Party, this Saturday from 6 pm to 9 pm at Copacetic Comics in Polish Hill.
For one night only, the pop-up art exhibit Art of the City comes to the Cultural District. The program exhibits visual art, fashion, and live music into a gallery setting. Rising musician Mars Jackson and spoken word artist Grits Capone contribute to the nights festivities, alongside works from D.S. Kinsel, The Locomotive Explosion, and more. Top off the cultural experience with displays from local brands MAW by Makayla Wray, farESH Brand, and New Pittsburgh--and a turntable exhibition by musical maestro DJ Bamboo--and the night becomes a performance that is completely unique. The pop-up art exhibit Art of the City takes over the 3rd floor of Wood Street Galleries downtown from 8 pm to midnight this Saturday.
One of the season’s final chances to view an outdoor performance comes this Saturday in the form of Hatch Arts Collective’s new short play “Driftless.” Written by Paul Kruse, the play is a love poem on the Midwest’s Driftless Region and the Marcellus Shale of Western Pennsylvania. Driftless stands to be an inventive experience of a complicated conversation, mixing true life accounts with US tax code, a Roman Catholic Mass, the writings of Plutarch, and pieces of corporate literature. Free outdoor performances of “Driftless” run this Saturday, with shows beginning at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the docks outside the Three Rivers Rowing Association.
The spooky season creates a wonderful excuse for collaboration. This Saturday the dance-troupe Geeksdanz teams up with professional storyteller Alan Irvine for “Manifestations.” The performance features a selection of ghost stories told by Irvine blended with an atmospheric and creep dance performance by four dancers. For those family-conscious audience members, Geeksdanz will be featuring a family-friendly performance before breaking out their eerie, skin-crawling work later that night. “Manifestations” takes the stage for one night only this Saturday with three performances: a family-friendly show at 7 pm, and two PG-13 performances of the full show at 8 pm and 10 pm, all at Steel City Improv Theater in Shadyside.