Classical music lovers, and there are plenty of you out there, can get the inside scoop on the piano-making Steinway Co. when James Barron, author of "Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand,"

Classical music lovers, and there are plenty of you out there, can get the inside scoop on the piano-making Steinway Co. when James Barron, author of "Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand," speaks at Stambaugh Auditorium at 5 p.m. A staff writer for The New York Times, Barron chronicles in his book how an immigrant family created an American cultural institution. Admission is free but the public is asked to reserve seats by calling the box office at (330) 259-0555.
Blackbox Productions, the student theater troupe at YSU, presents "Proof" at 8 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. The play, which was released last year as a motion picture starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, is about a young woman who fears she may have inherited her brilliant father's madness. It will be staged at Spotlight Arena Theater in Bliss Hall on the Youngstown State University campus. For tickets, call (330) 941-3105.
The Youngstown Steelhounds take on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in Central Hockey League action tonight and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Chevrolet Centre. Call (330) 747-7825 for tickets.
Here's what area theater companies are staging this weekend:
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," 8 p.m. tonight and 2 p.m. Sunday, Stage Left High School Players, at the Outreach Center, 2234 E. Lincoln Way, Lisbon; (330 424-5093.
"The Sunshine Boys," 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, New Castle Playhouse Annex Theater, 202 E. Long Ave., New Castle; (724) 654-3437.
"Night Watch," 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, Trumbull New Theatre, 5883 Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles; (330) 652-1103.
"Baby," 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, Oakland Center for the Arts, 220 W. Boardman St., Youngstown; (330) 746-0404.
"Harvey," 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Youngstown Playhouse, off Glenwood Avenue; (330) 788-8739.
"Outward Bound," 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Victorian Players Theatre, 702 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown; (330) 746-5455.
Live Irish music and dance will be on tap at the seventh annual Night of Irish Music, which begins at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Church social hall, East State Street at Case Avenue, in Sharon, Pa. Stepdancers and musicians will perform. Call (724) 528-3134.
Tom Wilson, who played the bully Biff Tannen on the "Back to the Future" movies, is actually a stand-up comedian. He'll be at the Funny Farm, in the Holiday Inn Metroplex in Liberty, tonight and Saturday, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call (330) 759-4242.
Celebrate the life of Robert Burns, the famed Scottish poet, with the MacCullum Highlanders. The event, which begins at 1:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium, will include an authentic Scottish dinner, an address to the haggis, entertainment by the MacCallum Highlanders Pipes and Drums and a concert by Jim McGillivary, a world-champion piper from Canada. For more information, call Heather MacNaughton at (330) 427-1600.
The Harlem Globetrotters bounce back into town Feb. 1 at Chevrolet Centre. Tickets range from 74.50 for courtside seats to 21.50. Call (866) 443-8849 or go to Gettix.net for tickets.
Freestyle motocross riders will compete in a series of thrilling stunts off a ramp, including mid-air back flips, in two shows at Chevrolet Centre, Feb. 2 and 3. Tickets are 24.50 ( 6.50 for children).
The music of Ray Charles lives in "I Can't Stop Loving You," a stage show with full orchestra, dancers and singers that will stop at Powers Auditorium for two shows, Feb. 5 and 6, at 7:30 p.m. Call the DeYor Centre for the Performing Arts box office at (330) 744-0264.