Visual art and the written word come together in many ways. Northwest Pennsylvania celebrates this with a variety of collaborations from open mic nights, inviting a jazz trio to accompany readings, art exhibits like the one coming up in Foxburg's Red Brick Gallery and the annual publication of a literary arts journal.

The Barrow-Civic Theatre has turned into a puppy plantation as more than 50 kids bring to life the canine caper "101 Dalmatians Jr."  this weekend. 

The show is a condensed version of the classic Disney tale of a fury-crazy villain and her dim-witted henchman who carry out the kidnapping of a pack spotted pups. The would-be winter wear saved thanks to "their pets" Anita and Roger and the dogs of London.

Music is a mixture of songs from the 1961 animated film, including "Cruella De Vil" and "Kanine Krunchies" and some written specific for the spotted spectacular like "My Beautiful Coat" and "Twight Bark."

​The pack of puppies will take the stage today for a pair of shows for area school. The public performances start Friday night (which is nearly sold out already) and wrap up with a trio of shows on Saturday.

Tickets can be ordered online at barrowtheatre.org or at the box office. 

It is a show by kids for kids with a running time under 40 minutes without an intermission.

​It is fast paced with a lots of dancing and fun costumes, making it ideal for younger audiences. 

Its a little of the old mixed in with the new as the curtain opens tonight on AC Valley's rendition of "Once Upon a Mattress" at the Crawford Center this weekend. 

The musical is a new twist on the old-fashioned fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea. And the performance is the first high school show at the nearly 100-year-old building in more than five decades. 

First-time director Sara Black arranged for the show at the community building due to ongoing renovations at the high school in Foxburg. It was a decision that brought with a set of challenges and a little extra energy from the cast. 

"The first day we toured the Crawford Center (formerly the Emlenton School) and had rehearsal, the kids were astounded at all the relics they saw. We sat and imagined what musicals may have been performed on that stage," Black said. "It definitely added to the energy (among the students)."

Finding the space to use was just the first hurdle to making the show a reality for Black and the young cast.

"For me, it was about meeting the right people," Black said. "Once Paul Newbury showed me in early January that the Crawford Center could handle sound equipment, I knew we could have a show." From there, community members and parents picked to help with a variety of tasks from lighting and costumes to assisting with rehearsals and putting together the program.  

"For the (students), the aha-moment was one of our first Saturday practices when everyone was working hard to learn the choreography to 'Opening for a Princess.' They all leaned on each other and put in the work. This was the moment I knew that we, as a group, could do this," she said.

The cast call was open to sixth through 12 grade students. Twenty-six students signed on, many from the lower grades. "I have a young cast and they have been very open to learning dynamics, blocking and choreography. The growth of these kids has also been astounding."  ​

The adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express features some of the Barrow-Civic Theatre's heavy hitters and the return of a Meadville theatre icon to the stage.

Much of the same crew from Rumours last year return. Jodi Hoover plays the mid-west American Helen Hubbard while Gary Collins dons a wig and straightens his mustache to play Monsieur Bouc while the part of Inspector Poirot is played by Rob Dahlman.

Tracy Brown, Jane Tracy and Ashlynne Cornmesser along with Evan O'Polka and Glenn Jones round out the usual Barrow cast that are there to the end.

Nicholas Hess and Stephen Teig get to show off their live action and quieter acting skills in this whodunnit.

A former staple of the Meadville stages, Cathy Gorman returns to stage to play Princess Dragomiroff.  She hasn't been on stage since before COVID.

The Barrow-Civic Theatre will open its 2026 main stage season with “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” a musical celebration of the mating game.

​The show takes on the truths and myths behind that contemporary conundrum known as “the relationship.”

The four-person show stars Tracy Brown, Layla Hollis, Caleb McCarthy and Andrew Ritsig.

Peter Greene is the director, Mary Beth Hutchinson is the music director and Ashlynne Cornmesser is the producer. 

​“Sometimes as artists, we (go) headfirst into everything we make and we don’t think about the business side of it,” Dia Demey said during Tuesday’s reception of the Alliance for Creative Rural Economics program in Oil City.  
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She was one of 13 people recognized for completing the first phase of the extensive training and mentoring program that sets out to help creatives turn their passion into sustainable and successful businesses.
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Funded through Bridgeway Capital, ACRE focuses on the creative economy of rural communities.

​“It requires local activation to be successful,” Adam Kenney of Bridgeway Capital said Tuesday. “You guys are so ahead of the curve.”
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Local facilitator Barbara Pierce, who also helps administer the city’s Artist Relocation Program, gave a rundown of the roller coaster ride the experience has been for she and other 13 participants.
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“Being in the program is a big commitment,” she said.

​Just as they were all gearing up for the work ahead, the federal funding was cancelled and “our program, for a brief moment, was at a standstill. It stopped. Adam rallied his team and found funding to finish the online portion of the program.”
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And that is what they were celebrating on Tuesday – the energy that comes from collaboration, the momentum that drives goals into action, and the education accumulated through zoom sessions and extended resource availability.
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Along with Demey and Pierce, other Oil City area artists to participate in the collaborative were Skyler Austin, John Manders, Scott McCray, Ryan Beichner, Crystal Roser, CJ Hurley, Amanda Pica, Rachel Stine, Cassie Rhoads, Chelsey Rhoads, Tracey Lander Garrett and Kaleb Lewis.  
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“ACRE gave me a direction to go when there were too many options at the crossroads,” Pica shared during the ceremony.
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Next up for the group is finding funding for the second half of the program, which takes the learning from the first part and applies it into establishing or strengthening their art businesses and securing needed capital.

The group will also continue to foster the professional and artistic relationships provided through ACRE.

​Lewis summed it all up for the group, “we can create something strong when we work as a collective.”

Yonder Mountain is dubbed "An Appalachian Folk Operetta."

It is an allegorical tale set in Appalachia with an original libretto and score by local composer John Krumich.

Story centers around a father who places his teenage daughter, Ada, in a treehouse and suitors begin to arrive.

A mysterious creature, Flora Hawkins, offers a way for Ada to be free.