Thu., Jan. 19 — Stage
Known for its expert renderings of Shakespeare classics, Pittsburgh Public Theater essays one of the Bard's most popular comedies. As You Like It drops the perennial girl-disguised-as-boy trope into the iconic Forest of Arden, where country folk mix with royalty and Orlando befriends Ganymede (a.k.a. Rosalind). Set in the Edwardian era, this Ted Pappas-directed production features Shakespeare's many songs set to original music by composer Michael Moricz. Gretchen Egolf plays Rosalind and Christian Conn is Orlando, with Anderson Matthew as the melancholy philosopher Jacques and Doug Harmsen as the jester Touchstone. The first performance is tonight. Bill O'Driscoll 8 p.m. Show continues through Feb. 19. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $15-55. 412-316-1600 or www.ppt.org
Thu., Jan. 19 — Stage
Kuntu Repertory Theatre offers the first local production in several years of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The 1982 drama — later the Broadway award-winner that put playwright August Wilson on the national theater map — takes place at a Chicago recording session with the iconic 1920s blues singer and her band. The show is staged at a new venue for Kuntu — the Carnegie Library in Homewood — and the first performance is tonight. BO Show continues through Feb. 4. 7101 Hamilton Ave., Homewood. $5-20. 412-624-7298 or www.ProArtsTickets.org
Thu., Jan. 19 — Stage
For its first full production, a new theater company offers a Pittsburgh premiere. 12 Peers Theater bows with The Weird, a spoof of horror movies by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, whose screenwriting credits include TV's Big Love and Glee. These six one-act plays, hosted by a Cryptkeeper-style MC, include "Insect Love" and "The Ten-Minute Play About Rosemary's Baby"; zombies, vampires and a knife-wielding maniac also figure in. For a free taste of 12 Peers, attend the troupe's Jan. 22 staged reading of two plays by acclaimed British playwright Graham Farrow, also at Grey Box Theatre. BO The Weird: 8 p.m. (Show continues through Jan. 29). Farrow readings: 7 p.m. Sun., Jan. 22. 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $10-15. 412-496-2194 or www.12peerstheater.org
Fri., Jan. 20 — Comedy
"Everyone knows how the MSNBC after-party works: President Obama makes the Kool-Aid and everyone there drinks it," joked comedian and keynote speaker, Seth Meyers, during last year's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Tonight, the Saturday Night Live fixture performs a night of standup at the Byham Theater. The New Hampshire native and professed Steelers fan has enjoyed more than a decade on the late-night staple, where he's currently head writer and anchorman for mock news report "Weekend Update." Amy Kuhre 8 p.m. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $35.75. 412-456-6666 or www.trustarts.org
Fri., Jan 20 — Music
Joe Negri has established a long tradition of musical mentorship and performance. The jazz guitarist best known as a regular on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood visits Manchester Craftmen's Guild Jazz tonight to perform with New York-based vocalist Calabria Foti. And that's just the preliminary for International Guitar Night, featuring top touring acoustic guitarists from around the world, including Brian Gore, Adrian Legg, Lulo Reinhardt and Macro Pereira. AK 9:30 p.m. (The 7 p.m. show is sold out.) 1815 Metropolitan St., North Side. $45. 412-323-4000 or www.mcgjazz.org
Sat., Jan. 21 — Art
Artistic thought has long influenced science; today, thanks to the Internet and other shared tools, more artists can do science, too. That's the theme of Intimate Science, a new Miller Gallery show featuring international artists working where art, science and technology meet. Guest curator Andrea Grover showcases artists from Tokyo (BCL), London (Markus Kayser), Seattle (Allison Kudla), Pittsburgh (Center for PostNatural History) and more, all demonstrating the impact of networked communication and open-source culture. The show, which will tour nationally, opens to the public here today. BO Noon-6 p.m. Exhibit continues through March 4. Carnegie Mellon University campus, Oakland. Free. 268-3618 or www.cmu.edu/millergallery
Sun., Jan. 22 — Words
Sixth-grader Nate Wright has good intentions for adventures that usually land him in detention. His creator, cartoonist Lincoln Peirce, introduced Big Nate in a comic strip in 1991. Since then, the Maine resident has released five compilations, seguing into a book series beginning with 2010's Big Nate: In a Class By Himself. The syndicated strip's subject matter often garners comparisons to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Peirce himself visits Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures' Black, White and Read All Over series today, at Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. AK 2 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $10. 412-622-8866 or www.pittsburghlectures.org
Sun., Jan. 22 — Music
Soprano Kelly Lynch is a local favorite for everything from her roles with Undercroft Opera and her faculty posts at Chatham and Seton Hill universities to her position in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir. Today, Lynch makes her debut with that church's Music in a Great Space Concert Series. Accompanied by Walter Morales, she's slated to sing works by Messiaen, Handel and Strauss, a Verdi aria and more. BO 4 p.m. 5121 Westminster Place, Shadyside. $5-10 (free for students and children). 412-682-4300 or www.shadysidepres.org
Sun., Jan. 22 — Stage
For nine years, Dreams of Hope has brought together LGBTQ youths and adult arts mentors to create new performance works and bring them to community stages, from churches to high schools. Today, the troupe offers a preview performance of this season's show, Being In, Being OUT. These lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and friends, ages 12 to 21, use spoken word, movement, drama, percussion and song to explore the theme of belonging. The show's at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, and admission is free. BO 4 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. www.dreamsofhope.org
Sun., Jan. 22 — Art
Soup plus microgrants for artists is a cozy and community-minded combination for a winter's evening, as grassroots fundraiser Soup N' At returns to the Brew House. For a donation of $10, attendees receive a meal of homemade soup and a ballot. The ballot is for selecting among artists who'll make proposals for projects they want to have funded by the event's proceeds. Grants have ranged from $500-$1,000. Previous winners have included four Romanian exchange students who wrote and performed a play at a local venue. The meal is BYOB, though beer is available with an additional donation. BO 6-8 p.m. 2100 Mary St., South Side. soupnat.wordpress.com
Wed., Jan. 25 — Stage
University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre presents a two-week showcase of new works by students and alumni. The New Play Festival includes three one-acts each week. First up: Ben Kaye's "This Is How I Want It, And This Is How It Will Be," concerning a man facing Earth's apocalypse; Moira Quigley's "Bend Down My Strange Face," depicting a woman's family struggles; and Fred Pelzer's "Random Acts of Violence," which examines modern relationships. The shows open tonight at Studio Theatre, in the Cathedral of Learning. Week two features three other new plays. AK 8 p.m. Shows continue through Feb. 5. 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. $8-12. 412-624-7529 or www.play.pitt.edu
Wed., Jan. 25 — Film
Cyclists in Race Across America face sleep deprivation, hallucinations and possible hospitalization during the 3,000-mile, 10-day ride from California to New Jersey. Filmmaker Stephen Auerbach's 2009 documentary Bicycle Dreams chronicles the annual event. Competitors require assistance teams, helping cyclists on and off bikes after 30-hour rides. The film, which won best feature at the 2009 Yosemite Film Festival, premieres locally tonight at South Side Cinema Works. BikePGH co-sponsors the event to benefit Team Citius Junior Development Cycling, providing programs for young cyclists. AK 7 p.m. 425 Cinema Drive, South Side. $11-15. 412-381-7335 or www.imathlete.com/events/bicycledreams