Vol. 23, No. 44
Roads of Arabia offers a regional history that might surprise you
Artifacts reveal an Arabian Peninsula with a diverse and cosmopolitan urban culture dating back millennia
By Nadine Wasserman
A school art program yields a fascinating photo exhibit
Kids' self-portraits are the focus in HOLDUP in the HOOD
By Bill O'Driscoll
Grade Scale: PPS, union at odds over teacher-evaluation standards
"The intent is protecting teachers, the effect would be protecting ineffective teachers."
By Rebecca Nuttall
City Council weighs in on school closures
Former grad student's proposed transit map goes viral
"The point isn't really, ‘Is this feasible or not?' The point is to start conversations"
By Alex Zimmerman
Boxed Up
Brainstorming
Taking the bus can provide lots to think about
By Tami Dixon
Voodoo Brewery works its magic all the way from Meadville
"I saw the opportunity to take my years of knowledge and do something with it."
By Hal B. Klein
Biryani
An Indo-American menu offers fresh takes on burgers, fries and chicken
By Angelique Bamberg and Jason Roth
Local farms offer rare apple varieties
"People need to be adventuresome. You'd be surprised what's out there."
By Jessica Server
The Pittsburgh Public Market re-opens in its new and improved space
"It's just a better place to grow in."
By Charlie Deitch
Broncho's garage punk is smart, but not too smart
Can't Get Past the Lips is old-school, but not nostalgic, it's snotty but not spiteful, it's immature but not stupid
By Andy Mulkerin
A cemetery job serves as inspiration for Shaky Shrines' dark psychedelic music
"We take that '60s mentality, then combine that with people's everyday paranoias."
Jenny Hval's fourth album mixes pop components with unorthodox structures
Hval shocks by wryly describing the seemingly mundane
By Ian Thomas
Chris Rattie moves on from his major-label experience and writes from the heart
"As I get a little further away from it, I really wouldn't trade any of those experiences."
By Margaret Welsh
Critics' Picks: October 30 - November 5
Local shows by BEACH, Luke Temple and Church of Misery, plus the Pittsburgh Songwriters Circle releases its annual compilation
University of Pittsburgh Stages' Venus
Venus is more pageantry than play
By Michelle Pilecki
The Zero Hour at Off the Wall
It's a chance to enjoy two amazingly talented women as a range of characters.
War of the Worlds at Bricolage
The propulsion of the story keeps you riveted from beginning to end
By Ted Hoover
Throughline Theatre's The Farnsworth Invention
Liam Macik is brilliant as David Sarnoff, one of the first media moguls in America
By F. J. Hartland
A new theater company launches with a provocative British play
"The play is so accessible because of the humor."
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen's ambitious docudrama casts its lens on slavery in America
By Al Hoff
The Counselor
If your taste in crime dramas runs toward philosophizing gangsters, you should find this A-list ensemble piece penned by Cormac McCarthy satisfying
Bad Grandpa
The usual round of pranks and gross-outs captured by hidden camera, plus a heartwarming message about family
Last Vegas
A by-the-number comedy trip to Sin City with four slumming actors
Savage Love
Surprises are generally unwelcome when it comes to sex, and especially to sex work.
Lynn Cullen Live 10/30/13
Audio & Video Archive
Lynn Cullen Live 10/31/13
Lynn Cullen Live 11/01/13
Lynn Cullen Live 11/04/13
Lynn Cullen Live 11/05/13
Short List: October 30 - November 5
By Mars Johnson
Pittsburgh’s street trees are free upon request. So why do they often go to the city’s wealthiest residents?
By James Paul
Sophie Masloff seldom talked about her childhood. Were seedy family ties the reason?
By David S. Rotenstein
Mrs. Soffel was a cougar who might still haunt The Shiloh Gastro, pining for her Biddle brothers boy toy
By Rachel Wilkinson
The cassette-tape comeback has reached Pittsburgh's record stores
By Ethan Beck
