Most of us could probably use a little altruistically minded goodness this holiday season. As usual, Tressa Glover is on the case.
The Mt. Lebanon resident and prolific creative is inviting Western Pennsylvanians to a holiday-themed live recording of her “Yinz Are Good” podcast Monday night at Downtown’s Trust Arts Education Center. Tickets to hang out in person with Glover as she continues her quest to keep highlighting Pittsburghers’ generosity are available for $25 via eventbrite.com.
This evening of merriment, which Glover wants to be a warm and festive experience for all, will feature seasonal accoutrements and a chance to help out some local nonprofits.
Guests for Monday’s live show will include WQED Host Rick Sebak, Cafe Momentum Pittsburgh executive director Gene Walker, and Uptown baker and multi-time “Christmas Cookie Challenge” contestant Jasmine Cho.
“I am so excited and looking forward to having these three folks in the same room and getting to talk to each of them at length,” Glover told the Post-Gazette.
Glover is good at keeping herself busy with projects like “Yinz Are Good,” directing the world premiere of “Corporate America, The Musical” and serving as a “jag bragger” correspondent for YaJagoff Media’s website.
That work ethic served her well when acting jobs on Hollywood films and shows shooting in Western Pennsylvania dried up for most of 2023 during the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes. Now that both labor disputes have ended, she’s looking forward to picking up more work once Hollywood productions like the Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown” return to the area in the near future.
“It was obviously a lot of work to get us to a place where the agreement was able to be reached,” Glover said. “It feels really good for everyone involved that we can finally get back to work. ... It’s a thrill to know that we’re back!”
She has now recorded more than 100 “Yinz Are Good” installments and sometimes gets “a little hitch in my breath” when saying the episode numbers out loud. Monday’s event will be her third live show following two previous episodes that were recorded at Orbis Caffe in Mt. Lebanon.
It won’t shock anyone to learn that this self-described “theater gal” feeds off the energy from crowds like a true veteran stage performer.
“You can’t replace or manufacture that,” Glover said. “There’s nothing like that feeling.”
Tickets to “Yinz Are Good” live will come with complimentary Christmas cookies and cocktails. Glover said to also expect carolers, “Christmas traditions from different cultures and countries,” and a Giving Tree from which attendees can select ornaments containing item requests or volunteer opportunities provided by local nonprofits who have been spotlighted on “Yinz Are Good.”
Participating organizations include Beverly’s Birthdays, When She Thrives, West View Hub, Assemble and North Hills Community Outreach.
“We’re sharing with each other good news and good things happening,” Glover said of her Giving Tree inspiration. “But also, how can we help each other in ways we might not know about?”
“Yinz Are Good” audience members will also get to hear directly from Steel City bigwigs like Sebak, Cho and Walker — all experts when it comes to Christmas treats. Cho is a former “Christmas Cookie Challenge” champion and both Sebak and Walker are serving as celebrity judges for the Post-Gazette’s 2023 Holiday Cookie Challenge.
In Glover’s mind, Monday’s “Yinz Are Good” live show will be a smashing success if fans and newbies leave Downtown full of cookies, laughter and a renewed desire to take care of their neighbors this holiday season and beyond.
“It is unique, just the structure of it,” Glover said. “It’s like a holiday get-together with your friends and family. That’s the atmosphere we’re fostering. Just come in, sing with us and have a good time.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: December 8, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: December 8, 2023, 8:57 p.m.