Trivia Night at Gene’s Place in Oakland; Quantum’s Peribañez Continues in Mellon Park (Wed., 8/24/16)

Trivia night packs them in at Gene’s Place.

1) Some call it a dive. Others, home. Many come for trivia night but return for the camaraderie and daily drink specials. Nestled between Atwood Street and York Way, Gene’s Place may be the best South Oakland bar that you’ve never heard of. Owner Gene Ney teaches business courses part-time at Carlow University, which makes him an educator both in front of, and behind, the bar. The clientele features an eclectic mix of Pitt students, both undergrad and grad, and Oakland natives. The three flat screens are tuned to either professional Pittsburgh teams or to Pitt athletics. For those who prefer to play rather than watch, the dartboard is always ready. The weekly draw here is “Trivia on Tap,” 9 p.m. every Wednesday. Harrison Kinzler and Mike (“Marty”) Stanis make for some tough quizmasters, but to the victors go free booze. Winners or losers, everyone leaves with knowledge gained and a smile on their face. Gene’s has recently switched to a smoke free bar. 3616 Louisa St., Oakland. (CM)

Ethan Saks declaims while Amanda Pulcini smells a fish in “Peribañez.” photo: John Altdorfer.

2) What? The man wrote more than a thousand plays and you haven’t seen a single one? Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (1562-1635) was known in Spain as “monstruo de la naturaleza”: a freak or force of nature. Along with serving two tours in the Spanish navy and engaging in many scandalous love affairs—even after he entered the priesthood at age 51—Lope de Vega turned out prodigious flows of new material for theaters of the time. About 450 of his plays survive, many still considered masterpieces, bristling with energy and deftly mixing humor with serious themes. Lope de Vega’s work is seldom produced in English translation, but last year Pitt’s Department of Theatre Arts did his romantic comedy The Dog in the Manger, and now Quantum Theatre is staging Peribañez, a tragicomedy in which an army commander schemes to seduce a peasant’s wife.

Quantum is performing Peribañez in a modern adaptation by British playwright Tanya Ronder. 8 p.m. Continues through August 28. The venue is one of Quantum’s favorite outdoor sites, the Jennie King Mellon Rose Garden in Mellon Park, corner of Fifth Avenue and Beechwood Boulevard, Shadyside. (MV)

3) The Pirates play their final game of a home stand against the Houston Astros today at 12:30 p.m. They start a road series against the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow and return home on September 2 to face the Brewers here. PNC Park, 115 Federal St., North Shore.

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