Featuring 30 international companies and artists from 20 countries, including representation from Pittsburgh’s own arts community, the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts (a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust) is electrifying downtown with never-before-seen theater, dance, music, visual arts and immersive experiences!
The last Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts was in 2013 (following Festivals in 2008 and 2004), and since then the Trust has doubled the Festival’s length and tripled its attractions, presenting more than 500 opportunities for everyone – locals and visitors alike – to experience groundbreaking international works in Pittsburgh… reinforcing our reputation as a premier global destination for arts, entertainment, and culture.
Among the Festival’s many must-see offerings this year are a number of very literary — and literature-inspired — performances and premieres: an acrobatic interpretation of the quintessential Georges Perec essay, “Species of Space”; a genre-bending look at The White Album by Joan Didion; a pulp-fiction secret agent star of more than 300 books (published in Israel from the 1960s through the 80s) brought to life with Foley sound effects… and more!
We recommend spending some time clicking through the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts’ full event listings, but we’ve also highlighted some of their more literary offerings right here on Littsburgh for your convenience!
This post is brought to you in partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
⭐️ Littsburgh Pick: We weren’t familiar with João Cabral de Melo Neto before we saw this event listing and we’re so thankful to the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts for introducing us to him! We’ve linked to some excerpts from his Selected Poetry: 1937-1990 below (available on the Wesleyan University Press website) — and the New York Times is absolutely right when they say there’s an undeniable flow to his poems. They’re so well suited to dance… and they pack so much meaning into so few lines. It might be the overcast day, but we’ve just re-read “Windows” three times and are having a hard time shaking it. This is another production you won’t want to miss!
Rio de Janeiro choreographer Deborah Colker has redefined the rules for what can be done in dance. She was catapulted to the world stage with her visual spectacle dance at the Rio 2016 Olympics. A Laurence Olivier Award-winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, she received international acclaim for her choreography of Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo.
The company’s newest work takes inspiration from a poem by Brazilian writer João Cabral de Melo Neto. Cão sem Plumas, or Dog Without Feathers, is set in the beautiful yet impoverished Capibaribe River Region in Brazil. Tension between the elite and the river people come to a head as the dancers cover themselves with mud. Projections by critically acclaimed filmmaker Cláudio Assis were filmed over a month when the entire company traveled to the river.
“João Cabral de Melo Neto is one of Brazil’s most acclaimed poets, and this selection of his luminous, often surreal works reveals why. From his early days, Mr. Cabral has written poems that are marked by a captivating use of simple language. Avoiding ceremony and circumstance, they follow centuries-old paths rather than struggle to break new ground. While it is difficult to capture the sensuous flow of the original Portuguese, these translations . . . are remarkably true to the spirit of the originals.” —New York Times Book Review
A sample of João Cabral de Melo Neto’s poetry from Selected Poetry: 1937-1990 by João Cabral de Melo Neto, edited by Djelal Kadir (via Wesleyan University Press).
Don’t miss out:
The US premiere of Cão sem Plumas is on Saturday, Oct 13th at 8:00pm at the Byham Theater!
Accessibility: Wheelchair Seating, Assistive Listening
Note: All services may not be available at all performances. Click the links above for accessible performance schedule.
Before purchasing a ticket for a child: see the recommendations and guidelines listed on trustarts.org.
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