8 pm: Theater

A 20th anniversary staging of “Buried Child,” Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, dark gothic comedy about secrets that are exhumed when a prodigal son returns to his Midwestern home, opens at A Noise Within.

* “Buried Child,” A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; March 27-28 at 8 p.m., March 29 at 7 p.m. Call for April and May dates. Ends May 23. $22-$27; opening night, $35. (818) 546-1924.

7 pm: Pop Music

To mark the 10th anniversary of his Chicago-based label Invisible Records, drummer Martin Atkins (PiL, Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, etc.) has assembled a new edition of the industrial-rock co-op Pigface to headline a tour--also featuring noise underground gurus Scorn, FM Einheit, Bagman and Not Breathing--titled “Lowest of the Low.” Let’s get ready to rumble.

* Lowest of the Low Tour at the El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. $16.50. (213) 936-4790.

6 pm: Art & Design

The Pacific Design Center’s WestWeek conferences and seminars may be invitational, but everyone can enjoy art and design at Design Walk ‘98, an evening of special exhibitions, food tastings, demonstrations and music--all along West Hollywood’s avenues of art and design. More than 50 galleries, design showrooms, fashion boutiques, antique shops and restaurants will open their doors for this free self-guided walking tour. Visitors may begin by picking up maps at one of three rendezvous points: Morton’s Restaurant (8764 Melrose Ave.), Il Piccolino (350 N. Robertson Blvd.) or Elixir Tonics & Teas (8612 Melrose Ave.).

* Design Walk ‘98, 6-9 p.m., West Hollywood bounded by Melrose Avenue, Beverly and Robertson boulevards. Free metered street parking available, $3 parking also available at the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave. Free shuttle service available between rendezvous points. (213) 650-2668.

All day: Movies

The 21st annual “Black Talkies Film Festival” is devoted entirely to the films of Paul Robeson, to mark the centennial of the well-regarded actor’s birth. “Song of Freedom,” “Emperor Jones” and the controversial silent film “Body and Soul” are among the Robeson films that will be screened at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. (See Screening Room, Page XX.) There will also be a Paul Robeson look-and-sound-alike contest on Saturday at 7 p.m. as part of the festival. (The Hollywood Entertainment Museum is also screening the documentary “Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist,” through the end of April.)

* Black Talkies Film Festival: Paul Robeson Centennial Celebration, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Wells Fargo Theater, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. $3-$5. (213) 737-3292. “Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist,” Hollywood Entertainment Museum, Screening Room 2, 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Call for show times. Free with admission to museum, which is $7.50. (213) 465-7900.

All day: Movies

“Wild Things,” which stars Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon (who’s also exec producer) and sexy newcomer Denise Richards, is a fun, trashy B-movie, and it knows it. Kind of a “The Postman Only Rings Twice” for the “Scream” crowd. But don’t dare call it film noir; set in a sunny Florida yachting town, it’s more film neon.

* “Wild Things” is in general release.

All day: Flowers

Learn about the culture and care of orchids at the “Circus of Orchids” show under the big top of the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara during the 53rd annual Santa Barbara International Orchid Show. More than 70 commercial and amateur growers from across the United States, Pacific Rim countries and England are expected to showcase their colorful blooms against a backdrop of circus memorabilia.

* Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, the Earl Warren Showgrounds, U.S. 101 and Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $6; seniors and students, $4; children under 12, free. (805) 963-4364.

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FREEBIE: “Make Room for the Positive,” an evening of venting, Novel Cafe, Santa Monica. 8 p.m. (310) 394-8566.