Japanese popular culture and history will be on display when Cal U hosts the KuroKiiro Festival 2014, Aug. 29-31 in the Convocation Center.
The weekend’s events, organized by the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society, will include hands-on educational workshops and lectures, performances, festival games and more.
Among the highlights:
- Speakers, including voice actors Tyson Rinehart and Leah Clark; musician Nancy Kepner; and industry expert Charles Dunbar, who studies anime culture and fandom.
- Experts from the videogame industry, who will discuss game design, game development and art direction. Festival-goers also can play video games and role-playing or board games.
- A talent show Aug. 30 that will showcase singers, dancers, instrumentalists, comedians, actors and other performers. Participants must apply before Aug. 24.
- A weekend craftsmanship contest featuring costume play, or cosplay, a type of performance art. Designers will showcase original, hand-made costumes based on anime (a Japanese style of film and TV animation), manga (comics), tokusatsu (live-action film or TV drama), video games and historical Japanese figures. Awards will be presented during the closing ceremonies on Aug. 31.
Register
Registration information is available on the KuroKiiro Festival 2014 website, along with answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Cost for a general admission badge is $25 before Aug. 28, or $30 at the door. A $20 Sunday Discount badge will be available ONLY if the event is not sold out.
Connect
More information is also available on the festival’s Facebook and Twitter pages.