ALL WEEKEND

Squonk Plaza

As part of Pittsburgh 250, Squonk Opera touches down in Schenley Plaza this weekend with "Astro-Rama," a mix of comedy, music and bold performance art that we expect from one of the city's top exports.

The program is described thusly: "The Squonk Astro-ramanauts believe that many of our greatest inventions, like the Pyramids, zippers, TV remote controls and Testudos, were the gift of our extraterrestrial friends. Now, in 'Astro-rama,' they raise their eyes, voices and a whole lot of other stuff to the skies, seeking first contact in a musical concert that will shatter preconceived ideas and maybe a few wine glasses up and down Forbes Avenue."

That's probably not as dangerous as it sounds, but it does bring up one question: Can the ETs help us find the remote when it's missing?

We'll have to ask Squonk, who, according to composer Jackie Dempsey, are prepared to "party where no man has partied before."

Performances are 8 p.m. today through Saturday. It's free, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Pittsburgh 250. For details, go to www.schenleyplaza.org.

-- Scott Mervis

Talking drums

Glen Velez, Takumi Kato, Marcus Santos, Raquy Danziger, Jim Donovan -- probably not names you're familiar with (except Donovan, for all you Rusted Root fans), unless you're well schooled in Brazilian, Middle Eastern, taiko and jazz drum technique. And if you're not well schooled, here's the weekend to become so.

Velez (a four-time Grammy winner) and the rest, along with a whole bunch more, will present DrumTalk2008, a four-day event featuring workshops for drummers and concerts for the rest of us.

Here's the concert lineup:

Thursday: UMOJA -- Featuring master drummers and master dancers from the Congo, Guinea, Senegal, South Africa, and America. 7:30 p.m.

Friday: World of Percussion -- A great big bunch of drumming traditions from Asia, India, Africa and Brazil. 8 p.m.

Saturday: Middle Eastern Drumming -- Velez performs traditions of the Middle East, South India and the Mediterranean world. 8 p.m.

Sunday: Jazz (mostly) -- Donovan and his Drum the Ecstatic International, Roger Humphries and his quintet, Velez, and Kadiatou Konte performing African dance from Guinea. 4 p.m.

All the concerts are at CAPA High School, Downtown, and cost $15. For tickets call, 412-281-3100. Drummers, check out www.afrikayetu.org/drumtalk2008.html for workshop details. They're $35 per class, $99 for an all-day pass, $219 for a weekend pass.

-- Kate McCaffrey

FRIDAY

Freezepop: More Rokk

It doesn't get much attention on the radio, but if you play "Guitar Hero II" or "Rock Band," you're familiar with Freezepop, the Boston synth-pop band that's delivered the catchy songs "Less Talk More Rokk" and "Brain Power."

Freezepop, having played here earlier this year, returns for a show at Mr. Smalls on Friday. Singer Liz Enthusiasm told us in February, "Pittsburgh is one of our favorite crowds. I think we just have this pocket of crazy fans there, because we've always had these fun, energetic audiences. Pittsburgh is one of those weird cities. We like places where people dance."

Since then, Freezepop took home the award for BEST ACT OF 2008 in the Boston Phoenix's annual music poll.

Check them out at 8 p.m. with Boy In Static, C-Money and Karl Kash. Tickets are $12. 1-866-468-3401.

-- Mervis

Obama Girls

Google "Obama slogans" and you get stuff like: "Please ignore the Middle-Easterny name," "Obama: Just pretend he's Irish" or (my personal favorite) "I'll Barack your world."

Google "McCain slogans" and get: "McCain -- Because I like my presidents mad and crazy" and "McAncient" (oh, snap!).

Right. So. The lesson we can all learn from this is 1. McCain slogans are funnier. And 2. Politics are best when doused in humor.

With that in mind, The Obama Girls of Comedy are in town "swinging the swing states back to blue." The show will feature NYC comedians Carolyn Castiglia ("Last Comic Standing"), Claudia Cogan (Sirius Raw Dog Comedy), Calise Hawkins (Comedy Central), Giulia Rozzi (VH1, MTV and Jimmy Kimmel) and Pittsburgh native Susannah Perlman ("Last Comic Standing"). McCain supporters, you might want to skip this one; proceeds go to Obama's campaign.

The Palin jokes will start flying Friday, 8 and 10 p.m., at Slapsticks Comedy Loft. $15-$20. 412-920-5653.

(And, please, before you e-mail me to accuse me of being a "crazy liberal," let's take this time to note that if McCain Girls of Comedy came swinging through, they'd have an equal chance to be hot listed.)

-- McCaffrey

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Black Sheep returns

The Black Sheep Puppet Festival is back at The Brew House, bigger than ever, for its 10th season, with the big weekend beginning Oct. 24 with a free outdoor performance by The Apathetic Anarchists and including family and adult programs, free lectures and more through Oct. 26.

But there's plenty to do before that. The "24-Hour Puppet Reality Experiment" performance -- three shows crafted by a mixed group of participants who first met yesterday -- will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday, along with a performance by San Franciscan Janaki Ranpura and an open puppet show mic ($10). A family-friendly "Matinee Program" will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday ($5, kids 12 and under free), and the "Performance Program I" runs from 7 to 10 p.m. ($10), all at the Brew House, 2100 Mary St., South Side.

Screenings of "Handmade Puppet Dreams," the puppet film series curated by Heather Henson, daughter of Jim Henson, will be held at co-presenter Pittsburgh Filmmakers sites. From 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday "For Kids," a selection of short films by independent artists, will be shown at the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square ($5). A Marathon screening will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave., North Oakland, with multiple seatings available for the series' various "volumes" at 1, 2:45, 4:14 and 5:30 p.m. ($5).

For the full puppet schedule, including numerous workshops, go to www.blacksheeppuppet.com.

SATURDAY

Scholars flying high

What haven't the Tallis Scholars sung, and sung well, within early music? Just a glance at the eminent group's concert schedule this fall shows you not only how much breadth its members have but also that they can jump from one program to another with ease. For its current United States tour, Tallis is turning its sharp focus to one of the most stunning sub-genres of all vocal music, the polyphony of the Spanish high Renaissance.

The Tallis Singers, formed in 1973, will offer music of 16th-century composers Francisco Guerrero, Alonso Lobo and Tomas Luis de Victoria. Victoria is one of the period's most magnificent composers, known for his expressiveness at a time when the Catholic Church was in Counter-Reformation. Directed by Peter Phillips, Tallis will present Victoria's music for Holy Week. The concert is 8 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside. Tickets $10-$30; call 412-361- 2048.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Spooky Science

Carnegie Science Center presents hands-on educational activities with a Halloween theme this weekend. A Spooky Science Spectacular takes place this Saturday and Sunday.

Kids can come in costume and enjoy indoor trick-or-treating and a costume contest.

Other Spooky Science highlights include "Frankenscience," an interactive science program on electricity starring the Science Center's Frankenstein monster, watching the Tesla Coil generate lightning, sampling liquid nitrogen fog cocktails, cooking up gelatin brains in the Kitchen Theater and making cool gross-out stuff like slime and fake blood.

There will be daytime screenings of two IMAX films -- "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs," plus a 10 p.m. Saturday screening of the IMAX film "The Haunted Castle."

On Saturday at 7 p.m. The Buhl Digital Dome is presenting a Family Halloween laser show, featuring music like "The Monster Mash."

Information: 412-237-3400.

-- Adrian McCoy

SUNDAY

Pigs and pancakes

If you gave a pig a pancake, he'd probably just gulp it down in five seconds, because pancakes are really good, and pigs mostly get slop.

But that wouldn't make for a very good story.

There's a much better one in "If You Give a Pig a Pancake and Other Story Books," a 50-minute-long musical presented live on stage by the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater. Along with Laura Numeroff's pig tale, the cast will perform "Lilly's Big Day," by Kevin Henkes, "The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munsch, "How I Became a Pirate" by Melinda Long, "Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores" by James Howe and more.

The performance locations are Sunday at 2 p.m. at Gateway High School; Oct. 23 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Marshall Middle School; Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Moon High School; Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon High School; Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Byham Theater; Tickets are $11. Visit www.pgharts.org or call 412-456-6666.

-- Mervis

Celebrating the pipe organ

The pipe organ has been around a long, long time, but it's taken organists all these centuries to throw it a party. And what good is it to be called the King of Instruments if you don't get any parties?

The American Guild of Organists has designated this Sunday as "The Organ Spectacular, the first global celebration of the pedal organ." More than 250 concerts and recitals will take place worldwide including a concert by Joseph Nolan of Perth performing Wagner, Paulus, Saint-Saens, Durufle and more on the recently restored Aeolian-Skinner of East Liberty Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. (presented by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Guild) and a free recital by Duquesne students and faculty of new works for organ at 7 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Downtown.

-- Druckenbrod

NEED TO KNOW

• Seven orchid vendors have been invited to Pittsburgh's 2008 Fall Orchid Festival, sponsored by the Orchid Society of Western PA. In addition to the popular Phalaenopsis, Slipper Orchids, Oncidiums, Miltonias and Lycastes, many other orchid genera will be available. It will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Ave. (Fifth & Shady). Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information visit the OSWP Web site: www.oswp.org.

• The Guitar Society of Fine Art has a good thing going with its popular flamenco concerts and this season opens Saturday (8 p.m.) in that vein at Synod Hall with Carmella Greco, daughter of the late, great Jose Greco. The program includes Edwin Aparicio's "Intimo." For more information, visit www.gsfapittsburgh.org

• Pittsburgh has a strong international flavor, but it is a rarity to see Korean dance. In a benefit for the Korean Heritage Room at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, NOW Dance Company will appear at Synod Hall Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., bringing a rare blend of traditional and contemporary dance styles to the stage. Tickets: $10-$15, children under age 6 free. www.koreanheritageroom.org or 412-708-1130.