Maree ReMalia: WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER, October 23 and 24 at Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater will present "Maree ReMalia: WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER" on October 23 and 24.

What happens when karaoke becomes a way to express grief, memory, and joy?

Set in a “karaoke-funeral-lounge”, WOWEO follows Korean adoptee and ballerina-turned-experimental dance-maker Maree ReMalia as she navigates the grief of losing a parent who raised her and the absence of a parent she never met. Blending dance, storytelling, and pop music, this solo performance explores the longing to understand where we come from. It honors both the pain of early separation and the deep bonds we form with family beyond blood ties.

Sing, laugh, and journey with us as WOWEO asks: How can we hold grief and memory while still making room for joy, connection, and new ways forward?

Audience will be seated on stage. Late entry and re-entry will not be permitted for this production. 

*with post-show discussion
⁺ with ASL interpretation
^ karaoke afterparty with Liana Maneese

Photo Credit: Kitoko Chargois

The shows are 7:30 pm on Friday the 23rd and 2:30 and 7:30 pm on Saturday the 24th. Tickets are available online. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Ave. in East Liberty (map).  

Mei Semones performing in Pittsburgh, May 8, 2027.

Mei Semones will perform in Pittsburgh on May 8, 2027.

At 26, the Brooklyn-based Japanese American guitarist and singer-songwriter — already named an Artist to Watch by The New York Times and Stereogum, and Artist You Need to Know byRolling Stone and The FADER — has developed a sound that brings together jazz, bossa nova, samba and grungy math rock without treating any of them as separate worlds. Her bilingual songwriting works in much the same way. Few songwriters weave between languages as naturally as Semones does, slipping between English and Japanese within the same song —sometimes the same line — and letting both languages become part of the music itself. As she puts it, writing in both languages “felt more true to myself.”

A fuller biography is available on her website. Doors for the all-ages show at Spirit open at 7:00 pm and the show starts at 8:00. Tickets are available online. Spirit is located at 242 51st St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to present "Distant Worlds: Music from FINAL FANTASY," July 31, 2027.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform "Distant Worlds: Music from FINAL FANTASY" on July 31, 2027.

FINAL FANTASY 40th Anniversary Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY – Eternal

Were you there forty years ago when the “Prelude” played for the first time? Were you there thirty years ago when “Opening - Bombing Mission” first brought players to Midgar? Whether your adventures started in Cornelia, Eorzea, Valisthea, or elsewhere, we invite you and your fellow warriors of light to continue your journey with this new concert series.

Our special 40th anniversary program celebrates the enduring music of Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yoko Shimomura, and Masayoshi Soken, brought to life by a full orchestra and chorus and conducted by Maestro Arnie Roth. HD videos created by SQUARE ENIX accompany the music, celebrating four decades of FINAL FANTASY and the evolution of video game technology.

The event starts at 7:30 pm at Heinz Hall in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets are available online.  

Concert film EXO PLANET #6 – ExhOrizon [dot] IN CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, November 8.

The upcoming concert film EXO PLANET #6 – ExhOrizon [dot] IN CINEMAS will play in Pittsburgh on November 8.

EXhOrizon [dot] is coming to the big screen! EXO-L, wherever you are—let’s meet at the cinema. 🌍✨ Feel every beat, catch every detail, and share every fan chant as EXO’s powerful performances and spectacular stage production come to life with cinema sound. Gather your fellow EXO-L and join fans around the world for the final chapter of EXO PLANET #6. One stage. A world of EXO-L. One unforgettable experience.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

2001 Japanese animated film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) in Pittsburgh, October 17 - 21.

The 2001 Japanese animated film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) will play in Pittsburgh from October 17 through 21, part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2026. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki‘s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

Chihiro’s family is moving to a new house, but when they stop on the way to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away became a worldwide smash hit, and is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time.

It plays locally at many local theaters, including the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, the GQT Pittsburgh Mills, and the Chartiers Valley Luxury 14 + PTX. Tickets are available online. 

Author Min Jin Lee returns to Pittsburgh November 16 for Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series.

Author Min Jin Lee will return to Pittsburgh on November 16 as part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Ten Evenings lecture series.

At last, the National Book Award finalist and NYT bestselling author of Pachinko returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic: Min Jin Lee has written a masterpiece by turns sweeping and intimate, one that reckons with ambition and moderation, lust and loyalty, personal dreams and familial loyalty.

In schools and churches, hotel rooms and nail salons, law firms and fried-fish shops; in cramped, dingy apartments and luxury, gated communities, the men, women, and children in American Hagwon struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in a world that seems to grow less forgiving with each passing year.

Stray Kids World Tour 'RUN IT' Live Viewing in Pittsburgh, November 7.

An upcoming concert film Stray Kids World Tour 'RUN IT' live viewing will be held in Pittsburgh on November 7.

For the first time, Stray Kids presents a special live broadcast of ‘Stray Kids World Tour ’ from Tokyo Dome in movie theaters around the globe. True to the tour's title, captures the group's drive to push into bigger worlds and bolder stages. The eight members (Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N) pour out unrelenting energy through explosive choreography and powerhouse vocals, elevating the live experience to its peak. Their stage begins with “Hall of Fame,” a track that expresses Stray Kids’ ambition to write their own history, tracing their musical growth from the very beginning to where they are now. The production is enriched further by dynamic stage setups, traditional Korean performance touches, and spectacular laser lighting, designed to bring the crowd — in the dome and at the cinema — to their feet, singing, dancing and celebrating together.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

YURI!!! on ICE (ユーリ!!! on ICE) in Pittsburgh-area theater, October 19.

Episodes of the 2017 anime series YURI!!! on ICE (ユーリ!!! on ICE) will play in the Pittsburgh area on October 19.

After a devastating defeat at the Grand Prix Final, figure skater Yuri Katsuki returns to his hometown and considers retirement. When five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov unexpectedly offers to coach him, Yuri enters an unprecedented Grand Prix series alongside rising Russian skater Yuri Plisetsky.

Crunchyroll has not confirmed what episodes, or other programming, will be included in the re-release. It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

Free kids event: Grace Lin, The Little Stone Buddha, November 18 at White Whale Bookstore.

White Whale Bookstore will host a free kids event on November 18, a reading and discussion with author Grace Lin about her latest picture book The Little Stone Buddha.

White Whale is honored to host acclaimed author Grace Lin, a Newbery, Geisel, and Caldecott honoree and creator of such classics as When the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, and A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Grace will be reading from and discussing her newest picture book, The Little Stone Buddha. She will be in conversation with New York Times bestselling Pittsburgh author, Jonathan Auxier. Ideal for ages 4-8. Please note this event starts at 5:30pm. 

FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! ★Publisher's Weekly ★The Horn Book ★School Library Journal ★Kirkus
A gorgeous picture book about a community coming together to build something beautiful, from award-winning and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Grace Lin.

When a small stone Buddha falls off a cyclist's wagon, he lands in a neglected part of a busy city street. People often throw trash here, turning this part of the city into a rather unpleasant sight. But as passersby begin to notice the little stone Buddha, they start to wonder: what if we each made a small change that brightened this shared part of our community?

Inspired by a true story, The Little Stone Buddha shows us how a small action—or, in this case, a small Buddha—can change a moment, which can change a decision, which can change the spirit, which can, in the end, change everything.

The event runs from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and RSVP is required. The bookstore is located at 4754 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield (map).

The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE -Yotsuba Succession Arc- in Pittsburgh, from November 1.

The upcoming compilation film The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE -Yotsuba Succession Arc- will play in Pittsburgh November 1, 3, and 4.

It is the year 2096. Almost a century has passed since magic was established as actual technology. A pair of siblings were about to enter the winter season of their second year in high school. Tatsuya, the older brother, bears a fatal flaw in his magic abilities. Meanwhile, Miyuki, the perfect younger sister, has unmatched magical talent.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.