Photo courtesy of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

August Wilson Center
January 22 & 23
10:15 a.m., 7 p.m., 2 p.m.

Looking for adventurous theater for the tweens and teens in your life? Have a budding playwright, actor or set designer in your family? Thanks to a new series of productions debuting in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, cutting-edge theater is not just for adults anymore.

Photo courtesy of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Photo courtesy of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Experience a gravity-defying mix of extreme physicality along with choreography by Erik Kaiel in two productions by innovative dance company, Arch8. Putting their own unexpected twist on various theatrical traditions, the Netherlands-based company creates immersive new art forms to share in theatrical, architectural and public spaces around the globe.

Kicking off the dynamic two-part program is My True North, a male-female duet exploring the concept of connectedness. Follow two dancers as they navigate space, exhaustion and intimacy, build a roller coaster and even invite audiences to ride it with them. The athletic, acrobatic show is meant to dazzle kids and adults alike with its superhuman endurance, intricate twisting, turning and climbing and endless flowing movements.

Photo courtesy of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Photo courtesy of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Next up is Tetris, a show that explores the universal theme of “fitting into a group, but also staying true to yourself.” If you’re a kid who can’t sit still or who loves Parkour, you’re going to go wild for Tetris. Watch on the edge of your seat as highly skilled dancers scale walls, hurdle over furniture and work together to seamlessly merge, connect and combine astounding physical feats. Inspired by the tile-matching video game phenomenon, Tetris explores how people connect with each another, build private languages to communicate and invite others to enter new worlds.

Mark your calendars now for the entire EQT Bridge Theater Series: Superman 2050 (March 18 & 19); Titus (May 12 – May 15); and Short Stories (May 12 – May 15). Targeting ages 7 to 15, the new series features professional productions staged by national and international companies presenting high quality, imaginative work. The inaugural season includes productions based on popular books, current issues and topics, and historical events.

Purchase tickets.

Looking for more events? Read our 10 Pittsburgh events not to miss in January feature.

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.