May 27 Wednesday
August Wilson’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning masterwork unfolds in 1936 Pittsburgh, where the Charles family struggles over an heirloom piano carved with the faces of their enslaved ancestors. Boy Willie arrives from Mississippi, determined to sell it to claim his future, while his sister Berniece guards the instrument as a sacred altar to their history. As their clash intensifies, the ghosts of the past begin to stir, forcing a reckoning with a legacy they can neither sell nor escape. PSF is proud to present this production directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames (Fat Ham).
May 28 Thursday
The great American swing dance band led by the legendary Glenn Miller was formed in 1938. Known for their smooth, flowing melodies and repetitive rhythmic patterns, the band achieved immense popularity with hit songs like “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” Of the 121 charting singles by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, 69 were Top Ten hits and 16 reached number one.
Glenn Miller was one of the most successful of all dance bandleaders back in the Swing Era of the 1930s and 40s. He disbanded his musical organization in 1942 at the height of its popularity to volunteer for the Army. There, he organized and led the famous Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. On December 15, 1944, Major Miller took off in a single engine plane from Europe to precede his band to France, disappearing over the English Channel, never to be seen again. With the release of the major motion movie The Glenn Miller Story featuring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in 1954, interest and popular demand led the Miller Estate to authorize the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra. On June 6, 1956, the reformed Glenn Miller Orchestra performed its first concert and has been on the road ever since.
Today, the 18-member ensemble continues to play many of the original arrangements both from the civilian band and the Army Air Force Band libraries. Additionally, it also plays some more modern selections arranged and performed in the Miller style and sound. Today, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with Erik Stabnau as the orchestra’s present music director, is still the most sought-after big band in the world.
May 29 Friday
May 30 Saturday
Drop-in to the Art Ways Interactive Family Gallery on the second floor of the Museum every Saturday and Sunday to make your own art to take home during ArtVentures. Museum educators are on hand to help guide you in creating an artwork inspired by the Museum’s collection. Design your own creation and bring it to life on one of our 3D printers. All ages and abilities welcome! Free.
THREE AMERICAN TROUBADOURS features Lisa Sherman, a Broadway veteran who has shared the stage with Broadway royalty, renowned vocalist and actress Sylvana Joyce, and the gifted singer and guitarist James Gedeon, whose interpretation of James Taylor is genuinely remarkable. The band members have performed with such notable acts as The E Street Band, Loggins & Messina, Bon Jovi, South Side Johnny, America, Billy Joel, and many more.
May 31 Sunday
Jun 01 Monday