August 30, 2023 - Pittsburgh City Paper

THE MYSTICS OF PITTSBURGH

BY AUGUST STEPHENS

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

In float tanks, Pittsburghers

10

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

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AUG. 30-SEPT.6, 2023 VOL. 32 ISSUE 35

Editor-in-Chief ALI TRACHTA

Director of Advertising RACHEL WINNER

Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD

A&E Editor AMANDA WALTZ

Staff Writer RACHEL WILKINSON

Art Director LUCY CHEN

Photographer MARS JOHNSON

Graphic Designer JEFF SCHRECKENGOST

Sales Representatives SIERRA CLARY, MARIA STILLITANO

Digital Coordinator MORGAN BIDDLE

LGBTQ-owned distillery a spirited new addition to Sharpsburg

BY OWEN GABBEY

16

18 Mega Cat Studios scratches the retro gaming fan itch

BY MAT MONROY

20 EVENTS

Pittsburgh’s top events this week

BY CP STAFF

22 Crossword and Classifieds

WHAT YOU MISSED FROM ONLINE

Pride

BY MARS JOHNSON

Marketing Coordinator LEE HOOD

Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH

Contributors KAHMEELA ADAMS-FRIEDSON, REGE BEHE, LYNN CULLEN, MEG ST-ESPRIT, MATT PETRAS, JORDANA ROSENFELD, JORDAN SNOWDEN

Editorial Intern AUGUST STEPHENS

National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING

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COVER PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Alisa Grishman attends the Disability Pride Festival on Aug. 26, 2023.

CP PHOTO: RACHEL WILKINSON

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

The Disability Pride parade and festival took place at Schenley Plaza on Aug. 26, 2023. Over 100 people visited the plaza as events went on, starting the day with a parade around the square.

BY RACHEL WILKINSON RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

WALKING INTO LEVITY FLOAT Studio, a nondescript glass storefront on Murray Avenue, you might think you’d stumbled into a yoga studio, a therapist’s office, maybe even a coffee shop. Soothing string music plays in the lobby with comfy chairs, lit candles, a salt lamp, and tea from Dobrá Tea, a vegetarian restaurant and cafe located up the street (its owner is also a studio regular).

But what the space offers is more ethereal, benefitting “body, mind, and soul,” according to Levity’s website. Behind a sliding barn door are two float tanks, pods filled with heavily salted water (1,200 pounds of Epsom salt, to be exact), making the water in the tank three times denser than the Dead Sea. Studio clients climb (clothed or unclothed) through what looks like a spaceship hatch, only to be enclosed in near or total darkness, where they then float in a foot of “skin-temperature” water, experience

weightlessness, and, reportedly, deep relaxation.

The set-up is also referred to as an isolation tank or sensory deprivation chamber, though many eschew that term due to its negative connotations and also because — as several enthusiasts told Pittsburgh City Paper — they could just as easily describe their experience as sensory enhancement.

limited light and sound; even consciousness exploration or psychedelic experiences.

Levity is among Pittsburgh’s first float studios, established nine years ago. The same year, the first-annual State of the Float Industry Report was released, promising a wide open market appealing to city dwellers and suburbanites alike.

hoity-toity, like, oh, that’s something that’s not for Pittsburgh. And I just kept the vision of, yes, it is for Pittsburgh.”

Today, it seems float studios are opening up all over the region, with options in Lawrenceville, Shadyside, and the North Hills. True REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy), a float spa franchise, expanded locations to the South Hills and Washington County. Rapach reports that Levity serves a solid roster of repeat guests, as he calls them, and “rookies.” Guests are all ages — ranging from Rapach’s seven-year-old daughter to 82 — and from all walks of life.

Floating, or floatation therapy, is an alternative wellness practice that originated nearly 70 years ago, but it’s experienced something of a renaissance in the last decade. The purported benefits are many: physical therapy and pain relief from the reduced gravity; meditation from the

Starting a float studio in Pittsburgh then was a challenge, David Rapach, Levity’s owner, remembers.

“If you could imagine the look on a banker’s face,” he laughs. “They weren’t having it. It wasn’t around here. It was very West Coast. It was very holistic. It was woo-woo and

“These are hardworking people, young professionals, parents, retirees,” Rapach, an Indiana, Pa. native, says. “Pittsburgh is known for that grittiness, Rust Belt feel of going to work, blue collar, and also the tech world. There’s so many people that need a break.”

Katie Parla

“IT WAS WOO-WOO AND HOITY-TOITY, LIKE, OH, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S NOT FOR PITTSBURGH. AND I JUST KEPT THE VISION OF, YES, IT IS FOR PITTSBURGH.”

Among the regulars are a couple working in the fast food industry and tech employees who are offered float vouchers by their companies.

Guests can float while pregnant and for postpartum recovery. It’s common to hear your own heartbeat in the quiet of a float tank, but once, Rapach recalls, an expecting guest heard her baby’s heartbeat for the first time — and “she felt this connection.” He gets choked up describing it. “To see a future mother teary-eyed and just glowing, oh!”

Levity has even seen its share of professional athletes: Steelers Cameron Heyward, Troy Polamalu, Bud Dupree, and Antonio Brown have

all floated.

Clients who float regularly (“floaters” makes for a dicey term given the CSI associations) tend to become evangelists, introducing family and friends to the affecting experience of “the tank.”

Destini Thompson, 23, began floating six years ago as a teenager when a friend brought her to the studio. She suffers from chronic pain and experienced stress from a demanding job. She has since brought her mother, who finds floating providesrelief from migraines.

“I found Levity searching for that one place in the busy world where things stop for a second,” Thompson says.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEVITY

David Rapach, owner of Levity

It’s a constant refrain in the float community: the tank is a necessary escape from the everyday hustle and bustle, the sense of being overwhelmed — even by, simply, our phones. In 2021, the New York Times went so far as to say the rise of the float studio represented a literal manifestation of a “desire for nothingness … to reject the overstimulation that defines contemporary existence.”

“The important thing I always try to remind people is try to give yourself the grace to relax and let yourself be,” another frequent float guest, Joshua Hamaker, advises. “You need small healthy breaks from all of the sensory overload going on around us.”

A typical beginner float lasts one hour, the thought of which can give the uninitiated anxiety.

“Time is strange, right?” Thompson explains. “You [think], oh, it’s six o’clock, I gotta eat dinner. Well, six o’clock doesn’t exist in the tank. The only thing that exists is that moment.” Constructs of time and space reportedly begin to erode, which for some is part of the attraction.

Phil Seth is a Pittsburgh artist and “self proclaimed endonaut, an inner traveler of the vast cosmos within each of us.” While most float clients seek to destress — Seth calls floating a “cheat code to meditation” — he also falls in with those chasing

visualizations in the tank. The effect is similar to that of lucid dreaming or psychedelic drugs —“a night at the movies,” Seth says, but “without having to intake anything.”

His first float was around eight years ago, and with practice, he began seeing animals drifting in space. The first was a golden, glittering butterfly batting its wings in the darkness, which inspired him to paint. He’s since developed a series of Floating Dream Prints, which hang at Levity. Rapach also allowed Seth to float at midnight “into” his birthday, on a full moon, leading to a lunar-themed painting.

Seth speaks briskly about the

numerous benefits of floating, how in his daily life he can imagine himself in the tank, lower his heart rate, and step “back into that cosmic stream.”

Like many float devotees, he believes there could be a float studio on every corner, and it might not be enough to combat the stress and noise. The only danger, Seth and others say, would be the McDonaldization of the industry, making the experience quick and impersonal. "It seems so counterintuitive to our Westernized capitalist run, run, run… [that] really one of the most beneficial things we can do right now is just stop doing anything." •

ART REPRODUCTION: COURTESY OF PHIL SETH

Artworks by Phil Seth based on his experience floating

MELLON

BY OWEN GABBEY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

THE FIRST LGBTQ-OWNED distillery in Pennsylvania started, in part, because of some crappy Pittsburgh weather. Katie Sirianni had started a successful business with Sips Mobile Bar Co., providing cocktails and drinks at BYOB restaurants and events throughout the city.

Yet, no matter how fruitful that idea proved to be, Mother Nature always has a way of interfering. And operating a traveling bar that primarily operates outdoors can be a logistical challenge in the dead of a Pittsburgh winter.

“I had no desire to deal with a brickand-mortar; I just wanted to do my own thing,” Sirianni tells Pittsburgh

City Paper. “Fast-forward a year and a half later, it’s wintertime, it’s slow for the mobile bar industry, so I started watching the [distilling] process and thought, ‘I could do this’”.

LOVE, KATIE DISTILLING

816 Main St., Sharpsburg. lovekatiedistilling.com

And here we are, with Love, Katie Distilling having soft-launched in Sharpsburg, an immediate addition to an area in transition, and a stamp of progress at the same time.

“I’ll be the first LGBTQ-owned distillery in Pittsburgh — and by the looks of my endless research, the first

LGBTQ-owned distillery in the state of PA,” Sirianni points out.

Sirianni is no stranger to staking out a bold idea and working towards achieving it. She says Sips started in part as a response to Pennsylvania’s frankly archaic liquor laws.

“We were trying to find different avenues to sell because Pennsylvania, being a Commonwealth state, makes that very difficult,” she said. “So our little loophole that we found was partnering with breweries, wineries, and distilleries, and almost being independent contractors off that.”

Sips essentially became a reverse food truck, coming to places where patrons wanted a cocktail that the

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Katie Sirianni poses for a portrait with her partner, Jen Procacina at Love, Katie Distilling in Sharpsburg.

establishment couldn’t provide, and meeting their consumers where they were.

As Sirianni, a native Pittsburgher, decided to carve out her own space and open a true distillery, Sharpsburg seemed like a natural home for the venture. “The businesses down here, I go in somewhere to grab breakfast and everyone right away is asking me about the business, how it’s coming. I just love the direction the area is going.”

Even amongst all of this community, the local distillery industry is a competitive one, with large, established brands like Wigle Whiskey being long-time fixtures in the area. Sirianni sees Love, Katie as a place to grab a great drink, for sure, but she believes other aspects make it

stand out.

“It’s going to be a really premium product because I can’t put it on my shelf if it’s not a good product,” she explains. “But it’s even more about the atmosphere. It’s going to be speakeasy-style, so we have dark walls, dark ceilings, crystal chandeliers coming down, some really cool egg-shaped chairs, marble look on the counters and tabletops, with all '40s and '50s music.”

expansion into whiskey and rum — both of which require more complex distillation processes — as time goes on. (Sirianni adds, “I’d love to challenge myself to distill tequila as well, as there are very few places locally that do it.”)

Being an LGBTQ-owned distillery, in a beverage industry that hasn’t exactly been the most inclusive, isn’t lost on Sirianni. It’s an accomplishment that she’s immensely proud of.

sharing a drink after a long day of work, or a son buying a bottle for his dad as a gift, or a love of a community like Sharpsburg that is finding itself with the help of projects like this.

Sirianni says that, ultimately, Love, Katie comes down to a space to find some joy, for whoever might be seeking it. After all, the whole project was partially born out of love and the celebration of it.

This atmosphere will be supplemented with a liquor menu featuring gin and vodka to start, with an

But she wants Love, Katie to represent a broad spectrum of love, the kind of love that can mean a couple

“It’s called Love, Katie Distilling because it’s really a love letter,” Sirianni says. “I got out of a really shitty marriage that kind of wrecked me. So a while after, I put myself out there, more for friends than a relationship at this point. And of course, I met my now-girlfriend. So it’s my love letter to her, but it can be your love letter to anyone.” •

Brian Zalewski, manager of Love, Katie Distilling, presents a watermelon fresca cocktail .

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Brian Zalewski, manager of Love, Katie Distilling, prepares his take on an old fashioned at the distillery.

“IT’S CALLED LOVE, KATIE DISTILLING BECAUSE IT’S REALLY A LOVE LETTER.”

LET'S GET METAPHYSICAL

Pittsburgh is full of shops, services, and spiritual practitioners with the magick touch

BY AUGUST STEPHENS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

INTUITIVES, PSYCHICS, CLAIRVOYANTS, WITCHES. They invoke various labels and possess a multitude of talents, and in Pittsburgh, they’re everywhere.

Whether you’re looking for a tarot reading, potion, or something new to believe in, Pittsburgh has an eclectic handful of shops that offer a range of magical merchandise and spiritual services. Here are a few of our favorites:

Hocus Pocus

Kali Vee and Paul H. co-own the oldest witch shop in Pittsburgh, so naturally, they have stories to tell.

It is nestled in between what is now an Insomnia Cookies and a salon and is unexpectedly cozy, even with burnt orange walls and metal decor.

October 13, 2023 will mark over two decades of Hocus Pocus in Pittsburgh.

“It’s our 25th anniversary this year, and it’s on Friday the 13th,” Vee tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “We opened on Friday the 13th and our address is 113. Yeah, like, our zip code is 15213 and our phone number is 412-622-0113. I was going to name the shop 13.”

Vee has been tattooing for 20 years, but her tattoo studio, 13 Needles, only recently reopened after a hiatus due to the pandemic. Her services include everything from ritual tattoos — in which the timing of the tattooing incorporates astrology and moon phases — to reiki and

healing oils.

“People always come here, and they have serious problems,” Vee says, including everything from serious diseases to difficult relation ships. “We have a really good success record with helping. I mean, we do everything; the stuff we hear is crazy,” Vee says. Often, this work is done for free.

HOCUS POCUS

113 Meyran Ave., Oakland. hocuspocuspgh.com

Additionally, Vee says, “we have the city’s only fully functional Magickal Apothecary,” stocked with 100-plus herbs, roots, resins, and essential oils, plus hand-ground ritual incense. With all that, she says, “we have over a thousand recipes that we can make fresh for clients while they shop.”

“PEOPLE ALWAYS COME HERE, AND THEY HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS ... WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD SUCCESS RECORD WITH HELPING. I MEAN, WE DO EVERYTHING; THE STUFF WE HEAR IS CRAZY.”

The Menagerie

This shop, which specializes in folk magic, has sage green walls and wooden floors that gently invite you in with a soothing, hospitable vibe. They offer free coffee and tea all day long. Walk all the way to the back, and you’ll come upon another shop, The Odd End, full of vintage jewelry, accessories, and taxidermy animals. (Yes, the animals are for sale.)

THE MENAGERIE

494 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue. themenageriepgh.com

While the place is eclectic, “I would say our theme is community,” owner Jess Kaderka tells CP . “We try to do

potlucks. We do divination classes for beginners so they don’t have to worry about being right in their reading.”

The store offers spiritual figures from Egyptian, Celtic, Catholic, and other traditions. “We try to be as inclusive as possible with our prac tices,” Kaderka says.

Also available is a library of books and tarot cards which customers can use inside the store for free to prac tice with their friend, or strangers. The cards are also available during the beginner divination courses for those who don’t own a deck.

“There’s a nice thing when you look at metaphysical shops in the Greater Pittsburgh area — that there’s a good number of us, and

Dr. Amber Epps, co-owner of Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop shows a set of tarot cards.

Arts & Crafts: Occult and Botanica

Arts & Crafts specializes in products for African traditional religions, but it doesn’t stop there. In fact, the name of the store is a play on words of sorts, alluding to “dark arts” and “witch crafts.”

ARTS & CRAFTS: OCCULT AND BOTANICA

4901 Penn Ave., Garfield. artsncraftspgh.com

Offering readings, spiritual cleanses, and consultations, owners

Amber Epps, Pamela Schon, and

Elizabeth Schon — all intuitives in their own way — encourage everyone who comes to Arts & Crafts to make it their own. “Regardless of what you practice, it is still your own path,” Elizabeth tells CP . “We want everyone to feel comfortable.”.

Unfortunately, though, time is limited.

“We are actually closing at the end of the year. We have been here for seven years in September. We have our own things to focus on. It will leave a gap in the community, but we hope people find understanding,” they say.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Dr. Amber Epps, co-owner of Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop, poses for a portrait inside the store in Garfield.

“REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU PRACTICE, IT IS STILL YOUR OWN PATH ... WE WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE.”.

Ceremonial (formerly Juju) is a metaphysical shop in Point Breeze where you can find tarot decks, potions, crystals, and incense, among other mystical supplies. It is tied with a separate space, The Moon Studio, which focuses on workshops, classes, and community events.

CEREMONIAL AND THE MOON STUDIO

6739 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. ceremonialshop.com

“You know, they are both my babies,” Leslie McAllister, owner and founder of Ceremonial, tells CP. “I am a childless woman, so my children are cats and my business. The Moon Studio has been an extension of what we’ve been doing almost since we’ve opened.”

Since 2017, candle, spell, tarot, and other themed gatherings and workshops have taken place both in the Ceremonial store space as well as The Moon Studio, informally called “The Treehouse.”

“I believe that the moon is the greatest teacher in terms of understanding that things wax and wane in our lives. You know, we are cyclical and are not meant to be static,” McAllister says.

There are both virtual and inperson events, including a weeklong Teen Witch Camp hosted by McAllister for teens looking for education about witchcraft.

“I really just always identified with the witch archetype,” McAllister says.

“The witch archetype to me is — this is just my personal definition — is a person, woman, male, non-binary, which is for everybody. It’s a person

who identifies with their inner power.”

McAllister found her grandmother’s tarot notebook when she was little, and it sparked a long, complicated journey.

ages of 18 to 21.”

McAllister chooses not to use traditional metaphysical or spiritual labels for herself when it comes to practicing divination practices and leading customers through classes

“I really kind of focused on tarot and runes growing up and then went through a religious existential crisis when I was 15 to 16. I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m bad. This is bad.’ I really went through this whole crisis and processed that and then came back out on the other side between the

and workshops.

“I don’t even know what to call myself at this point. I try not to call myself psychic or medium because it makes me squeamish. Because I’ve always just been like, ‘No, I’m just going to do what I do.' I don’t really want to put a name on it.” •

“THE WITCH ARCHETYPE TO ME IS — THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL DEFINITION — IS A PERSON, WOMAN, MALE, NON-BINARY, WHICH IS FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S A PERSON WHO IDENTIFIES WITH THEIR INNER POWER.”

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Kali Vee poses for a portrait inside her shop, Hocus Pocus, on Aug. 26, 2023. Hocus Pocus has been in business for nearly 25 years.

Calling all disco queens, hippies, and glam rockers: prepare to transport yourself back to the 70s and celebrate the best in Pittsburgh!

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HEALTH CAUTION: COVID

How to prepare for COVID-19 this fall as cases surge in Allegheny County

BY RACHEL WILKINSON

AS MUCH experiences a late summer surge of COVID-19, we can expect the same, says Dr. LuAnn Brink, chief epidemiolo gist at the Allegheny County Health Department.

“When fall comes, when we begin to gather in school, and then for the holidays, we see a surge every year,” Brink told Pittsburgh City Paper how winter respiratory viruses exist.”

The ACHD’s wastewater surveil lance data have already shown an uptick in cases since mid-June, which Brink attributes in part to high school band and preseason sports. The department reports that, between July 16 and Aug. 12, they saw over 680 cases of infection.

Since the expiration of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency in May, the availability of public resources has been curtailed significantly. So how can you keep yourself and others safe from COVID-19 this fall?

Those seeking vaccines can also reference the ACHD Vaccine Provider map, an interactive online resource showing vaccine sites in and around Pittsburgh.

COVID testing:

Though the ACHD encourages testing when sick, they are no longer providing public testing. COVID-19 testing is available through healthcare providers and various clinics (with insured patients advised to check their coverage), as well as major drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens. Brink says limited resources through homeless shelters and other community centers are available for vulnerable populations. Over-the-counter home tests remain for sale at local pharmacies and grocery stores.

The ACHD also offers an online COVID-19 testing locator and a public portal for residents to self-report a positive home test result. In addition, residents can consult the COVID-19 Isolation and Exposure Calculator on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website for guidelines on when to test when sick or after being exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Masking and other mitigations:

Wearing a mask remains an effective way to curb COVID-19 transmission, especially when those feeling sick or experiencing symptoms mask. The CDC Calculator also recommends masking after a known COVID-19 exposure.

However, a mask mandate is unlikely to return to Allegheny County any time soon.

Beyond that, Brink recommends practicing good “respiratory etiquette,” like staying home when sick, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, and seeking medical care and treatment as needed. •

Follow Staff Writer Rachel Wilkinson on Twitter @RachelWPgh

RPGs IN THE 412

BY MAT MONROY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

MEGA CAT STUDIOS, a Pittsburgh independent video game company, specializes in what founder James Deighan calls “the vinyl of gaming” — eight and 16-bit pixel games that balance modern stories with enough throwback grit to remind players of the early days of home consoles.

“Most of us on the leadership side all grew up in the ’80s, ’90s,” Deighan tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “We probably spent more hours playing video games than any generation before us. It was this interesting moment where we grew up as this industry was developing.”

Although they’re often overlooked for Schell Games — a larger Pittsburgh-based video game company — Mega Cat Studios has, since 2016, steadily churned out small RPGs (Role Playing Games), puzzle games, and other retro titles for oldschool systems like the Sega Genesis. Games such as Bite the Bullet, Lethal Wedding , and Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood — released as part of the recent Nicholas Cage Dracula movie — all showcase the company’s affinity for pixelated gameplay.

Mega Cat’s bite-sized game lengths and prices have found them a niche, but loyal fan base in the retro gaming community, and what started as an operation based out of Deighan’s living room is now a network of remote developers and gaming diehards who collaborate from the company’s Polish Hill office, fittingly housed in a former creamery.

“It’s the perfect place for a catbased lair,” quips Deighan.

Their newest release, WrestleQuest , released across all major

games — but none of them have ever been story driven. None have ever been an RPG,” Deighan says. “It’s fun to play as Jake ‘The Snake’ beating up Sgt. Slaughter, but no one’s ever explored, you know, Jake ‘The Snake.’”

The result of four years of hard work, WrestleQuest , with its nearly 50 hours of story and a dozen playable characters, stands out as Mega

to pro wrestling stardom. Along the way, they pass through different worlds with their own local champions, whom our two heroes will need to best to become legends in the ring.

Clever homages to real-life wrestlers such as André the Giant, L.A. Park, and Rocky Johnson populate the game, as well as references to the modern wrestling community

that gives the game creators flexibility with the wrestlers’ movements. It also plays into a make-believe aspect of wrestling fandom that diehard fans can relate to, says Mega Cat’s head of studio, Zack Manko.

“We realized how many of our earliest memories weren’t necessarily about what we saw on the TV itself, and more the action figures,

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

James Deighan, founder of Mega Cat Studios, poses for a portrait at his office space on Bigelow Blvd.

and the idea of maybe you have a Macho Man action figure, but you don’t have much else from another wrestler, so you sub in a G.I. Joe or a Skeletor,” Manko tells City Paper. “The idea of these, like, dream matches and this kind of freeform creativity that you have growing up with not a lot of stuff, we wanted to capture in the game.”

Inspired by retro JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games), WrestleQuest’s turn-based combat showcases each wrestler’s traits while acknowledging the in-game live audience. Start spamming the same attack option and you’ll bore the crowd, lowering your “Hype Meter” levels and exposing yourself to enemy attacks. Need to regenerate your health? Taunt your fellow opponent and gain points on the Hype Meter.

As the game progresses, you can shape your character’s skill set around archetypal wrestling styles.

Deighan believes part of the appeal of games like WrestleQuest is their accessible gameplay.

“WE ARE GENERALLY KNOWN FOR GAMES THAT ARE EASY TO PICK UP AND ACCESSIBLE. EVEN IF YOU VERY CASUALLY PLAY GAMES, THERE’S NO FINGER KARATE NEEDED TO PLAY A MEGA CAT GAME. THEY’RE INTENTIONALLY FUN FOR FUN’S SAKE.”

“You might want to make a showboat, whose taunting is way more effective than anybody else’s, but some of his other stats are struggling,” Manko says. “Whereas you might have a powerhouse who doesn’t have a lot of big moves and you can build that up throughout the game.”

“We are generally known for games that are easy to pick up and accessible. Even if you very casually play games, there’s no finger karate needed to play a Mega Cat game,” Deighan says. “They’re intentionally fun for fun’s sake.”

In a world where most gaming companies flock to the tech hubs of

the West Coast, Mega Cat embraces their Rust Belt roots with what Deighan, a Pittsburgh native, calls their “blue-collar gaming work ethic.”

“We proudly wear these colors,” Deighan says. “When people find us, it’s like ‘Wait, you guys do this full time?’ Part of the fun of our team is that we’re able to attract talent that didn’t know they could work in video games.”

During WrestleQuest ’s development, much of the knowledge that was required to flesh out the game’s world came from lifelong wrestling buffs on staff. Deighan believes this high level of employee passion serves to connect Mega Cat with its fans.

“It’s pretty awesome,” says Deighan. “I don’t know how many companies get fan mail from job applicants.“ •

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SKYBOUND WrestleQuest

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON James Deighan, founder of Mega Cat Studios, works at his desk.

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

BY CP STAFF

THU., AUG. 31

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

Solar Concert Series presents Liz McBride. 12-1 p.m. Nova Place. 100 S. Commons, North Side. Free. All ages. pittsburghkids.org

PARTY • OAKLAND

Prototype will soon reopen its nowdoubled, newly renovated Oakland space, but the independent art and education organization still has a few things to cover. Head to Everything But the Kitchen Sink, an event dedicated to helping Prototype raise funds for, well, a new kitchen sink. The night includes dance music by DJ Mary Mack, refreshments, and an open bar, as well as opportunities to become a Prototype member. 7-10 p.m. 460 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $25-50. prototypepgh.org/events

FILM • DOWNTOWN

The Wicker Man 50th Anniversary Screening. 7:30 p.m. Harris Theater. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $9-11. trustarts.org

FRI., SEPT. 1

FILM • LAWRENCEVILLE

You better not be acting like you’re in a Wes Anderson film during a week-long event at Row House Cinema. TikTok jokes aside, the Lawrenceville movie house welcomes fans to Wes Fest, a showcase of works by the modern day auteur. See Anderson’s 1996 indie debut Bottle Rocket, his off-beat family drama The Royal Tenenbaums, or his new starstudded release Asteroid City. Showtimes vary. Continues through Thu., Sept. 7. 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. Ticket prices vary. rowhousecinema.com

FILM • SEWICKLEY

Back to School Documentary Week

Showtimes vary. Continues through Thu., Sept. 14. The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center. 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. Tickets prices vary. 21 and over. BYOB. thelindsaytheater.org

THEATER • DOWNTOWN

World Premiere Cabaret Show with Alex Manalo. 5:30 p.m. Lounge at the Greer Cabaret Theater. 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. Free. trustarts.org

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

An Earful of Care - Benefit for Northside Food Pantry 6-9 p.m. Allegheny City Brewing. 507 Foreland St., North Side. One or more non-perishable food items required for entry. alleghenycitybrewing.com

THEATER • SOUTH PARK

Lettice and Lovage. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sat., Sept. 9. South Park Theatre. Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park. $18. southparktheatre.com

SAT., SEPT. 2

FESTIVAL • LARIMER

Good Fest. 12-8 p.m. Continues on Sun., Sept. 3. Goodlander Cocktails. 6600 block of Hamilton Ave., Larimer. Free. goodlandercocktails.com/goodfest

THEATER • SQUIRREL HILL

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks returns with its rendition of Cleopatra & Antony. The bard’s take on the real-life love affair between the famed Egyptian queen and Roman leader gets a new twist from founding artistic director Jennifer Tober, who presents it as an all-female production. The outdoor show debuts at Frick Park 2 p.m. Continues through Oct. 1. Frick Park. Beechwood Blvd. and Nicholson St., Squirrel Hill. Free, donations accepted. pittsburghshakespeare.com

ART • DORMONT

Art in the Park. 3 p.m. Dormont Park. 1801 Dormont Ave., Dormont. Free. All ages. dormontarts.com/artinthepark

PHOTO: DENIS PAVLOV / COURTESY OF FIREWALL DANCE THEATER One Act Burlesque at Thunderbird Music Hall

PHOTO: COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES

Asteroid City, part of Wes Fest at Row House Cinema

SUN., SEPT 3

WRESTLING • UPTOWN

WWE Payback. 7:30 p.m. PPG paints Arena. 1001 Fifth Ave, Uptown. Tickets start at $45. ppgpaintsarena.com

SUN., SEPT. 3

LIT • MILLVALE

Mercury Stardust Safe and Sound Book

Signing. 2-4 p.m. Maude’s Paperwing Gallery. 210 Grant Ave., Millvale. Free. RSVP required. maudespaperwinggallery.com

THEATER

• NORTH

SIDE

The Kickoff and Rib Festival at Acrisure Stadium will offer more than meat with the premiere of Squonk Opera’s new production Brouhaha. What’s described as an “immersive outdoor spectacle” includes live musical elements — namely the enormous Squonkcordian — and a 30-foot head made of “brilliantly colored banners, comically blinking its eyes and shooting smoke out of its ears.” The inventive troupe will debut Brouhaha in its hometown before taking the show on the road. 4-4:30 p.m. and 7-7:30 p.m. Continues on Mon., Sept. 4. 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Side. Included with Festival admission. squonk.org/brouhaha

BURLESQUE • LAWRENCEVILLE

One Act Burlesque by fireWALL Dance Theater’s Burlesque Students. 7 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Thunderbird Music Hall. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $30-50. 18 and over. thunderbirdmusichall.com

MON., SEPT. 4

PETS • MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Allegheny County Parks presents Pooches in the Pool. 4-6:30 p.m. Pools at Boyce Park, Settler’s Cabin Park, and South Park. $20-25. One dog per guest permitted. Each dog may be accompanied by two guests (additional guests admitted for $5 per person). alleghenycounty.us

OUTDOORS • STRIP DISTRICT

Pro Bike and Run Strip District Fun Ride 5:30-7 p.m. 2400 Smallman St., Strip District. Free. Registration required. probikerun.com

TUE., SEPT. 5

OUTDOORS • HILL DISTRICT

Stewardship Days. 12 p.m. August Wilson Park. 1803 Cliff St., Hill District. Free. Registration required. pittsburghparks.org

WED., SEPT. 6

LIT

• FOX CHAPEL

An Evening with Bestselling Mystery Author Ann Cleeves. 7-8 p.m. Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church. 384 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel. $32, includes book. Registration required. mysterylovers.com

MAGIC • DOWNTOWN

Alba in Conexiones 7:30 p.m. Continues through Oct. 1. Liberty Magic. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $40. trustarts.org

PHOTO: COURTESY OF COLLECTIVE SPEAKERS/PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE Mercury Stardust at Maude’s Paperwing Gallery

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FINANCIAL

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NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-9795, In re petition of Marc Busha, parent and legal guardian of Au’bree Selena Bennett for change of name to Au’bree Selena Busha.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 18th day of September 2023, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-008405, In re petition of Joshua and Laura Nirella, parent and legal guardian of Elin Joseph Nirella for change of name to Elan Joseph Nirella. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 18th day of September 2023, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

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NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-006882

In re petition of Rattanaporn Namsai for change of name to Nirinpawn Sirinasap.

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Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 26th day of September, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

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name in skin care

16.  Kind of bean

17.  Proto-rapper ___ Scott-Heron 18.  Pointy thing driven into the upper nose? 20.  Opera diva’s song 22.  Cheer for impressive capework 23.  Archaeologist’s spots 24.  Drunken spinster? 28.  What a meter reader might read? 29.  Oscar winner Lee 30.  Letters on Sensodyne boxes

52.  Some Evernote notes

55.  Medalla olímpica

56.  The accent in “café”

57.  Throw away

Dairy Queen rubbish?

61.  Pin-up leg

62.  In a frenzy

63.  “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” singer

64.  “That guy”

65.  Say it isn’t so

66.  Open, as some government secrets

67.  Game piece?

DOWN

1.  Roth’s replacement in Van Halen

2.  1952 Akria Kurosawa movie whose name means “to live”

3.  Something reused, but still bearing earlier pieces

4.  Smidgen, of 15-Across

5.  Home theater’s setting

13.  James’, Kirk’s, and Robert’s bandmate

19.  Overly formal type

21.  Invoice number

25.  Throw something forcefully

26.  Clydsdale’s features

27.  Cross in hieroglyphs

30.  FedEx service

31.  Facts and figures

32.  “Let’s not forget”

33.  “I feel seen!”

34.  Black ___ event

35.  Colonoscopy discovery

36.  Contents of some cartridges

37.  Wyndham

Hotel brand

39.  Mercury’s is roughly 88 days

40.  Book

publishing div.

45.  Laundromat job

46.  Larry whose #39 is retired by the Dolphins

47.  Eccentric, but in a funny way

48.  Cheers (on)

49.  Irregularly notched, as a leaf

50.  Mystery writer Marsh

51.  Toddler’s belly

52.  Tablet with Garageband

53.  Assist, in hoops

54.  English College with an annual “Wall Game”

58.  George W. Bush Presidential Center sch.

59.  Brooch part

60.  The “S” of “RSVP”

holder

42.  Lodge group

43.  Possibly exaggerated internet initilism to a joke

44.  Tonsillitis doc

45.  Maze solution

46.  Blacken on the outside

47.  Lincoln or FDR, e.g.?

6.  Director Blomkamp

7.  Gave up, as rights

8.  Lit. class

9.  Spreadable eggs

10.  For all to hear

11.  Webpage that sometimes distributes misinformation

12.  Bad scene