November 27, 2019 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019 VOLUME 28 + ISSUE 48 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Associate Publisher JUSTIN MATASE Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor ALEX GORDON Senior Writers RYAN DETO, AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writers HANNAH LYNN, JORDAN SNOWDEN Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Digital Media Manager JOSH OSWALD Editorial Designer ABBIE ADAMS Graphic Designers JOSIE NORTON, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Events and Sponsorship Manager BLAKE LEWIS Senior Account Executive JOHN CLIFFORD Sales Representative KAITLIN OLIVER Operations Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Events and Marketing Coordinator BRYER BLUMENSCHEIN Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, LISSA BRENNAN, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE Interns JOIE KNOUSE, ELISE LAVALLEE Office Administrator RODNEY REGAN National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes, with excerpts from The Nutcracker, sat Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens on Mon., Nov. 25, 2019

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.HOLIDAY.

GUIDE TO GIVING TUESDAY

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

E

VERY YEAR, there are stories about aggressive, sometimes deadly stampedes on Black Friday. Thanksgiving is theoretically a holiday about being thankful for what you have, but it’s also tied to rabid consumerism, with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday constantly promoting shopping.

After Thanksgiving and after all the sales, celebrate Giving Tuesday on Tue., Dec. 3. The day of giving back began in 2012 as a partnership between the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation and promotes donations worldwide. Its message of giving back has spread, encouraging donations (money, clothing, diapers, etc.) to charities and nonprofits. While there’s no wrong way to donate, some are more directly effective, and some organizations are more in need than others.

According to research by the Blackbaud Institute, a company that provides statistics on philanthropy, the biggest percentage of donations on Giving Tuesday goes to large organizations ($10 million or more in funding) and the smallest amount goes to small organizations (less than $1 million in funding). This makes sense, because larger organizations have more resources for marketing and greater name recognition, even if they are less immediately in need of resources than smaller organizations. But the report also indicates that Giving Tuesday donations to large organizations has decreased from 80% in 2012 to 56% in 2018, while giving to small organizations has increased from 5% to 15% in the same period (donations to medium-sized organizations have also increased).

If you want to give, but aren’t sure where (or don’t want to give, but know you should), we’ve compiled a collection of local organizations that help Pittsburghers in all different ways, from providing mentorship to refugees, to supplying tampons to teens.

Casa San Jose The Latino community in Pittsburgh is growing, and organizations like Casa San Jose provide important tools and resources for navigating the city. It provides Spanish-language events, protects immigrants at risk of deportation, hosts a youth mentorship program, and offers emergency response services in the event of ICE detention. casasanjose.org

PublicSource It’s no secret that it’s hard to make money in the journalism business. It’s a vital resource in any city, but there is little funding to pay for it. PublicSource is the only non-profit news organization in Pittsburgh, with a mission of public service through journalism. Through Dec. 31, donations will be matched by NewsMatch. (Note: Pittsburgh City Paper has a monthly partnership with PublicSource.) publicsource.org CONTINUES ON PG. 12

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GUIDE TO GIVING TUESDAY, CONTINUED FROM PG. 10

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Ciora Thomas, founder and executive director of SisTers

GIVINGTUESDAY.ORG Hello Neighbor Since Donald Trump’s election, dozens of refugee resettlement agencies across the country have shut down, including some in Pittsburgh. In 2017, refugee mentorship organization Hello Neighbor formed to pick up some of the slack. It matches refugee families with native Pittsburghers to help them with things like getting a library card, learning a bus route, and applying for jobs. helloneighbor.io

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Having a menstrual cycle can be expensive, and for families struggling to make ends meet, pads, tampons, and other supplies often don’t make the cut. The team at SisterFriend collects sanitary supplies, as well as new bras and underwear to provide to shelters and schools. They also run menstrual health education programs for children and teens. SisterFriend accepts physical and financial donations. sisterfriend.org

SisTers PGH of icon ’s. r a t s 0 r Supe 0’s and 7 the 6

A September report by the Gender Equity Commission explained how Pittsburgh is one of the worst places to live for Black women in terms of quality of life. This is undoubtedly even more true for Black trans women, which is what makes

SisTers PGH a vital organization. Founded

by Black trans women, the organization provides an array of resources, from groceries, to housing, to job searching. sisterspgh.org

Thomas Merton Center Since its foundation in 1972, the Thomas Merton Center has been a stalwart social justice organization, fighting for equality on multiple fronts. There are over a dozen groups within the organization, working on everything from providing books to prisoners in Pennsylvania, to advocating for public transit. Donors receive a copy of TMC’s monthly newspaper, The NewPeople. thomasmertoncenter.org

Pennsylvania Innocence Project There are innocent people locked up in prisons who are only freed because of the hard work done by organizations like the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, which provides free legal and investigative work to help release prisoners whose innocence can be factually proven. They also work on broader criminal justice reform that could prevent wrongful imprisonment from happening in the first place. innocenceprojectpa.org

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny

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SHOP DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH Put the Holiday back in your Holiday Shopping

FREE ACTIVITIES ON BLACK FRIDAY! With holiday sights, live music, and free family activities, spending Black Friday in Downtown means more family memories and less stress. And, enjoy a bonus day of free Fifth Avenue Place Holly Trolley and Horse Drawn Carriage Rides on Black Friday!

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.JUST JAGGIN’.

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HANKSGIVING IS tomorrow. Many

of us will celebrate our blessings with friends and family, share a meal, and enjoy a card game we just learned to play and are terrible at because we were getting another squirt of Black Box wine instead of listening to the instructions. It is truly the perfect season to give thanks, gratitude, and a Crippler Crossface to your neighbor as he lunges for the last 55-inch OLED at Target.

I can’t think of anything less appealing than attending a Black Friday sale. You have just completed the best day of the year, filled with food, fun, naps, delightfully unnecessary Broadway musical performances shoehorned between the good parts of the parade, and almost zero expectations for your behavior.

And you are going to follow that up by schlepping your hangover to an over-lit warehouse teeming with rabid, sweatsuited consumers bull-rushing a stack of $35 Blu-ray DVD players? Who even buys DVDs anymore? People who go to Black Friday sales, that’s who.

Listen, I love a deal. But I also love not getting deals and laying on couches — the latter easily outweighing the former. There’s also Al Gore’s internet, which offers the lowest prices on all that junk you want to buy. “Oh, but you should buy from brick-and-mortar stores,” you’re saying in your head as

you judge me while reading this on your phone from your tent outside of Best Buy at 4 a.m. Agreed, but unfortunately my local Babbage’s is out of Nintendo Switches. Bezos has me by the balls, and the sooner I admit it, the sooner I can eat my fifth piece of pumpkin pie and start on my second nap.

I don’t want to be like this. I just am.

I’d love to eat eggs from my backyard chicken coup, teach my children a foreign language, and buy all of my gifts from a co-op that sources all of their video games sustainably from Honduras.

If I had the time and the drive, I’d get all of you reading this column a cute, little handmade soap shaped like a duck that reads, “I heart Pittsburgh” and smells like heaven.

However, I don’t have that time.

And frankly, I know some of you who are reading this personally, and you don’t deserve any of my organic soap!

But in the spirit of the season, I’m going to try to be more thankful for what I have, grateful for what I get, and less judgmental of myself and others.

Unless I see you flipping the hottest kid’s toy on eBay for profit — then I’m going to judge the hell out of you.

(But, seriously, slide into my DMs and tell me what that toy is and where I can get a case.)

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!

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Follow digital media manager Josh Oswald on Twitter @gentlemenRich

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RECIPE(S) FOR SUCCESS

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

C

“Whole People, All People.” metrocommunityhealthcenter.org

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OMMUNITY COOKBOOKS bear little resemblance to celebrity chef vanity projects or neatly packaged recipes dedicated to one type of cuisine or another. With round, plastic binding holding together page upon page of what looks like hand-typed recipes, these collections of donated recipes tend to have more personality than their glossier, professional peers.

In the Pittsburgh region and throughout the country, they signify more — as a historical text, a tool of female empowerment, and, in the case of Three Rivers Cookbook, a popular, longrunning community cookbook series produced by the Child Health Association of Sewickley, a way to help others. “[Three Rivers Cookbook] was a total game-changer for our organization,” says Nancy S. Patterson, vice president

at Child Health Association of Sewickley, a nonprofit originally founded in 1923 to provide milk to undernourished children. “Our contributions became much more significant after the success of the first cookbook and the cookbooks since then.”

Along with Becky Fallgren, Patterson serves as the co-chair for the development of the fifth edition of the Three Rivers Cookbook. Slated for release in 2021, it’s the first new cookbook the organization has released in 20 years and the latest in a tradition that started in 1973 when the first book was released to much success.

Over time, cookbook sales brought in enough revenue for the organization to expand its reach. Patterson says they now cover most of Southwestern Pennsylvania, giving out a total of $100,000 in

grants to 15 area charities annually for the last several years. To date, she says they’ve given away a total of $4.6 million.

Carrie Helms Tippen says she bought the first Three Rivers Cookbook after relocating to Pittsburgh from Texas to teach English writing and literature at Chatham University. As an author who works and studies cookbooks, including in her book Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity, Tippen says community cookbooks are essential.

“They have a pretty high place, I think, in that kind of scholarship,” says Tippen, adding that academics see value in community cookbooks “because of what they tell us about women, because of what they tell us about networks of women and the movement of knowledge in communities.”

PHOTO: CHILD HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF SEWICKLEY

1976 promotional photo for first Three Rivers Cookbook

She says community cookbooks can be traced back to the Civil War, when they were made and sold to cover war-related medical costs.

In the Pittsburgh region, community cookbooks provide a fascinating insight into the city’s history and its various cultures. Tippen recalls how one local community cookbook she received came from a union group and contained a section of recipes to make during a strike.

Tippen and her students also made their own contribution to this culinary tradition. With funding from the Council of Independent Colleges and an AARP Intergenerational Connections grant, 10 students spent an academic year interviewing and collecting recipes from older adults at the Vintage Senior Services center in East Liberty. Those recipes became the recently released Vintage Generations Cookbook.

“We wanted our interviews to be

Pittsburgh-based, to get Pittsburgh cuisine, and I think we did that, but to an extent, we’re really trying to represent what people actually cook and actually eat,” says Tippen, adding that the recipes include three different styles of greens, entries with Irish, Polish, or Greek influences, and a vegan dish. “They kind of run the gamut.”

Archivist Rosemary Kovacs volunteers at the Heinz History Center and says the center’s Detre Library & Archives contains a number of community cookbooks from the region. They range from Our Sisters’ Recipes published by the Sisterhood of Rodef Shalom Temple in 1909, to ones published by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. “They seem to encompass all religions and all types of groups,” says Kovacs.

No matter where they came from,

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RECIPE(S) FOR SUCCESS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 17

PHOTOS: MICHEALA KEATING

Pound cake (left) and Vera’s Simple Greens (right) from Vintage Generations Cookbook

there’s one common factor: Community cookbooks were primarily made by women, for women. Patterson says producing the Three Rivers Cookbook inspired many women to enter the workforce in times when that was not expected of them.

“It used to be all stay-at-home moms who may have launched careers afterward,” says Patterson, adding that now most women with the Child Health Association of Sewickley work either part- or full-time in jobs that range from attorneys to dieticians.

“After the kids got older, they went on and worked on some big projects because this was a launching point.”

She adds that developing Three Rivers Cookbook reflects how women’s roles have changed since the series launched over 40 years ago. Besides a shift from mostly canned or processed ingredients to fresher fruits and vegetables, as well as considerations for people with food allergies or intolerances, the few hundred new recipes are quick, easy meals for people to make after work or school.

But in a time when home cooks have a wealth of cooking shows to watch and an internet full of recipes at their fingertips, why would anyone want to buy a physical cookbook, especially one produced by non-professionals? Tippen believes it has a lot to do with trust, as community cook-

books differ from commercially printed cookbooks or cooking blogs.

“I think it kind of depends what’s at stake in the dinner service you’re about to do,” says Tippen. “If it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas and the stakes are kind of high, you want to go high trust, maybe that’s your community cookbook. … Or if it’s a dinner party and I want to shine and demonstrate I’ve got some class, go to the chef cookbook.”

That level of trust comes across in the process behind making the latest Three Rivers Cookbook, as recipes are made stepby-step, tasted, and revised by a dedicated group of people within the organization.

While there’s a certain nostalgia and

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charm to print community cookbooks, Tippen understands that, along with the recipes inside, they need to change with the times in order to survive. This especially applies to the Vintage Generations Cookbook, as they could only afford to print 50 copies. To make sure people can still access it, the recipes were made available in PDF form on Chatham’s website.

She says they plan to keep the project going, as students continue to meet with Vintage seniors and publish recipes on the cookbook blog.

“I’m hoping that it has more of a digital life,” says Tippen. “And maybe that’s the way of the 21st century too, is community cookbooks [going] digital.”

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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.FOOD.

MY FIRST GOBBLERITO

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

T’S THANKSGIVING SEASON, which means restaurants everywhere are engineering ways to get the most shelf life out of America’s ultimate meal. At Mad Mex, this means Gobblerito season, the restaurant’s signature “funky fresh Cal-Mex” cuisine with a holiday spin.

To the surprise of no one, the Gobblerito is not a Mexican or Cal-Mex dish. It’s a Thanksgiving meal — black bean mashed potatoes, house-roasted turkey breast, bread stuffing, and corn partnered with a small dish of cranberry sauce — only instead of on a plate, it’s wrapped in a tortilla. And as a final touch, the burrito is smothered in gravy, “enough to put out a small fire,” according to the restaurant.

MAD MEX Multiple locations. madmex.com

I’ve always been wary of the Gobblerito. Many of my friends swear by it, not even pausing to breathe between the words “Gobblerito” and “it’s so good.” Mentions of the burrito bring joyful gasps followed by, “Oh, you’ve never had it? You’re going to love it!”

When I sat down to my first Gobblerito, I expected to be smitten. I was ready to be smacked with flavor and fall head-over-heels into a realm Thanksgiving food I had been missing out on for 24 years.

Let’s start with the presentation. Like most people, I eat with my eyes first — this doesn’t mean bad presentation

CP PHOTO: JOIE KNOUSE

The Gobblerito, a Thanksgiving meal stuffed into a burrito

equals bad food, but a nice plating always helps — and the Gobblerito is disappointing in this regard. I don’t blame Mad Mex for it; they’re working with ingredients that are all white, grey-ish white, or brown.

But even looking back on a poorly lit photo I took of the burrito, it’s hard to find anything appetizing about it. My gravy had broken and the split, speckled

goo was running clumsily all over the very square burrito. It wasn’t pretty.

Breaking into the burrito revealed a more inviting sight, through the overstuffed tortilla was a jumbled mess of potatoes, stuffing, and turkey.

Everything, flavor-wise, was fine. It was standard Thanksgiving fare. The stuffing added some flavor to uninspired mashed potatoes and surprisingly not-

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Try a different Thanksgiving-inspired dish: The Yard

Burgatory

theyardpgh.com Get Turk’d Up at The Yard: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, and corn, all between two slices of Texas toast.

burgatorybar.com Gobble up Burgatory’s Thanksgiving burger; a turkey patty stacked high with cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry jam. Wash it down with a pumpkin pie shake.

Emporio: A Meatball Joint emporioameatballjoint.com Thanksgiving in a meatball!

Emporio’s turkey meatballs mix cranberries, stuffing, and more.

dry turkey. I wished for more beans and corn; the few stragglers found at the bottom of my burrito were all too quickly swept up into the mix. The cranberry — finally something with color! — was needed to kick a light tartness into the otherwise heavy burrito. Even the gravy, one of my least favorite foods, was pretty good.

The tortilla, however, was more or less useless. I ate around it. The gravy turned it soggy and stringy, and in the end, it simply got in the way of the tastier components.

I’ve eaten enough Mad Mex to know that this burrito is not indicative of the chain’s usual food; the Gobblerito is more of a novelty than anything else.

To quote a friend, “[The Gobblerito] is pretty good for what it actually is.” And that friend is right. If I’m going to eat Thanksgiving more than once a year, it might as well be in a burrito.

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Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

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COLONY CAFE 1125 PENN AVE., STRIP DISTRICT 412-586-4850 / COLONYCAFEPGH.COM Whether stopping in for a weekday

lunch, an afternoon latte or after-work drinks with friends, Colony Cafe offers delicious house-made bistro fare in a stylish Downtown space.

EIGHTY ACRES 1910 NEW TEXAS ROAD, MONROEVILLE/PLUM 724-519-7304 / EIGHTYACRESKITCHEN.COM Eighty Acres Kitchen & Bar offers a refined, modern approach to contemporary American cuisine with a strong emphasis on local, farm-totable products.

ELIZA HOT METAL BISTRO 331 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE, PITTSBURGH 412-621-1551, ELIZAHOTELINDIGO.COM Set on the site of former iconic iron works, Eliza Furnace, Eliza is an American Bistro exploring classic Pittsburgh flavors, beloved by those that worked the furnaces, combined with the fresh perspective and seasonal sourcing that define what we eat in our region today. Relax with great food, cocktails, and enjoy live entertainment on the rooftop bar.

LEON’S CARIBBEAN 823 E WARRINGTON AVE., ALLENTOWN 412-431-5366 / LEONSCARIBBEAN.COM Family owned and operated since December 2014. Here at Leon’s, we take pride in our recipes and quality of dishes. Simple menu with all the traditional dishes! Leon Sr. has been a chef for 30+ years, mastering the taste everyone has grown to love and can only get at Leon’s.

MERCURIO’S ARTISAN GELATO AND NEAPOLITAN PIZZA 5523 WALNUT ST., SHADYSIDE 412-621-6220 / MERCURIOSGELATOPIZZA.COM Authentic Neapolitan pizza, artisan gelato, and an inviting atmosphere are just a small

part of what helps create your experience at Mercurio’s Gelato and Pizza in Pittsburgh.

It’s not your standard pizza shop; in fact, this isn’t a “pizza shop” at all.

PAD THAI NOODLE 4770 LIBERTY AVE, BLOOMFIELD 412-904-1640 PADTHAINOODLEPITTSBURGH.COM This new café in Bloomfield features Thai and Burmese specialties.

Standards like Pad Thai and Coconut Curry Noodle are sure to please. But don’t miss out on the Ono Kyowsway featuring egg noodle sautéed with coconut chicken, cilantro and curry sauce.

SUPERIOR MOTORS 1211 BRADDOCK AVE., BRADDOCK 412-271-1022 / SUPERIORMOTORS15104.COM Thoughtfully prepared food, drawing inspiration from Braddock, its people, its history, and its perseverance.

The cuisine best represents the eclectic style which has become a trademark of Chef Kevin Sousa. Fine dining in an old Chevy dealership with an eclectic, farm-to-table menu and a community focus.

The True Taste of Thai

FREE DELIVERY ON OVER $15 WITHIN 2 MILE RADIUS THUR-SUN 2018 MURRAY AVE. PGH, PA 15217

412-422-6767

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Are you tired of tracking down food trucks?

Don’t miss our Weekly Food Truck Schedule!

Available every Tuesday at pghcitypaper.com

TOTOPO MEXICAN KITCHEN AND BAR 660 WASHINGTON ROAD, MT. LEBANON 412-668-0773 / TOTOPOMEX.COM Totopo is a vibrant celebration of the culture and cuisine of Mexico, with a focus on the diverse foods served in the country. From Oaxacan tamales enveloped in banana leaves to the savory fish tacos of Baja California, you will experience the authentic flavor and freshness in every bite. They also feature a cocktail menu of tequila-based drinks to pair the perfect margarita with your meal.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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FRESH HANDMADE FOOD LOCAL CRAFT BEER DAILY SPECIALS

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Tina’s holiday pop-up bar at the Americus Club

.ON THE ROCKS.

POP IN, CHILL OUT

BY MAGGIE WEAVER // MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T CRAFTYJACKALOPE.COM

HE NEWEST SEASONAL pop-up in Downtown Pittsburgh is not what it sounds like: tina’s (holiday) gives Pittsburghers what owner Sarah Shaffer calls a “new sense of holiday magic.” It’s a respite from holiday fanfare, not another celebration of it.

Shaffer, in partnership with skilled florist and event designer Tommy Conroy of 4121 Main, has created an escape from holiday chaos. Unlike the other seasonal pop-ups, which boast head-to-toe decoration and far too many animatronic Santas, tina’s (holiday) is strikingly calm: Conroy and Shaffer have transformed the members-only social club into a sophisticated, “dreamlike” space.

TINA’S (HOLIDAY) 213 Smithfield St., Downtown.

On Instagram @tinasholiday

4121 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 • Mon-Fri 9am-3pm • Sat-Sun 9am-4pm

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The entire experience is leisurely. At entry, a staff member leads you to the second floor, where frosted winter florals and grasses bloom over a dimly lit lounge. Candles throw an elegant glow over lush couches that turn corners into cozy, intimate hideaways. Accordion doors block one-person phone rooms, a peak into the space’s past life as the Americus Republican Club of Pittsburgh.

As part of Shaffer’s effort to design a “genuine hospitality-driven experience,” there’s no bar line at tina’s (holiday).

Anywhere you sit, a server will find you.

Cocktails mimic the handcrafted excellence guests expect from Tina’s, the year-round location in Bloomfield,

featuring classic drinks divided into four categories: stirred, punch, spritz, and after dinner. Natural wines, Belgian beers, and champagne make up the remainder of the list. Shaffer hints that the menu will be a preview of a new concept coming to the former Elbow Room in Shadyside.

The pop-up is open from now until Dec. 29. But if you’re in need of a little holiday kitsch, don’t worry: There’s no shortage of holiday pop-up bars in Pittsburgh this season.

Chrismukkah Galley Federal and Smallman Galley are coming together to create Chrismukkah Galley, a Christmas and Hanukkah pop-up in Bakery Square. Two bartenders from the Galley Group have transformed the space into the home of the Gingermans, a gingerbread family who celebrates both holidays. A quarter of proceeds will benefit the Tree of Life synagogue, and another 25% will be donated to the East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

Miracle Miracle has not one, but two locations this year. Get your fix of excessive holiday cheer — there’s not an un-Christmas’d spot in the bar — Downtown (705 Liberty Ave.) or in the South Side (2204 E. Carson St.).

Jingle Bar The Downtown bar (268 Forbes Ave.) has officially made it full circle; after running through seven concepts, Pop-up Pgh is back to its first form: Jingle Bar. Watch out for the abominable snowman!

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

The Collaborative Campus, by Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture faculty members Doug Cooper and Stefani Danes, is on display outside of the Simmons Auditorium in the Tepper Building.

.ARCHITECTURE.

PITTSBURGH UNFOLDED

BY CHARLES ROSENBLUM // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

S

IT ON THE MEZZANINE of the Jaren

Cohon Student Center at Carnegie Mellon Universtiy, and you are in the thick of the Oakland-Squirrel Hill Cultural district and a quintessential Pittsburgh locale.

Sure, there are the distinctive cultural buildings for universities and museums.

But perhaps even better are the nearby rolling hills and precipitous overlooks,

where aging rowhouses cluster at the land’s edge as if for an event, the raging cauldrons of industry or just the passage of time. All matter of picturesque and utilitarian viaducts strain against the bursting corset of Pittsburgh in its own riparian landscape.

You can’t necessarily see much of the amazing scenery from the inside of this building, which plods through the few

KNOWING AND SEEING: REFLECTIONS ON FIFTY YEARS OF DRAWING CITIES Available Tue., Dec. 3, 2019 on University of Pittsburgh Press. upittpress.org

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neo-Baroque motifs of its otherwise labyrinthine functionality. But three walls of this area around the rotunda are lined with an expansive 150-or-so foot artwork, Carnegie Mellon Campus and Pittsburgh Mural, by architect, artist, and muralist extraordinaire Doug Cooper. The Pittsburgh he portrays in portentous hatched charcoal is correct precisely because of its impossible upis-down landscape surrealism.

Don’t believe me? Run, don’t walk to the Cohon Center (or a number of other terrific Cooper works in Pittsburgh and internationally). Also, buy the book,

Knowing and Seeing: Reflections on Fifty Years of Drawing Cities, available from the University of Pittsburgh Press, just in time for whatever winter holiday lights your candles.

Though Cooper was a longtime colleague and remains a cordial friend, I have zero stake in the fate of this book or any institution that houses his work.

It’s just that 23 years after completion of the Cohon Center piece, when even the best artworks might wane amid fashions that undulate more than the South Side Slopes, this one is better than ever, meriting close scrutiny and

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Step aside, John White Alexander, with your Crowning of Labor at the Carnegie Museum, or Vincent Nesbert, painter of Justice at the Allegheny County Courthouse. Cooper’s work has captured a truer portrait of the city and region, not simply because we are flattered by the image of ourselves — so beautiful! — though this is true. Rather, Cooper has embarked upon a careerlong rumination on what it means to be with people in a place and to create representations of it by drawing.

That sounds simple enough, and it proceeds in remarkably straightforward fashion through Cooper’s readable book.

An early CMU drawing professor, Kent Bloomer, now retired from a nationally significant career mostly at Yale, asked his students to draw the inside and outside of a space on one sheet. Cooper responded with an erudite visual macramé that absorbed and transcended the conventional rules of linear perspective.

The portfolio of masterworks that unfolds — literally as well as metaphorically here, with lavish gatefold pages — can all be traced back to that essential question, says Cooper. Subsequent chapters on Maps, Looking, Pittsburgh, Place and Memory, Murals, and Collaboration provide a methodical framework that leaves the reader on a threshold of feeling either that, yes, it all makes perfect sense, or simply that, like Bauhaus master Paul Klee, the artist can explain policies

and practices with admirable rigor, but certain otherworldly talent and ingredients delight our observation while far surpassing our ability to recreate them.

In the most recent pieces, notably City Church City, a 2018 mural for the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Cooper collaborated with architect, urbanist, and quiltmaker Stefani Danes, who is also his wife.

Just when you thought Cooper’s work had found its apogee of expression, which neither additions nor subtractions would improve, along comes Danes, whose influence energizes and expands to great advantage. Her work is assertively polychromatic and almost completely abstract, though she veers into figuration in response to some of Cooper’s motifs. Both artists engage practices of assembling pieces, visually and physically. There is a wonderful sense of musical counterpoint to their pictorial duets.

Some of Danes’ solo works appear in the book. They resonate with intellectual and emotional depth as well as an ineluctable capacity to delight. She needs her own book as well.

Meanwhile, as antidote to an era of thoughtless architecture, Cooper’s new book of murals and essays reminds us not that we want an imaginary Pittsburgh from a fuzzy, nostalgic past, but rather that we want the Pittsburgh we know as a result of looking, thinking, and collaborating very carefully. And we want the best possible artists to create it.

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•

Follow contributing writer Charles Rosenblum on Twitter @CharlzR PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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CP PHOTO: TERENEH IDIA

Michael Barnhouse

.FASHION.

CLOTHES MAKE ...

BY TERENEH IDIA // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

MICHAEL BARNHOUSE Chef, owner, and proprietor

LEO. A PUBLIC HOUSE 1207 Allegheny Ave., North Side. leopgh.com

HOW’D YOU END UP IN THIS LOCATION? When I first moved to Pittsburgh, I was driving around, just exploring the city, and came over to the North Side.

Mexican War Streets, Allegheny West.

I loved the architecture and it reminded me of living in New York City.

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT LEO. I was rolling the dice. ... It was a beautiful building that was going to be rehabbed, someone was going to do it, so I just took the chance.

I didn’t know what I wanted to name it, nothing hit me like a bolt until I found this picture of my grandfather

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who was influential to me and who I am today. It was a tiny photograph that no one in the family had seen. I was just playing with the image on my phone. It was a really cool shot. It struck me that this was a brand, it looks like a brand, so I decided that I was just going to name it after my grandfather.

HE JUST HAS SO MUCH SWAG. He was really a very nice guy. He was the first person to take me to a bar, [when I was] like 8 years old. He is making bets with bookies, playing pool, and I am at the bar drinking Orange Crush or whatever.

He said, “Don’t tell your mom.” [Laughs]

WELL, IT IS A HEATHER BLUE HENLEY ...

Is that what it is called, a Henley?

[Laughs] I own a few of these shirts.

They’re just casual [and] comfortable.

I am wearing Vulcan jeans — they primarily [do] shoe design, but they make very nice jeans. The cut is not tight like hipster jeans, but they conform to the body. [It’s] a very nice cut.

called black coral; it is wood but it is super hard. It is formed over flame, it takes a really long time and I was like, “Why don’t we just use boiling water and form it that way?” And he was like, “[You] son-of-a-bitch.” [Laughs] He said, “For thousands of years we’ve been doing this and you’re talking about boiling water.”

After my mom passed away, this bracelet was just left in her jewelry box and I thought it was really cool. The other bracelet is the chain that held my dad’s father’s house keys, like skeleton keys.

I LIKE YOUR PUMAS. IS THAT YOUR GO-TO FOOTWEAR FOR STANDING AROUND ALL DAY? Yes, like 50% of the time. It is healthy on your body to switch up your footwear, it’s healthy for your back. At least that is what I have been told being a chef, being on your feet all day.

SO EACH PIECE IS REALLY MEANINGFUL. DO YOU WEAR THEM EVERY DAY? Yes, I never take them off. The Moluccan black coral I may take off to oil or sand it, [since] I have had it since 2003. In the fall and spring, I wear my dad’s old leather jacket a lot.

YOU HAVE COOL JEWELRY AS WELL. This piece is from the Moluccan tribe in KIrinjawa in Indonesia. I spent time in Indonesia and became very close friends with a Moluccan family in Jakarta. They made me an honorary member. It is

YOU HAVE A LOT OF COOL STUFF. Yea. [Laughs]

TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE WEARING. I don’t even know what I am wearing.

[Laughs]

•

Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX

CP PHOTO: ABBIE ADAMS

The Harris Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh on Mon., Nov. 25

.ARTS NEWS.

UNCEREMONIOUS EXIT

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

J

UST TWO DAYS after the end of the Three Rivers Film Festival, its host organization, the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media (PCAM) fired all film staff, including employees of the Harris and Regent Square theaters, and will end cinema arts programs, as well as any programming in its galleries.

The announcement and firings happened the morning of Mon., Nov. 25 during a mandatory meeting.

An official document, signed by PCAM executive director Kyle Houser and provided to Pittsburgh City Paper, said the group was ending its theater programs, as well as all programs housed in the Marshall Building and reducing personnel accordingly. PCAM is offering former employees severance benefits totaling $300 before taxes.

Tina Dillman, who served as the director of exhibitions and programming at PCAM, was among those fired during the meeting. She claims those fired were then escorted out of the building and told they must make arrangements if they need to return for any belongings.

Dillman says the staff received an email about the meeting last Friday and knew what was coming.

“The writing was on the wall,” she says.

Those also out at the center are Director of Film Programming Joe Morrison and Chief Administrative Officer Dorinda Sankey.

“I am new to Pittsburgh and I knew that the organization had a very complicated past,” she says. Dillman adds that she knew PCAM was not in a “stable place yet financially or as an organization” when she started working there five months ago.

“It still felt very splintered,” she says.

Dillman also expressed frustration with the organization’s leadership and felt “set up to fail” because of how it limited her ability to apply for any grant funding. She was also only able to work part-time, 20 to 25 hours a week, which she says was not sufficient time to run any kind of gallery programming.

“It had so much potential, and it was never run properly,” she says. “It was one of the most disorganized, toxic environments I’ve ever worked in my entire life. But I saw the potential and I wanted to try and help it.”

However, Dillman hopes the organization can regroup and make the center successful, saying that it has played a pivotal role in the development of artists in the city for 74 years.

“I wish them the best of luck in their new business strategy, and I hope that they can pull themselves together and they stay relevant in the community,” she says.

•

SEE THE FULL STORY ONLINE AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

27

THE LOCAL 913: THE LIVING STREET

BY LIZ FELIX // LIZ@WYEP.ORG

Nick Guckert and Edward Angelo have been friends for most of their lives, but after about a decade of playing music together, they decided to get serious and form an official band. They started the folk-rock group The Living Street two years ago and recently put out their second album It Won’t Last.

The title isn’t a reflection of any concerns they have about the band, though.

Guckert says the line, which comes from the song “Mean the Most,” is a reference to a period of time when he worried that others found him unlikeable. “Sometimes your brain can make you believe things that aren’t true, especially bad STAY UP-TOthings. It’s OK to feel that way, but DATE WITH THIS also realize that it WEEK’S LOCAL won’t last.”

MUSIC NEWS Of course, WITH CP MUSIC anyone who’s met Guckert and WRITER JORDAN SNOWDEN Angelo would have a hard AND WYEP time not liking EVENING MIX them — their HOST LIZ FELIX positive energy is infectious Listen every and comes out Wednesday on stage. If you at 7 p.m. on want evidence of their unflappable 91.3FM WYEP positivity, look no further than their attitude toward touring, which, especially in the early years of any band, can be pretty rough. Both of them say they love touring and making new friends across the country. Their songs are starting to have a big impact too.

“We’ve made people cry, and it’s the strangest feeling ever. I remember the first time when I was singing one of our songs and I saw somebody else mouthing the words as we were playing,” Guckert says.

Angelo finishes his thought: “That’s the biggest reward we could have for the whole thing.” •

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PHOTO: SHERVIN LAINEZ

Kevin Garrett

.MUSIC.

LIKE WE USED TO

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

T’S BEEN SIX YEARS since Pittsburgh City Paper last spoke with singer, songwriter, and producer Kevin Garrett. Since then, the Point Breeze native opened for X Ambassadors, Alessia Cara, James Bay, and Mumford & Sons, among others, worked on tracks for Banks’ III, Rudimental’s Toast to Our Differences, and Beyoncé’s 2016 Lemonade — the latter of which resulted in a Grammy nomination — and earlier this year, released his first full-length album, Hoax.

So it’s safe to say Garrett has a taste of fame. He could have easily left Pittsburgh in the rearview mirror, but his hometown stays close to his heart. Now living in Lawrenceville (although he jokes he has only spent about a month at his place this year), Garrett has always inspired to build up the vibrant music and arts KEVIN GARRETT community already in Pittsburgh.

8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 30. Thunderbird Café and “I think I can speak to a lot of [national] acts that go on Music Hall, 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. tour and say that we don’t actually go through Pittsburgh $14. kevingarrettmusic.com that often,” says Garrett. “And as a music fan from here, I missed a lot of acts that never toured in Pittsburgh when I was younger. It was something I was always curious about. ... So now, I’m just trying to be involved in as many ways can I can.”

Garrett dreams of opening a club in the city and building up relationships between local businesses, venues, and musicians. Ahead of his Nov. 30 homecoming show at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall — the first time Garrett will set foot in the renovated venue — City Paper chatted about Hoax and his goals for the local music scene.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read it in full at pghcitypaper.com.

HOW HAVE YOU STAYED INVOLVED IN THE PITTSBURGH SCENE OVER THE YEARS? One thing at a time I guess, starting small by trying to build my audience in Pittsburgh even more and holding small events that hopefully can build into other things. Like earlier this year I put an album out, and had a release show at this store, kind of down the street from my house, called Mello & Sons, and connected that to an after-party at Walter’s BBQ, making that sort of two-block span the event space for the evening. I’m doing something similar with this party at Thunderbird.

Trying to incorporate local music and businesses and from there, you can build into things that are truly centered around the music, and utilize the venues that are starting to pop up, like Thunderbird and Roxian. My ultimate goal is to open a club in Pittsburgh one day and help bring talent in that way too.

YOU RELEASED YOUR FIRST ALBUM, HOAX, THIS YEAR. WHAT HAS LIFE BEEN LIKE SINCE PUTTING THAT OUT? It’s been the same. … No, I’m kidding.

[Laughs] I got to do [The Late Show with

go in and start doing new stuff.

Stephen Colbert] this year and got to work with a pretty good team at AWAL. Before the album came out, I was kind of stuck with some people around. We just weren’t on the same page. I needed sort of a new framework around my music and worked with a couple different

producers on some demos and stuff and finally settled on the album. I mean, I have folders with some songs on the record which have six or seven versions.

It was a weight lifted off my shoulders once the record was done, and after the spring tour, I was kind of eager to just

SINCE THUNDERBIRD IS IN LAWRENCEVILLE AND YOU’RE COMING HOME AFTER A TIME AWAY, WILL YOU BE DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL FOR YOUR PITTSBURGH SHOW? We have some special merch that I’m going to be making. We have a holidaythemed thing, and then we’ll be down the street again at Walter’s for a little after party thing where we can all indulge in the finest meats. And then shortly after that, maybe a week or two later, I’ll be doing something with Row House [Cinema]. So I’ll be in the city for a few things going into the pre-Christmas, holiday season. But the night of the show will be a hang at Thunderbird and then a hang down the street at the restaurant.

I might try to do something else that weekend but I’m focusing on putting on a good show. I haven’t really played a proper show in Pittsburgh for a while.

I think that last time I was on any stage [in the city] I just sang one song with Mumford & Sons at the arena. And the last time I brought the full production was when I was opening for those guys in 2017 at the amphitheater.

•

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

29

SEVEN DAYS OF CONCERTS These listings are curated by Pittsburgh City Paper’s music writer Jordan Snowden and include events from our free online listings. Submit yours today at www.pghcitypaper.com/submitevent

PHOTO: SARA HERTEL

PHOTO: JAMIE STEVENS

LeAnn Rimes

Chalk Dinosaur

LEANN RIMES

CLOCK DINOSAUR

MON., DEC. 2

WED., DEC. 4

There are a few acts that are almost synonymous with the holiday season: the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Highmark Holiday Pops, and LeAnn Rimes. This year marks the country artist’s seventh annual You and Me and Christmas Tour, which makes a stop at the Rivers Casino. Over the years, Rimes has released several Christmas albums, such as 2015’s Today Is Christmas, 2004’s What A Wonderful World, and 2018’s It’s Christmas, Eve, a soundtrack to Rimes’ Hallmark movie, It’s Christmas. For this holiday tour, Rimes will be signing a mix of staples from her holiday albums, along with hits from her long-standing multi-platinum career.

7:30 p.m. 777 Casino Drive, North Side. $35-199. riverscasino.com

Heading to see rock, jam-band supergroup Phish perform at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday? Yes, you wouldn’t miss the psychedelic rock masters? No, you don’t like 12 minute songs?

Either way, Pittsburgh jazz-rock fusion, electro-funk bands The Clock Reads and Chalk Dinosaur are holding a Phish After Party at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall. So, whether you want to keep the jams going after Phish, or are looking for some late-night fun in the city, come get down with avant garde grooves and improvisational melodies. 11 p.m. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $15. roxianlive.com

THURSDAY NOV. 28 ROCK NOX BOYS, THE SUMMERCAMP. Railyard Grill & Tap Room.

9 p.m. Bridgeville.

FRIDAY NOV. 29 ACOUSTIC THE GIRLIE SHOW. Hambone’s. 7 p.m. Lawrenceville.

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA. Roxian Theatre. 8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

STARLINGS, GOOD BROTHER EARL. Club Cafe. 10 p.m. South Side.

HERBIVORE, NAMELESS IN AUGUST. Full Pint Wild Side Pub. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

ELECTRONIC HOUSE PLANTS. Spirit (Lodge).

9 p.m. Lawrenceville.

COUNTRY

THE EMO BAND. Rex Theater. 8 p.m. South Side.

DAN WHITAKER & THE SHINEBENDERS. Bloomfield Liedertafel Singing Society. 12 p.m. Bloomfield.

ALTERNATIVE/INDIE

FUNK

ROCK

ACID CATS, JACK FUNK. Bar None. 8 p.m. Uniontown.

SEMI-SUPERVILLAINS. The Smiling Moose.

9 p.m. South Side.

FRIENDZ OF FUNK. Hard Rock Cafe. 9 p.m. South Side.

SOUL ALLIANCE, LARGA VEDA, DEADLINE. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 8 p.m. Millvale.

CLASSICAL

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CLASSICAL

PUNK

NORM & FELIX. Moondog’s. 8:30 p.m. Blawnox.

30

SATURDAY NOV. 30 DIXON’S VIOLIN. OWL Hollow. 7 p.m. Hazelwood.

BLUES

SCHEER ELEMENT. Steamworks Creative. 8 p.m. Gibsonia.

YELO SNOW BAND. Market Square.

7 p.m. Downtown.

WIGGIN AHT 3. Spirit (Hall).

9 p.m. Lawrenceville.

DAN KOSHUTE, THE VAN ALLEN BELT, SWAMPWALK. Brillobox. 9 p.m. Bloomfield.

THE CLARKS. Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. 8:30 p.m. Warrendale.

HOLIDAY

THANKSGIVING TRADITION. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

8 p.m. Downtown.

POP CHRIS JAMISON. The Block Northway. 12 p.m. North Hills.

HIP HOP/R&B DYNASTY. Wolfie’s Pub. 8 p.m. Downtown.

ACOUSTIC CHRISTOPHER MARK JONES & THE ROOTS ENSEMBLE. Club Cafe. 7 p.m. South Side.

HOLIDAY LATSHAW POPS ORCHESTRA. Strand Theater.

8 p.m. Zelienople.

PUNK THE MENZINGERS. Roxian Theatre.

8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

FORTUNE COVE. Mr. Roboto Project. 7 p.m. Bloomfield.

BLUES MISS FREDDYE. NOLA On The Square.

8 p.m. Downtown.

ROCK WATERPARKS. Rex Theater. 7 p.m. South Side.

CRACKER. Moondog’s.

8:30 p.m. Blawnox.

ELECTRONIC SU BAYKAL, TABASHEER, DAVIS GALVIN. Hot Mass.

12 a.m. Downtown.

SUNDAY DEC. 1 HOLIDAY BRANSON ON THE ROAD. The Palace Theatre.

2 p.m. Greensburg.

pghcitypaper.com

FOLK

INTERNATIONAL

DEREK WARFIELD & THE YOUNG WOLFE TONES. Priory Hotel. 6 p.m. North Side.

WINDAFIRE. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center.

7 p.m. Downtown.

R&B

JAZZ

VINTAGE TROUBLE. Jergel’s Rhythm Grille.

8 p.m. Warrendale.

MONDAY DEC. 2 JAZZ HOWIE ALEXANDER TRIO. Con Alma. 5 p.m. Shadyside.

CLASSICAL NATHAN CARTERETTE. City of Asylum.

7:30 p.m. North Side.

TUESDAY DEC. 3

BRASS ROOTS AND THE PINE CREEK COMMUNITY BAND. Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. 2 p.m. Oakland.

ROCK

JAZZ

OUR LAST NIGHT. Rex Theater.

6:15 p.m. South Side.

THE BRAZILIAN SIDE OF BB3.

Con Alma. 5 p.m. Shadyside.

FULL LIST ONLINE

CROBOT. Crafthouse Stage & Grill.

7 p.m. Whitehall.

METAL

KENIA. Backstage Bar. 5 p.m. Downtown.

WEDNESDAY DEC. 4 ROCK PHISH. Petersen Events Center.

7:30 p.m. Oakland.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS. Roxian Theatre. 8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

OTHERWISE. Hard Rock Cafe.

8 p.m. South Side.

OLDIES BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS. The Palace Theatre. 8 p.m. Greensburg.

JAZZ BARNES GORDY WALSH TRIO. Club Cafe. 7 p.m. South Side.

ACOUSTIC POP EVIL. Crafthouse Stage & Grill.

8:30 p.m. Whitehall.

FUNK ZOO TRIPPIN. Arsenal Bowl.

10 p.m. Lawrenceville.

EXPERIENCE THE PEOPLES GAS HOLIDAY MARKET™ Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh

OPEN DAILY THROUGH DECEMBER 23 Don’t Miss Free Photos with Santa!

$1,000 Grand Prize Holiday Karaoke!

Finalists move on to the grand finale on December 23, when the winner goes home with a $1,000 grand prize.

Receive a free photo with Santa when you make a donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

DowntownPittsburgh.com/Holidays PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

31

THE ATTIC 513 Grant Avenue, Millvale

Record Store Day

Black Friday Friday, November 29th Open @ 8 A.M. 10% OFF New•20% OFF Used

Excludes RSD Titles

Questions? Call Us 412-821-8484

ATTICRECORDS@VERIZON.NET

PHOTO: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers and Matthew Rhys as fictional journalist Lloyd Vogel

.FILM.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HAT’S SMART ABOUT A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is that it’s built for both lifelong fans of Fred Rogers and his show as much as it’s built for non-believers.

You either grew up watching and loving Rogers on TV, carrying an even stronger admiration into adulthood, or, like me, you never watched or really even heard of Rogers growing up, and felt dissociated from the appeal.

This is how the film’s protagonist — who is not Rogers — feels. In 1998, journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys, who grew up in Wales and hadn’t heard of Rogers before the role) is a hardened magazine writer who takes pride in his investigative journalism, which has earned him a reputation as someone that subjects want to avoid.

In his personal life, he’s experiencing somewhat of a mental break, brought on by his struggle to find footing in new

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fatherhood and fresh conflicts with his estranged father. He’s distant to his wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson, quietly good) because he doesn’t know how to discuss his feelings, which metabolize into anger.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Directed by Marielle Heller

Enter Rogers (Tom Hanks, obviously a perfect fit), who’s built a career talking about feelings on his public television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on WQED. When Lloyd’s editor at Esquire assigns him a profile on Rogers for the magazine’s issue on heroes, he scoffs at the idea, both because he “doesn’t do” puff pieces and because he sees the guy as a hokey kids’-show host. (The film

and Lloyd are loosely based on an article written by journalist Tom Junod for Esquire in 1998.) His editor seems to know that working on the story will have a positive influence on Lloyd, whose face is still wounded from a recent fistfight with his father Jerry (Chris Cooper) at a family wedding.

The assignment brings Lloyd from New York to Pittsburgh to meet with Mr. Rogers, who in turn meets with Lloyd when he travels to New York.

They go back and forth a few times, and the cityscape B-roll footage usually employed to show geographic transitions in films is replaced with cityscape footage of a tiny model city. Instead of the real Pittsburgh, it’s a miniaturized city, with little cars crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge and little model planes moving through the sky, in a nod to the miniatures of the show’s set. It’s a cute feature for Pittsburghers to fawn over,

but it’s also one of the creative choices the film uses to liven up the structure of the story, which could have easily been blandly straightforward.

Much of the film is told through Lloyd’s eyes, who suspects the radical kindness of Rogers’ persona must be part of an act. He learns it’s not part of an act when he interviews Rogers, who turns the interview on Lloyd by asking deeply personal questions about his father, his childhood, his pain. Lloyd pushes away when he realizes he’s entered into something of a non-consensual therapy session, but returns when he finds he actually does need therapy. He has repeated nightmares of being trapped on the Mister Rogers set (children’s puppets lend themselves well to terror), but his waking nightmare is Rogers’ ability to see straight through him.

IN MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD ... ALL EMOTIONS ARE WORTH FEELING. Neighborhood, directed by Marielle Heller, is not a biopic about Fred Rogers, but a demonstration of how his show and his teaching worked, using Lloyd as a student. It even uses the format of the show to explain Lloyd’s problems to the audience, like interspersing a clip on “How to Make a Magazine” that introduces Lloyd, but also literally explain how a magazine is made.

Part of what makes the film work is that Lloyd does prod Rogers with difficult questions, stumping him at times.

He asks how Rogers handles the burden of constantly listening to other people’s problems, and how his kids handle the pressure of having a saint-like father. For Lloyd, the burden of life explodes outward, creating problems in his work and personal life. For Rogers, the burden is what fuels his work to better the world.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood doesn’t condescend to its audience by telling them one way to live is better. Instead, it tells us that there are no emotions so bad that they can’t be dealt with in productive ways. In Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood, and in Heller’s too, all emotions are worth feeling.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

33

.THEATER.

BACKSTAGE

BY LISSA BRENNAN CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JOIE KNOUSE

Nancy McNulty McGeever

NAME: Nancy McNulty McGeever, Forest Hills WORK: Dialect Coach for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Front Porch Theatricals, barebones productions, Kinetic Theatre, and City Theatre WHAT DOES A DIALECT COACH DO? Help shape two major things about an accent: accuracy of place and authenticity of sound. I structure a dialect that will bring everyone together to sound like they are from one world. It’s mostly based on place and geography, but social station is also a factor. There are lots of little nuances to help enrich the difference in characters.

WHAT PLACES HAVE YOU RECENTLY TAUGHT? Two countries in Africa, most of the U.K., some Eastern Europe, and almost every dialect in the United States.

DO YOU PREPARE PROJECT BY PROJECT? Even if I have a strong handle on a dialect, I do further research. Every region

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is different. Pittsburgh, for example, there isn’t just one Pittsburgh dialect. People have influences from Appalachia, around Ohio, the eastern part of the region. Every dialect deserves thorough research.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT? I utilize the internet because I’m not someone who has the luxury of being able to travel far and wide. I have to create a narrow search. I like to find daily police blotters. Remember on “CHiPs” when the chief of police would get up and say, “This is what we’re up against today”? Departments around the world will record those and/or broadcast them.

You get real, authentic local sounds.

I find public speakers — politicians, celebrities, teachers, motivational speakers. Then, I construct a comprehensive guideline of changes based off of Edith Skinner’s “Speak with Distinction” and her version of the international phonetic alphabet and neutral American speech.

With Americans who need to learn a foreign accent or even a different domestic accent, we standardize what the neutral sound should be. Because no one in

America actually has the neutral American sound, you only find it on TV and film. Everybody is from somewhere that has an influence, that has regionalism.

IS THIS HARD FOR ACTORS TO DO? Yes and no. It depends on whether you have an ear that is tuned to hearing subtle differences. I can tell you all day that what I’m hearing is one sound and to change it to another, but if you can’t hear the difference between the two, then there’s a disconnect.

DO DIALECTS TELL US MORE ABOUT PEOPLE THAN WHERE THEY’RE FROM? Sure. There’s a lot you can glean by listening to the way someone speaks: their educational level, their level of street smarts.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE? I love all the Irish regions, probably because of my Irish background. In my career, I have been cast more times than anything as Irish. I’ve played the Irish maid in probably 10 things and was able to explore different regions of

Ireland and have a pretty wide range of counties under my belt. Also Australian because those sounds are just — my American mouth doesn’t make the shapes, so it’s a real workout.

WHAT SHOULD AUDIENCE MEMBERS KNOW? More than just authenticity and accuracy of place, go into what ultimately makes for dialect work onstage. Artistic choices also affect the outcome. If the playwright gives clues that the character spent time with a relative or neighbor in their formative years, that could have influence.

Actors, directors, and coaches will come up with sound that addresses those circumstances and that background.

SO IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S CREATED COLLECTIVELY. It has to be a collaborative process. At the end of the day, it isn’t the coach up on stage. It has to be something organically shaped and molded by the actors themselves. Authenticity isn’t only about the dialect, it’s also about the actor — what they bring and how they bring it to life.

•

PHOTO: ANITA BUZZY PRENTIS

Winnie Frolik

.LITERATURE.

SARAH CROW

BY REGE BEHE // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE PROTAGONIST of Winnie Frolik’s

debut novel, Sarah Crow (One Idea Press), is something of an homage to the characters of the author’s literary heroines of the 1800s. Sarah is a governess in 19th-century England struggling with bleak romantic and financial prospects, mental health issues, and loneliness.

PITTSBURGH ARTS & LECTURES:

WINNIE FROLIK 6 p.m. Tue., Dec. 3. South Wing Reading Room at Carnegie Library Main, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. pittsburghlectures.org

“I love books from that era: the Brontes, Jane Austen, George Eliot,” says Frolik, who appears Tue., Dec. 3 as a guest of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ Made Local series. “I started doing a lot of research and completely lost myself in that era. I then took a stab at writing in the style of the era.”

What emerged is the story of Sarah Pole, orphaned at the age of 12, unwanted by her relatives and relegated to a boarding school to train as a governess.

She is deemed unattractive by her peers and teachers. Marriage, then a lifeline for many young women, seems an unlikely option for Sarah.

Frolik endows Sarah with a rich inner life, one capable of anything she desires despite her circumstances. But there’s another aspect to the character

that binds her to the author. Frolik is on the autism spectrum, and though it wasn’t diagnosed until college, and she was bullied in high school because she was perceived as different. Like Sarah, Frolik felt disenfranchised because no one recognized her condition.

“I ended up writing a heroine who is definitely treated as an outsider by her society because that’s what I’ve been in society,” Frolik says.

That identification with her protagonist helped Frolik flesh out the character.

Beyond that, Frolik, who also works as a pet-sitter and a freelance writer, isn’t sure if her condition matters.

“To be honest, I don’t know to what extent, my being on the spectrum affects my writing,” Frolik says. “I know I can be obsessive over my writing, and I’m told I have a distinct voice, but I don’t know whether that’s autism, authorism, or just me. I do know that being on the spectrum makes me partial to telling the stories of outsiders.”

Frolick did extensive research for Sarah Crow, and enlisted advice from the Madwomen in the Attic Writing Workshops attached to Carlow University.

Admitting the influence of Austen on the novel, Frolik says, “I tried to make it my own. But I was also having a little bit of fun at Jane’s expense. There’s this element of women living in the direst poverty, but they still had servants. That’s a rather strange concept of poverty, but what if you’re even lower than that?”

•

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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The 5th Judicial District of Pennsylvania and Allegheny

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.FOR THE WEEK OF NOV. 28

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County Pretrial Services urges IES

you to enjoy your weekend out in Pittsburgh but

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BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven was inclined to get deeply absorbed in his work. Even when he took time to attend to the details of daily necessity, he allowed himself to be spontaneously responsive to compelling musical inspirations that suddenly welled up in him. On more than a few occasions, he lathered his face with the 19th-century equivalent of shaving cream, then got waylaid by a burst of brilliance and forgot to actually shave. His servants found that amusing. I suspect that the coming weeks may be Beethoven-like for you, Sagittarius. I bet you’ll be surprised by worthy fascinations and subject to impromptu illuminations.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During the next 11 months, you could initiate fundamental improvements in the way you live from day to day. It’s conceivable you’ll discover or generate innovations that permanently raise your life’s possibilities to a higher octave.

At the risk of sounding grandiose, I’m tempted to predict that you’ll celebrate at least one improvement that is your personal equivalent of the invention of the wheel or the compass or the calendar.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn anything from history. Philosopher Georg Hegel said that. But I think you will have an excellent chance to disprove this theory in the coming months. I suspect you will be inclined and motivated to study your own past in detail; you’ll be skilled at drawing useful lessons from it; and you will apply those lessons with wise panache as you re-route your destiny.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his own time, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (18071882) was acclaimed and beloved. At the height of his fame, he earned $3,000 per poem. But modern literary critics think that most of what he created is derivative, sentimental, and unworthy of serious appreciation. In dramatic contrast is poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Her writing was virtually unknown in her lifetime, but is now regarded as among the best ever. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to sort through your own past so as to determine which of your work, like Longfellow’s, should be archived as unimportant or irrelevant, and which, like Dickinson’s, deserves to be a continuing inspiration as you glide into the future.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Humans invented the plow in 4,500 B.C., the wheel in 4,000 B.C., and writing in 3,400 B.C.. But long before that, by 6,000 B.C., they had learned how to brew beer and make psychoactive drugs from plants. Psychopharmacologist Ronald Siegel points to this evidence to support his hypothesis that the yearning to transform our normal waking consciousness is a basic drive akin to our need to eat and drink. Of course, there are many ways to accomplish this shift besides alcohol and drugs. They include dancing, singing, praying, drumming, meditating, and having sex.

What are your favorite modes? According to my astrological analysis, it’ll be extra important for you to alter your habitual perceptions and thinking patterns during the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What’s something you’re afraid of, but pretty confident you could become unafraid of? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to dismantle or dissolve that fear. Your levels of courage will be higher than usual, and your imagination will be unusually ingenious in devising methods and actions to free you of the unnecessary burden. Step one: Formulate an image or scene that symbolizes the dread, and visualize yourself blowing it up with a “bomb” made of a hundred roses.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The word “enantiodromia” refers to a phenomenon that occurs when a vivid form of expression turns into its opposite, often in dramatic fashion. Yang becomes yin; resistance transforms into welcome; loss morphs into gain. According to my reading

of the astrological omens, you Geminis are the sign of the zodiac that’s most likely to experience enantiodromia in the coming weeks. Will it be a good thing or a bad thing? You can have a lot of influence over how that question resolves. For best results, don’t fear or demonize contradictions and paradoxes.

Love and embrace them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are Americans who speak only one language, English, and yet imagine they are smarter than bilingual immigrants.

That fact amazes me, and inspires me to advise me and all my fellow Cancerians to engage in humble reflection about how we judge our fellow humans. Now is a favorable time for us to take inventory of any inclinations we might have to regard ourselves as superior to others; to question why we might imagine others aren’t as worthy of love and respect as we are; or to be skeptical of any tendency we might have dismiss and devalue those who don’t act and think as we do. I’m not saying we Cancerians are more guilty of these sins than everyone else; I’m merely letting you know that the coming weeks are our special time to make corrections. .

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

“Erotic love is one of the highest forms of contemplation,” wrote the sensually wise poet Kenneth Rexroth. That’s a provocative and profitable inspiration for you to tap into.

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re in the Season of Lucky Plucky Delight, when brave love can save you from wrong turns and irrelevant ideas; when the grandeur of amour can be your teacher and catalyst. If you have a partner with whom you can conduct these educational experiments, wonderful. If you don’t, be extra sweet and intimate with yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the follow-up story to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, our heroine uses a magic mirror as a portal into a fantastical land. There she encounters the Red Queen, and soon the two of them are holding hands as they run as fast as they can.

Alice notices that despite their great effort, they don’t seem to be moving forward. What’s happening? The Queen clears up the mystery: In her realm, you must run as hard as possible just to remain in the same spot. Sound familiar, Virgo? I’m wondering whether you’ve had a similar experience lately. If so, here’s my advice: Stop running. Sit back, relax, and allow the world to zoom by you. Yes, you might temporarily fall behind. But in the meantime, you’ll get fully recharged. No more than three weeks from now, you’ll be so energized that you’ll make up for all the lost time — and more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Most sane people wish there could be less animosity between groups that have different beliefs and interests.

How much better the world would be if everyone felt a generous acceptance toward those who are unlike them.

But the problem goes even deeper: Most of us are at odds with ourselves. Here’s how author Rebecca West described it: Even the different parts of the same person do not often converse among themselves, do not succeed in learning from each other. That’s the bad news, Libra. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to promote unity and harmony among all the various parts of yourself. I urge you to entice them to enter into earnest conversations with each other!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Poet Cecilia Woloch asks, “How to un-want what the body has wanted, explain how the flesh in its wisdom was wrong?”

Did the apparent error occur because of some “some ghost in the mind?” she adds. Was it due to “some blue chemical rushing the blood” or “some demon or god”? I’m sure that you, like most of us, have experienced this mystery. But the good news is that in the coming weeks you will have the power to un-want inappropriate or unhealthy experiences that your body has wanted. Step one: Have a talk with yourself about why the thing your body has wanted isn’t in alignment with your highest good.

Go to realastrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700

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Sponsored by

EARLY WARNINGS SPONSORED UPCOMING EVENTS FROM CITY PAPER’S FINE ADVERTISERS

WED., DEC. 11TH CONVEY 7:30 P.M. HARD ROCK CAFÉ, STATION SQUARE.18+. $16.66-$18.72.

412-481-ROCK or ticketfly.com.

WED., DEC. 11TH KADAVER 7 P.M. SPIRIT HALL, LAWRENCEVILLE. All Ages .$16. 412-586-4441 or ticketmaster.

WED., DEC. 11TH MORBID ANGEL/WATAIN

WED., DEC. 11TH CEELO GREEN

8 P.M. THE REX THEATER, SOUTHSIDE. All Ages. $30.

412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

WED., DEC. 11TH CEELO GREEN

JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD.

6 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD. Under 21 with Guardian. $36-$127. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., DEC. 13TH SINGLE MOTHERS AT THE FUNHOUSE

THU. DEC. 12TH HORSE JUMPER OF LOVE

8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. All Ages. $12.

412-421-4447 or mrsmalls.com.

8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. All Ages $10.

412-421-4447 or mrsmalls.com.

THU. DEC. 12TH WADE COTA W/ THE JACKS 7 P.M. HARD ROCK CAFÉ, STATION SQUARE. Under 21 with Guardian. $12.

412-481-ROCK or ticketfly.com.

FRI., DEC. 13TH THE INFERNAL 25 SCREEN MACHINE, SPACE TUBES & STALAG-LIGHTS 8 P.M. REDFISH BOWL STUDIOS, LAWRENCEVILLE. 18+. Free. redfishbowl.com

FRI., DEC. 13TH WINTER WONDERLAND AT THE CMOA 7 P.M. CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART, OAKLAND. 21+ only. $25.

412-622-3131 or cmoa.org.

FRI., DEC. 13TH SNOWFLAKE FESTIVAL 2019 6 P.M. SOERGEL ORCHARDS, WEXFORD. All Ages. Free.

724-935-1743 or soergels.com

eventbrite.com or barcrawlnation.com

SAT., DEC. 14TH KIX 6 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD. Under 21 with Guardian. $28-$45. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

SAT., DEC. 14TH STANDARD BROADCAST W/ ESSENTIAL MACHINE

SUN., DEC. 15TH CRAFTS AND DRAFTS

8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. All Ages. $8. 412-421-4447 or mrsmalls.com.

12 P.M. EAST END BREWING, HOMEWOOD. All ages Free.

412-537-2337 or eastendbrewing.com

FRI., DEC. 13TH THE GET UP KIDS 6:30 P.M. THE REX THEATER, SOUTHSIDE. All Ages. $22.

412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

SAT., DEC. 14TH I MADE IT! MARKET LAST MINUTE SHOPPING 10 A.M. THE BLOCK NORTHWAY, ROSS. All Ages Free.

412-254-4464 or imadeitmarket.com

SAT., DEC. 14TH KILL TONY 6 P.M. THE REX THEATER, SOUTHSIDE. All Ages. $25-$28.

412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

SAT., DEC. 14TH PITTSBURGH SANTA-PALOOZA 4 P.M. EAST CARSON STREET, SOUTHSIDE. 21+ only. $18-$23.

SUN., DEC. 15TH CHRIS TRAPPER 8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. All Ages. $15. 412-421-4447 or mrsmalls.com.

MON., DEC. 16TH HELLOGOODBYE (SOLO) 7 P.M. SMILING MOOSE, SOUTHSIDE. All Ages. $14. 412-431-4668 or ticketfly.com.

TUES., DEC. 17TH HOLIDAY BEER AND CHEESE PAIRING 6:30 P.M. ROUNDABOUT BREWERY, LAWRENCEVILLE. 21+ only. $30.

412-621-0540 or roundaboutbeer.com

TUES., DEC. 17TH RATT 6 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD. Under 21 with Guardian. $42.75-$59.75. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

FOR UPCOMING ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS EVENTS, LOG ONTO WWW.ALLEGHENYPARKS.COM PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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SEVEN DAYS OF ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT R NE COM OU NLI ER. AD O AP RE IEWTYP V I RE GHC P AT

^ Thu., Nov. 28: Trumpet to the Tulips

THURSDAY NOV. 28

ART “Every once in a while, one should do a completely crazy experiment, like blowing the trumpet to the tulips every morning for a month.

Probably nothing would happen, but what if it did?” This quote by Sir George Darwin serves as the inspiration for Trumpet to the Tulips, the latest exhibition at SPACE Gallery. The show includes paintings done collaboratively by

curator Kristen Letts Kovak, Sarah Jacobs, and Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann. Continues through March 15, 2020. 812 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts.org

FRIDAY NOV. 29

ART Bunker Projects presents Cerberus Milk, a solo exhibition

by Amanda Struver that plays on the intoxicating power of TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms that promise to

make anyone a star. The exhibit “internalizes notions of myth, idol, and acts of identifying as the most current way of reimagining yourself to ‘be anything you want to be.’” The show features sculptures and performances that tell the story of Shimmer, Struver’s online alter-ego that interprets pop songs of love, power, hopes, and dreams. Continues through Fri., Dec. 13. 5106 Penn Ave., Garfield. bunkerprojects.org

FILM French film By the Grace of God, opening at Harris Theater, is a drama reckoning with abuse within the Catholic Church. When

three men who grew up in the same town learn that the priest who abused them as children is still employed by the church, difficult memories come to the surface.

They embark on a mission to challenge the church and expose their abuser, but not without facing hurdles from authority and family. Various showtimes. Continues through Thu., Dec. 5. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $7-8. cinema.pfpca.org

STAGE It’s been over 150 years since French peasant Jean Valjean was first jailed for stealing a loaf of bread. After the protagonist in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel CONTINUES ON PG. 40

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

39

CALENDAR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 38

PHOTO: BRENDON J. HAWKINS

^ Wed., Dec. 4: Show Up

was brought to the stage nearly 40 years ago, Les Misérables has gone on to become one of the longest-running musicals in the world. And for good reason. While the incredible story of revolution, heartbreak, and sacrifice is set in 19th-century France, it still resonates today, and is backed by an epic score. For those who have seen the play before, this PNC Broadway stop will feature new staging and reimagined scenery. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Dec. 1. Benedum Center, 803 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $78-165. trustarts.org

growing up in America with parents who don’t speak English — all newsworthy topics handled with refreshing ease and humor. Esparza has been in the business since 1994 but got a significant profile boost in 2010 with a win on Last Comic Standing. The dude’s got a laid back charisma that’s hard not to like; treat yourself to some YouTube or Spotify clips then catch one of his sets at Pittsburgh Improv. 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Continues through Sun., Dec. 1. Pittsburgh Improv, 166 E. Bridge St., Homestead. $20-70. improv.com/pittsburgh

COMEDY

SYMPHONY

Felipe Esparza’s jokes are deceptively simple, delivered without elaborate setups and with quick payoffs. “My family, we came here illegally, fair and square,” he says on his 2018 special Translate This, which focuses primarily on his MexicanAmerican heritage, immigration, and

Sure, you could veg out on the couch after stuffing your face with leftover turkey and mashed potatoes, but then you’d miss out on the opportunity to shed a few calories by dancing in your seat to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing “Pizzicato Polka.” More of a waltz fan? Sit back and

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enjoy “Seid Umschlungen, Millionen.”

Celebrate the long holiday weekend with the Strauss family at Thanksgiving Tradition, including an upbeat assortment of waltzes and polkas, featuring a special performance by acclaimed cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan.

8 p.m. Also 2:30 p.m. Sun., Dec. 1.

Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $20-98. pittsburghsymphony.org

COMEDY Two can’t-miss comedy shows happening at Arcade Comedy Theater: First, a BYOB and BYOP (bring your own props) night for PROPosterous, the comedy troupe’s all-prop short form improv show. Then, the venue welcomes New York comedian and writer Mike Lemme for a night of stand-up with local funny people Ian McIntosh and Amanda Averell. Lemme has toured internationally in Australia and in Europe, where he tested the bounds of comedy performance by renting out conference

rooms in various countries and engaging curious strangers. Make a night of it. 8 p.m.

943 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $12 for each show. arcadecomedytheater.com

SATURDAY NOV. 30

BEER Abjuration Brewing celebrates its second birthday with six new beers. Head to the brewery for a taste of three brews from the Unit Testing Program, a multi-version taproom-only release that tests infusions, blends, serving styles, and more. For this cake-day test, Abjuration is playing with oat milk and sugary cereals. Can releases include a smoothie style sour and a vanilla oak Belgian. 1-9 p.m. 644 Broadway Ave., McKees Rocks. abjurationbrewing.com

PHOTO: ED DEARMITT

^ Fri., Nov. 29: Thanksgiving Tradition

DRAG In March, local drag star Princess Jafar brought her show, Princess Jafar Tonite!, to Kelly Strayhorn Theater for two sold out nights of comedy, music, guests, and games. Following up that successful run, she’s hosting The Princess Jafar Hour for two nights this weekend: first, with special guest Gia Gunn (RuPaul’s Drag Race) at Club Cafe on Saturday, then at BOOM Concepts on Sunday with JakeyonceTV for a new gossip show that promises “Pittsburgh’s answer to The View.” 10 p.m. Club Cafe, 56 S. 12th St., >

Fri., Nov. 29: Felipe Esparza

South Side. $20. clubcafelive.co; 8 p.m. Sun., Nov. 1. BOOM Concepts, 5139 Penn Ave., Garfield. $10. “Princess Jafar” on Facebook

SUNDAY DEC. 1

Featuring all handmade vendors!

ART World AIDS Day is a time to raise awareness and honor and mourn those who lost their lives. The Andy Warhol Museum will host a day of programming, featuring STILL BEGINNING, a col collection of short films that brings complex complexity and nuance to the topic. In a response to the exhibit Andy Warhol: Revelation, artist Jordan Eagles will show off his piece pi s a light instillation a Illuminations, and wit blood projection piece made in part with donate from people in the LGBTQ Sa community. 10 a.m.- 5p.m. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. Included with mu museum admission, $10-20. warhol.org

Tis’ the season!

Shop local, shop handmade!

MONDAY DEC. 2

SaturDAY 12/7 • 10AM-5PM LIT

Being a photographer fo for the president is a pretty pre cool job. Sorry, not the th current president. preside The last one, who knew k how to smile. Join Mystery M Lovers Bookshop Booksh for an event with Lawrence Law Jackson, who worked w as an official White House CONTINUES ON PG. 42 CONTINUE

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 249 BANQUET HALL 4701 Butler St., 15201 440-227-8794 A portion of proceeds wilL benefit Girls on the Run

Admission is $3, children under 12 are free.

avantgardeshows.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

41

CALENDAR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 41

PHOTO: MUSIC BOX FILMS

^ Fri., Nov. 29: By the Grace of God

photographer for the eight years of the Obama administration. Jackson will discuss his book, Yes We Did, filled with historic and personal moments of the Obama family.

7 p.m. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont.

Reservations requested. mysterlovers.com Mon., Dec. 2: > Dr. Matthew Lamanna

SCIENCE Everybody knows the big names in paleontology — Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor — but what about lesser-known species?

Dr. Matthew Lamanna, the principal dinosaur researcher at the Carnegie Science Center, has spent the past two decades searching for Titanosaurus fossils, one of the most diverse and abundant Southern species. Among the findings is the most complete Titanosaur fossil ever discovered.

Hear about this and more from Dr. Lamanna himself at the Science Center’s Café Scientifique. 7 p.m. 1 Allegheny Ave., North Side. carnegiesciencecenter.org

TUESDAY DEC. 3

ART Local artist/musician Windafire will take you on a musical journey around the world with Sonic

42

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Excursions at the Trust Arts Education Center.

Inspired by a trip to the International Congress of Youth Voices in Puerto Rico this summer, where the 16-year-old met delegates speaking many different languages in addition to English, the show includes nine songs performed in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Swahili, and English. 7 p.m. 805 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Registration required. trustarts.org

WEDNESDAY DEC. 4

PHOTOS The Mattress Factory celebrates the completion of Show Up, a photography exhibition

by Pittsburgh-based artist Brendon J. Hawkins, with a reception in the lobby of the museum’s main building.

Hawkins uses a series of photographs to create a story following several subjects, Corrine, Mathias, Sovren, Sincere, Nathan, and Amina, as they explore the Mattress Factory. The show is about “embracing the right to be — anywhere” and making one’s presence known, “not just to be seen or heard, but also to participate.” 6-8 p.m. 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side. Registration required. mattress.org •

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IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-015615, In re petition of Melissa Perhac parent and legal guardian of Asher Ryan Strom, for change of name to Asher Ryan Perhac. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 12th day of December, 2019, 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

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-15042. In re petition of Lena Clara Borushko for change of name to Lena Clara Guthrie. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 23rd day of December, 2019, 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

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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on December 17, 2019, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for: PGH. BEECHWOOD PRE-K Floor Replacement General and Asbestos Abatement Primes PGH. LANGLEY K-8 Pneumatic Tubing Replacement Mechanical Prime PGH. STERRET 6-8 Exterior Door Replacement General and Asbestos Abatement Primes PGH. PIONEER Replace Electrical Power Distribution System General and Electrical Primes PGH. MILLIONES 6-12 Unit Ventilator Replacement Mechanical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on October 7, 2019 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable.

Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

43

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SPINNING PLATES

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ACROSS 1. Shirt and tie, e.g.

5. Makes a decision (to) 9. “I’m through with this IM,” briefly 13. Lake that’s becomes another common crossword answer with either an A or an E in its front 14. Bathtub toy 15. Macy’s rival 16. Beret holder 17. Tomato’s home 18. Supercomputer that’s partially in the Smithsonian 19. Acela full of teddy insides?

22. “Got it!”

23. Rowing machine muscle 24. Opening band’s allotment 27. Candidate who receives 0% of the vote?

31. Carry a mortgage, say 32. Champ’s sign 33. Type 34. Laser printer maker 37. Last letter to The Guardian 38. Burn myrrh, e.g.

40. Thug’s piece 41. Christmas decoration 42. Grp. with a lot of rim shots?

43. Extra money

embedded among a haystack?

50. Trudie ___ (movie producer who’s married to Sting) 51. Giant Mel 52. In the manner of 53. Is in doubt ... or screws up a November holiday, no thanks to you!

57. Well rounded?

59. Share the load 60. Calendar opening 61. Prime Minister Johnson 62. 1847 travel novel whose title means “wanderer” 63. Passeddown stories 64. Something to build on 65. “Ad Astra” star 66. Shorn females

DOWN 1. Scores roughly 85% 2. Franklin of soul 3. Baptism or bris 4. Intra-posse fight 5. Anticipate and prevent and unnecessary action 6. End of many theoretical trips 7. Zesty flavor 8. “Forget this correction” 9. More aristocratic 10. Trait of the

easily offended 11. Perennial swing st.

12. Presidential advisory grp.

15. 2016 Key & Peele comedy 20. Traveled by plane 21. Without thinking 25. Aquarium residents in dark tanks 26. Little one 28. Portsmouth pisser 29. Out and out 30. Put a line through 34. Pie-maker’s ingredients 35. Hair line?

36. “Don’t move” 37. White wine, for short

38. “Bull” network 39. Gobble (gobble!)

41. Company 42. Nasal cavity cleaning contraption 44. Big name in pickles 45. Approving words 46. Spot for slopping 47. Was in need for recharging 48. Politician who organized the “24 Hours of Reality” 49. Doesn’t use every piece, say 54. Waffle House rival 55. Postseason game 56. Key in the water 57. Delivery specialists, for short 58. Hit on the head LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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45

PEEPSHOW A sex and social justice column

BY JESSIE SAGE // PEEPSHOWCAST@GMAIL.COM

W

ITH THE SEASON changing

and the temperatures dropping, many of us find ourselves changing our habits. We pull out the warm clothes, start to eat comfort foods, and prepare for the holidays.

But do our habits or attitudes around sex and dating also change? Many folks have suggested that, in fact, they change so drastically that we need a name to describe the phenomenon: cuffing season.

The term itself references metaphorically handcuffing yourself to another person or coupling up for the winter when you otherwise wouldn’t be motivated to do so. Fetish model and phone sex operator Felicia Fisher describes cuffing season as “the several-month period where it starts getting cold out [and] people who are single are sick of mingling start looking for someone to be with over the cold months.”

Fisher says that she recognizes her own desire to cuff at this time of year.

She says, “I have noticed a trend where, in September-October, I tend to find myself either on dating apps or ‘settling down,’ so to speak, with someone.”

She adds that she doesn’t feel alone in this. “I’ve also noticed people seem to be more eager to either get into a relationship or are looking for someone to spend time on, you know, being more eager to stay up late chatting or

“... I HAVE THE URGE TO JOIN DATING APPS AGAIN AND FIND SOMEONE TO BE COZY WITH WHICH SEEMS TO CREEP UP EACH YEAR AROUND NOVEMBER.” planning dates or whatever.”

Adult film actress Fit Sid has similar feelings. She says, “I’ve been very content focusing on myself for the past few months and now I have the urge to join dating apps again and find someone to be cozy with which seems to creep up each year around November.”

As adult performers, both Sid and Fisher have also recognized changes

in sales during cuffing season. Fisher says, “I did notice a jump in video sales for the end of the year (OctoberDecember).” Sid has the same experience.

She says, “I feel like people during the holidays are more willing to purchase clips and support the girls and guys they love. … It’s as if they want to cuff the models behind the screen virtually to feel secure during the season.” How-

ever, Fisher points out that one-on-one interactions like phone sex are down during the season, which she attributes to customers being more likely to be involved in relationships.

Fisher also worked in a sex-toy shop for five years and noticed a change in customer habits. “I feel like around September, October, we would start seeing an influx of couples coming in, then it would die down for a little and ramp up around the end of January/all of February for Valentine’s! I feel like we saw a lot more people there for solo items in the couple weeks following Valentine’s onwards for whatever reason — maybe the relationship didn’t work out?”

Solae Dehvine, CEO and Founder of Dehvine Publishing and author of a book about cuffing season, says that the phenomenon isn’t simply about romance, there is an economic component.

“I think some homeless and transient lovers use cuffing season as a means of survival and that isn’t the context in which I see people publicly talking about cuffing season,” she says.

“Cuffing season is [also] about resources and financial aspirations.”

Winter is harsh, especially in this part of the country. While the concept of cuffing season is new to me, it makes sense that people would be more likely to seek some refuge during these frigid months.

•

JESSIE SAGE IS CO-HOST OF THE PEEPSHOW PODCAST AT PEEPSHOWPODCAST.COM. HER COLUMN PEEPSHOW IS EXCLUSIVE TO PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @PEEP_CAST. HAVE A SEX QUESTION YOU’RE TOO AFRAID TO ASK? ASK JESSIE! EMAIL INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM. QUESTIONS MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR AN UPCOMING COLUMN.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOV. 27-DEC. 4, 2019

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