Visit an exhibit called "Abolitionist Expressions" at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, watch a play about two Holocaust survivors who were friends with Anne Frank or celebrate the beginning of gardening season — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Words
Acclaimed Pittsburgh-based poet Cameron Barnett visits the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall with his new collection, “Murmur.” Probing, thoughtful and sometimes wry, the poems explore his identity as a Black man in the context of U.S. history and current events. The Thu., Feb. 29, event is free and courtesy of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures.
Visual Art
Art made by people in prison will be exhibited alongside work by artists in solidarity outside of prison in “Abolitionist Expressions.” The new show in the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s lobby gallery is curated by Let’s Get Free, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that seeks to end perpetual punishment and promote transformative justice. The exhibit of drawings, paintings, prints, cross-stitch, banners and poetry opens with a reception Thu., Feb. 29 and runs through June 8.
Theater
“And Then They Came for Me” is James Still’s multimedia play based on the reminiscences of Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss, two Holocaust survivors who were also childhood friends of Anne Frank. The widely produced show targeting young audiences combines archival videotaped interviews with live action performed by a cast of seven. A new production comes to the New Hazlett Theater Fri., March 1, through March 10, courtesy of Prime Stage Theatre.
Dance
Renowned choreographer Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence, A Dance Company visits the Byham Theater. The internationally touring, Brooklyn-based troupe blends traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word to explore spiritually infused human dramas. At its Sat., March 2, Pittsburgh Dance Council show, it will perform Brown’s new work “The Equality of Night and Day” and “Open Door,” which employs Afro Cuban dance forms.
Gardening
It’s March, and gardeners are making plans. One stop might be Sat., March 2’s 12th annual Celebration of Seeds at the Oakland branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Held in conjunction with Grow Pittsburgh and Phipps Conservatory, the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. event includes seed stories, hands-on activities for kids, and seed giveaways. Workshops tackle seed-starting, seed-saving and organic gardening, and gardeners are encouraged to bring their own untreated, non-GMO seeds to share.
Theater
If Shakespeare can spin an old Danish tale of royal fratricide and filial vengeance into “Hamlet,” and Disney can nick it for “The Lion King,” why not James Ijames? The playwright won a Pulitzer Prize for “Fat Ham,” his 2021 comedy about Juicy, a queer, thoughtful young Black man whom a ghost commands to avenge his father’s murder. The Broadway hit, set at the family cookout, gets its Pittsburgh premiere via City Theatre’s new mainstage production. Performances run Sat., March 2, through March 24.
