Grab some veggies and listen to tunes at Pittsburgh VegFest, enjoy the genius of August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" or visit three free museums this month. Here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
3 for Free!
Pop art, hands-on fun, or the very stuff of Pittsburgh’s past? It’s the first week of a full month of free admission to three of Pittsburgh’s top cultural institutions: The Andy Warhol Museum, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and Heinz History Center. “3 for Free” comes courtesy of the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).
"Brevity is the soul of wit"
Quantum Theatre loves it some Shakespeare, and also some stunning, nontraditional venues. The company brings a new production of “Hamlet” to the Carrie Furnace National Historic Landmark (iconic site of its grand 2019 “King Lear”) with a cast featuring Treasure Treasure as Hamlet and a rock ’n’ roll soundtrack fit for an existentially conflicted Prince of Denmark. Performances run Fri., Aug. 4-27.
Show some love to Lawrenceville
From Arsenal Park to local taverns, eateries and art studios, the annual Lawrenceville Art Crawl promises more than 200 artists, some 75 live bands and more at 45 locations throughout the neighborhood. The free, family-friendly event runs indoors and outdoors, rain or shine, from 1-9 p.m. Sat., Aug. 5. It’s organized by Redfishbowl Studios (which hosts the after-party).
Tofu, please!
Pittsburgh VegFest returns to the North Side for its ninth year. The day-long event in Allegheny Commons Park East highlights plant-based food and shopping along with music, speakers, yoga demos and more. The free event is hosted Sat., Aug. 5, by Justice for Animals.
Nerve Cowboy's selected works
Nerve Cowboy, a biannual literary and arts journal with a national reach, looks back with a new anthology, “Nerve Cowboy Selected Works 1996-2004.” The Pittsburgh release party, Sat., Aug. 5, at Brillobox, features readings by local contributors including Lori Jakiela, Dave Newman, and Scott Silsbee, and a performance by OG punk musician and producer Tim Kerr’s roots duo Up Around the Sun. Admission is free.
August Wilson in his own backyard
August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” is set in a boarding house in the 1910s Hill District, where characters confront the aftermath of slavery and the migration north. A new production comes courtesy of director Mark Clayton Southers’ Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co. — and it’s staged in no less than the intimate backyard of the August Wilson House, the playwright’s childhood home. Performances run Sat., Aug. 5, through Aug. 27.
