Celebrate Earth Day with the day-long Wild Earth Music, Art and Culture Festival, check out the Pittsburgh debut of Israel's Vertigo Dance Company or watch a new stage work with "science, puppetry and stagecraft" — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Theater
“Apis” means “bee,” and as you might know, bees are both crucial to agriculture and threatened by human practices like pesticide application. “Apis” is also the title of the new stage work by writer, performer and interdisciplinary theater-maker Lindsay Goranson. It uses science, puppetry and stagecraft to tell the story of the last creature on earth as it “travels through time to plant seeds of change.” This installment of the New Hazlett Theater’s Community Supported Art series gets three performances Thu., April 18, through Fri., April 19.
Music
Two of Pittsburgh’s more accomplished progressive-pop bands, Chariot Fade and Garment District, hold a double release party this week. The groups are marking multiple new releases and projects, from the Garment District’s album “Flowers Telegraphed to All Parts of the World” to Chariot Fade’s new single, “Make Yours Like Mine.” The evening at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls features performances by both groups with special guest Jackson Scott, DJ sets by BusCrates and live projections by MichiTapes. The show’s Fri., April 19.
Film
Rock climbing, extreme skiing, trail running, mountain biking, BASE jumping, surfing and more, explored through short films. Some are profiles, while others are portraits of athletes with disabilities or explorations of environmental themes. The perennially popular Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Pittsburgh for its 21st year courtesy of Venture Outdoors. There are four screenings at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre Fri., April 19, through Sun., April 21, each with a different slate of films.
Visual Art
“Today” is the title of the new exhibit at Bloomfield’s Tomayko Foundation gallery. It’s Tomayko’s annual showcase for the National Association of Women Artists. More than 30 artists use painting, photography and sculpture to address the here and now, inspired by everything from diaries and text messages to quotidian anxieties. The show, juried by Sarah J. Hall, director of Maryland’s Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, opens Fri., April 19, and runs through May 31.
Festival
The day-long Wild Earth Music, Art and Culture Festival celebrates Earth Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. The event, produced by Pittsburgh’s Green Voice Collective, features DJ SMI with live art creation by Kevin Wenner, and live music by the MIA Z. Band, Good Karma Band and headliners Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors. There are also educational booths on sustainability and more. The festival runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., April 20.
Dance
Israel’s Vertigo Dance Company was founded in 1992, and has since performed all over the world. This week, the contemporary dance troupe makes its Pittsburgh debut. Vertigo visits courtesy of the Pittsburgh Dance Council with its 2022 work “Makom” (“Place”), choreographed by company co-founder Noa Wertheim. The performance is Sat., April 20, at the Byham Theater.
