Kelly Strayhorn Theater is presenting local leaders that have been changemakers in Pittsburgh. Mentors, teachers, artists— KST acknowledges these pioneers. This is Our Story: KST Recognizes Pittsburgh Changemakers.
Blak Rapp Madusa, Activist/Songwriter/Poet
What do you do for the community now and why is it important?
I don’t think about what I can do for the community, but more about what the community does for me. Although the Black community may be disenfranchised there is still something authentically beautiful about our resilience and survival. The work I do is inspired by the community and supported by it. For example, I write songs about oppression and poverty, an experience that all communities of color seem to endure. Most people of color support my work and hold me in spaces that pay homage to my craft.
What is one defining moment of your life?
One defining moment in my life is getting a full scholarship to go to college and then transferring to the University of Pittsburgh. I took so many African Studies classes that I had to change my major. It was this experience that began my work as an activist and an artist.
What advice do you have for youth that want to become a changemaker in their community?
My advice for youth is to be great! Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t great, because the creator of us all doesn’t make mistakes and has created us in greatness. We need to honor ourselves, our families and communities in order to reach the tip-top of our potential.
What is a song from your playlist? (a song that really motivates you?
My motivational song is Kendrick Lamar’s I love Myself.
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Kelly Strayhorn Theater is presenting local leaders that have been changemakers in Pittsburgh. Mentors, teachers, artists— KST acknowledges these pioneers. This is Our Story: KST Recognizes Pittsburgh Changemakers.
Zack Block, Director. Photos Courtesy of Repair the World: Pittsburgh
1- What do you do for the community now and why is it important?
I am the Director of Repair the World: Pittsburgh. At Repair the World, we aim to mobilize thousands of young Jewish adults who want to help improve lives and neighborhoods through volunteering and building capacity with existing organizations serving in these neighborhoods. ‘Repair the World’ is an English translation of the Hebrew phrase, tikkun olam, which some say is the very foundation of Jewish tradition: the responsibility we have to transform and repair the world around us. Each issue and community is unique so we connect our volunteers to top community partners, who know their stuff through and through. We also connect our volunteers to each other, providing space and a forum to reflect on service and how it relates to Jewish identity.
2- What is one defining moment of your life? (When you decided to do what you’re doing now).
This is a great question. I spent more than eight years as a tax attorney and towards the end of my time in that role I was finishing a meeting with a client and I just realized that I wasn’t happy with what I was doing in the world and the example that I was setting. Fortunately, I have an incredible family and my wife was very supportive of me making a change. I also volunteered a lot and aside from my family it was the most meaningful part of my life. I decided to move into the non profit world and as I was networking and trying to find the right opportunity, Repair the World came to town to meet with a lot of the same people that I was meeting. Repair wanted to know if it started a program in Pittsburgh, would the community support the organization. I was put in touch with the people from Repair through our mutual network and the rest is history. It was meant to be!
3- What advice do you have for youth that want to become a changemaker in their community?
I love the youth movement in Pittsburgh! If you want to be a changemaker in this community around issues like poverty, education, or food security then I truly believe that you need to work in the system from a bottom up approach. You need to volunteer and get to know how to make a real impact locally. The top down approach, which in my mind is more geared towards advocacy in the world of government and politics, is not where things get done quickly. So, in my opinion, the process of being a changemaker starts with working in the local community to support local initiatives and can progress to advocacy work on a macro level after the micro experiences.
4- What is a song on your playlist? (A song that motivates and drives you).
Another great question! I used to listen to a lot more of my music before I had kids then I do now, but Just Breathe by Pearl Jam is always on my playlist.
To become a Repair the World Fellow, click here, and to check out Repair the World: Pittsburgh’s Facebook, click here!
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Kelly Strayhorn Theater sat down with Stein | Holum Projects‘ playwright/director Deborah Stein and performer/director Suli Holum to discuss The Wholehearted, a nuanced piece about a prized female boxer with a haunted past and seeking redemption. Audiences can check out The Wholehearted at KST on March 20–21 & 26–28.
How did the Wholehearted come about?
Suli Holum :: We were looking for a complicated project that we had to grapple with and immerse ourselves in a world that was unfamiliar to us. I found the story about a boxer named Christy Martin in the New York Times and that led us into researching women’s boxing and persons facing interpersonal violence.
Deborah Stein :: When we were learning about Christy we asked ourselves, “Why is she still boxing? Hasn’t she learned that violence is not the answer?” We had a gut reaction to her story, and we wanted to make a play about it— we did not recreate her story or make a documentary piece, this is fiction, but we were more interested in our reaction to the material.
How did you settle on the theme of boxing?
SH :: We were really interested in the story of a woman who is physically strong and powerful but could still be overpowered by a different kind of violence, so the play is about different kinds of violence, that men can do, that women can do, socially acceptable violence, sexual violence, and what it means to fight back. To win. To survive.
Boxing is a violence that is condoned. What is the difference between two women beating each other to a pulp in front of a crowd and a woman being beaten to a pulp in her living room by a man? That’s the interesting, murky territory that’s a huge part of the show.
How would you say this story distinguishes itself from other narratives about domestic violence?
SH :: Our protagonist is a little bit scary. We didn’t want to tell a survivor story. We wanted to talk about the lasting effects of trauma. What it means to be living with violence instead of conquering it. In our research we found it was more true that people that face acts of violence and commit acts of violence carry that with them, always.
DS :: We wanted something that divulged from the traditional Hollywood narrative. Our play is deliberately set while our character is trying to make a comeback, and has failed at that comeback and has the rest of her life to live. That’s what we’re interested in. How does she feel about the experience she’s living in?
What other themes are in this piece?
SH :: Celebrity, class, what it means to try to escape a working class situation and be someone. Gender identity and sexual preference — our character struggles with how to be herself and be successful.
How did you decide to incorporate film?
We’ve had an ongoing collaboration with designers and we’ve worked with projections in our last show. We wanted to do some cinematic stuff, and create a presentation to show media’s portrayal of violence.
The idea that I’m playing a bunch of different characters came from our research about trauma. It’s a poem about how we carry people with us. That people who have affected us…we carry them in our bodies. Those people live in our protagonist. Those voices have had such a deep effect on her. We are looking at memory as a living, active, physical thing, not as a reflective state.
DS :: We also see the camera as a character. We think about the relationship between the protagonist and the real camera on stage, the camera in her mind, the movie of her life that she thinks she’s starring in — that’s a big part of it too.
Can you tell us more about the set design?
SH :: It’s set up the way an audience would see a boxing match, an arena. The action of the play happens in a photo-realistic space, a run-down, back-room gym, her hideout. Her husband is getting out of jail. But her imagination takes her back to the center of the ring when she’s a prizefighter. The audience gets to spy on her and see where her memories take her.
Can you tell us more about your previous residency at KST?
DS :: We were working a lot on sound during that residency. We also used that time to test the configuration of the screens on stage, so it was really useful to be able to show up with our stuff and try it out. It was also good to have an audience there and the talkback was really important, to hear from audience members what questions the piece rose for them. We learned that the piece was engaging them and made them need to talk to each other afterward. People were having arguments, respectful debates: “Why would she do that?” They were grappling with what’s acceptable with violence. That was helpful in the evolution of the piece.
SH :: The thing about The Wholehearted is when it ends, you don’t feel okay. It’s important that people know after it’s okay for them to stay and process it a little bit. We are asking hard questions, subconsciously, and creating the space for this discussion to happen.
The Wholehearted will be at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater beginning Friday, March 20th for a five night engagement. Get more info and purchase tickets here.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater is presenting local leaders that have been changemakers in Pittsburgh. Mentors, teachers, artists— KST acknowledges these pioneers. This is Our Story: KST Recognizes Pittsburgh Changemakers.
Tara Sherry-Torres, Owner and Operator of Café Con Leche
1- What do you do for the community now and why is it important?
Well I like to think that the community does a lot for me. I never ceased to be amazed at how wonderful people can be to each other when given the chance to celebrate. I think it’s important that as a community we build relationships for the sake of building relationships. This is the base of an organizing effort – whether it’s a high level policy issue or working against institutional barriers or event just planning a neighborhood potluck – it’s the quality of the relationships which determine the quality and success of the efforts. By knowing each other, by having empathy for each other, our capacity to grow and thrive is multiplied. Café Con Leche focuses on food, music, dance, art, identity and culture to bring people together. These are the things that are the essence of being human. Allowing for people to have a safe space to express themselves, make a new friend, learn about a new culture is the little bit I can do to make Pittsburgh a more welcoming place. I like to think that long-term these positive relationships can impact the conversation and efforts happening to make this city a more equitable and livable place for everyone.
2- What is one defining moment of your life? (When you decided to do what you’re doing now).
The concept of Café Con Leche has always been in mind – probably as early as when I was 16. But it took years—a lot of living and some serendipitous opportunities—to get me to where I am now. It’s funny because you think you know what you want, but life gives you what you need when you need and brings you along your path. Someone once said to me “you can’t run from your destiny!”. Living in Pittsburgh for seven years made me really miss Puerto Rican culture. I missed diversity. Being from New York it’s all around you – the whole world is at your fingertips. So I used to host house parties and feed people to fill those needs. And I would talk about culture a lot. I was also a community organizer in Oakland which taught me a lot about how to bring people together. Then one day my interests, skills and experience came in contact with opportunity—out of the blue I became a Most Wanted Fine Art resident artist in 2014. This was the platform that forced me to think bigger. Most Wanted supported me both with resources, but also emotionally, they always said “you can do this, we believe in you”. And as I did one CaféCon Leche event after another I realized that this was not only something I needed, but that so many others wanted. As humans we want to connect, communicate, express ourselves and have our experiences be validated. That is the need which Café Con Leche is built on. Café Con Leche really came out of something I needed to feel completely at home in Pittsburgh. It also filled my desire to build relationships and feed people good food. I hope it’s the little bit I can do to retain a diverse population in Pittsburgh while also impacting the inequity in the city – forcing people to think about communities and neighborhoods outside their own. It’s a two-way street.
3- What advice do you have for youth that want to become a changemaker in their community?
JUST DO IT! This is not unique to me. We all have perspectives and visions to share. They need to be shared. Our skill sets and strengths are all different. The more we share with those around us, the stronger the relationships, the healthier the community. Being active in the world around you is the most direct way to make the world a better place.
Photo Courtesy of Pop City Media
Whatever it is you want to do, however you want to do it—just do it! Start small. Dream big. Take it one step at a time. Remember that Café Con Leche started with a really simple thought when I was 16. 16 years later I am doing things that I never thought possible and I am not stopping here. I always am planning. I ask myself: “what can I accomplish with the resources and skills I have in three months? In six months? In once year? In three years? Where do I want to be in five years and how will I get there?”. Humans have an amazing capacity to love and to create.
That is where your energy should be focused. I love the youth and it always blows me away at how perceptive they are. For better or for worse, they deal with a lot, way more than what adults give them credit for. But they are resilient and that is where the future lies. I also would say that youth need to know they can run for political office someday and to learn about that at a young age. This is especially important for communities of color. We need to vote, teach our youth to vote and start teaching youth about what it means to run for political office. That way when they are at the age where that
is possible they have all the information they need and can start the process. Communities of color and poor communities need more political representation at a city, state and national level.
That will only come when we start to be intentional about that. I say all that and just to add on—use less plastic! (We need to protect the environment too if we want all our advocacy efforts to be successful). I know that’s not Café Con Leche’s direct mission, but like I said I hope to have a farther reach.
4- What is a song on your playlist? (A song that motivates and drives you).
This is such a hard one! I love Beyonce! But that being said it I had to pick only one song that really motivates me (this is really killing me) I would have to choose “Carnaval” by Raul Paz. He is a Cuban musician that lived in France for years and has just moved back in the past seven years. Raul is young and represents “the new Cuba”. A lot of his music is about exploring what contemporary Cuban music is. I love him. Carnaval is just such a fun and uplifting song – the beat makes me want to dance whether I am at home, on the bus or walking down the block (like really, I am always ready to break out in the coordinated dance I created in my head). And the lyrics are about moving you forward to be the best person you can, not to let negative forces and influences get in your way. It’s just so positive it makes my heart sing. It also reminds me of being in Cuba, I remember the first time I heard the song and how it made me feel. It was love at first listen. Raul Paz is very talented.
Linda Nieves-Powell will bring her play Yo Soy Latina! to the Kelly Strayhorn Theater this weekend. It will take a look at the questions, “Who are Latinas? What struggles do they face?” Read some of Powell’s Fast Facts right here!
Writer, director, producer and photographer, Linda Nieves-Powell
Yo Soy Latina! has been performed on off-broadway, regional theaters, and over 400 colleges across the country
Linda Nieves-Powell also currently produces The Nueva Latina Monologues, a collection of real-life stories and cultural themes that surround today’s Latina
Powell published Yo Soy Latina! in 2005
In addition to writing, Powell has worked on a number of films and web series’, blogs and websites including Feministing and Odd Girl In Entertainment.
Powell worked on Mimi’s Portrait, which was shown at the Miami Short Film Festival, San Francisco Women’s Film Festival, Lolita Film Fest and Staten Island Film Festival
Kelly Strayhorn Theater is proud to present Yo Soy Latina! this weekend at our main stage, but before you grab your ticket, brush up on some Fast Facts on Sherry Torres, a local leader bringing Latin culture to the forefront in Pittsburgh with Cafe Con Leche!
Tara was raised in Brooklyn, and came to Pittsburgh six years ago for grad school
Tara Sherry-Torres founded Cafe con Leche in 2014, after becoming a Artist Most Wanted Resident Artist that same year
Cafe con Leche caters to Pittsburgh’s Latin American community, providing a space space to connect and promote various Latin Cultures
Cafe con Leche also has hosted events like Herencia Africana, Chilean Independence Day and even Pop Ups and Salsa events across the city
In addition to using food to build community, Cafe Con Leche events also feature dance, music and even lecture and historical components!
To discover more about Cafe Con Leche’ s history, visit their site here. They are also partnering with New Voices Pittsburgh to present Yo Soy Latina!, a play about three Latina characters and the struggles they face being women of color. Playwright Linda Nieves-Powell will also be in attendance at the show! The play premiers at KST this Saturday, March 17, and you can purchase tickets here!
Kelly Strayhorn Theater is presenting local leaders that have been changemakers in Pittsburgh. Mentors, teachers, artists— KST acknowledges these pioneers. This is Our Story: KST Recognizes Pittsburgh Changemakers.
Sidney Kushner, Founder & Executive Director of CCChampions.
1- What do you do for the community now and why is it important?
Hi! My name is Sidney, and I’m the Founder & Executive Director for the nonprofit CCChampions.
CCChampions is an up-and-coming 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Pittsburgh. Our mission is to help kids who have cancer through six month-long friendships with the most inspirational role models in the community. Our kids are carefully matched with athletes from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, and dancers, teachers, police officers, and everyone in between.
59% of children diagnosed with cancer suffer from serious long-term psychosocial side effects (lower graduation, higher depression, etc.). Our friendships are about so much more than a feel-good moment. Everything we do is uniquely research-based and outcomes-driven. Our friendships are powerfully built to steer child cancer patients back onto the path of a happy & healthy developing childhood.
2- What is one defining moment of your life? (When you decided to do what you’re doing now).
When I was in high school, my friend Lauren passed away from an rare form of cancer. Watching her go through that two-year journey, I knew I needed to help—I was just too young to know what that meant.
So I started listening.
Photo Courtesy of Whirl Magazine
That’s when I met Jenny, a nine year-old cancer patient who changed my life forever. She had recently braved a tough cycle of chemotherapy treatment, and it didn’t work. By the time we saw her in the hospital, she had been out of school for months, her head was bald, and it was time for a bone marrow transplant. She was terrified.
When we asked Jenny what she wanted to be when she grew up, her eyes lit up: “I WANNA BE A DANCER!” Before she was diagnosed, she and her friends would dance together every single day. So for the next 25 minutes, we sat around Jenny’s hospital bed watching music videos of all her favorite dancers. Jenny’s role models were so much more than entertainment. For her, and so many other kids with cancer, they’re a reason to keep believing.
It was incredible. Any time you mention dancing to Jenny, there would be such a magic in her eyes. You could tell in that moment, she totally forgot about cancer and was just a kid again.
As we were saying goodbye, Jenny’s face changed, and she all of a sudden got very serious. It was as if a switch flipped in her head. We asked her what she was thinking about, and she looked down, thought for a second, and turned to us: “I’m just afraid that all of my friends are going to forget about me because I have cancer.”
Hearing that from a nine year-old girl, was heartbreaking. Being out of school for so long, away from her friends, and not able to dance anymore—Jenny was afraid that she would be forgotten.
And she’s not the only one.
That fear of falling off the map is pervasive. We hear it from so many kids, parents, doctors, researchers, and hospital staff members. In the field of pediatric oncology, something is missing.
Jenny inspired me to start CCChampions.
Photo Courtesy of CCChampions.
3- What advice do you have for youth that want to become a changemaker in their community?
Four Things:
(1) Surround yourself with experts. As a college student, you’re often the least knowledgeable person in the room (let alone the field you’re working in). Identify the people who also care about the problem you’re trying to solve, and ask them for help. People feel honored when you kindly ask them for help (and sincerely listen), and it’s a great way to gain leverage quickly.
(2) People invest in people, not in ideas. It doesn’t matter how brilliant your business model is. If I don’t think you are capable of making it happen, I’m not going to jump on board. You’re selling yourself just as much (if not more) than you are selling your idea. Wear your passion on your sleeve, and share it with anyone and everyone willing to listen!
3) It’s about listening, not telling. The more you can listen to your customer base, your network, your team, the more effectively you’ll be able to make your impact and grow. Every time you speak with someone-—new or old-—have a goal to learn something new, build an asset, etc. I know how hard it is for us entrepreneurs to stop talking about this incredibly exciting product that we have that will change the world forever. But trust me, knowing when to shut up will become one of your most valuable skills.
Photo Courtesy of Molly Page.
(4) Understand the problem, NOT the solution. The best solutions are responses to well-understood problems. An easy entrepreneurial pitfall is to understand a part of the problem, come up with an exciting solution, and then blind yourself to the real problem in its entirety. Take lots of time to sit down and think about what is so wrong. Why is it so bad? Why does it exist? And if it’s so bad, why hasn’t it been fixed yet? Simply put, the better you understand the problem, the better you can build an effective solution.
4- What is a songs are on your playlist?
Blue Skies by Ella Fitzgerald and Heroes by David Bowie.
To read more on Sidney and his work, check out this article on millennial leaders. CCChampions is also hosting its Night of Inspiration benefit March 11, 2015. You can get tickets and more event details here!
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KST is very excited to present the U.S. premiere of two new pieces by Havana’s own Malpaso Dance Company, featuring collaborations with two noteworthy artists. Before you come to our World Stage Series event, read some Fast Facts about the group here!
Malpaso translates to “misstep” or “wrong step”
Malpaso is at the forefront of Cuban contemporary dance
Malpaso has 10 members, and has been together since December 2012
Pittsburgh is the first stop on Malpaso’s 2015 tour
Malpaso will premiere a new work at KST, Despedida (“farewell” in Spanish) with an original score by Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist Arturo O’Farrill.
Malpaso made their international debut this year at the Joyce Theater in NYC, the group’s first time performing outside of Cuba
Trey McIntyre, head choreographer, has studied at the Houston Ballet Academy and North Carolina School of the Arts, and created a second US premier piece for Malpaso, named Under Fire
Here is an excerpt from Malpaso’s piece: “24 Hours and a Dog”:
Suli Holum :: We were looking for a complicated project that we had to grapple with and immerse ourselves in a world that was unfamiliar to us. I found the story about a boxer named 
How would you say this story distinguishes itself from other narratives about domestic violence?
What other themes are in this piece?
y!”. Living in Pittsburgh for seven years made me really miss Puerto Rican culture. I missed diversity. Being from New York it’s all around you – the whole world is at your fingertips. So I used to host house parties and feed people to fill those needs. And I would talk about culture a lot. I was also a community organizer in Oakland which taught me a lot about how to bring people together. Then one day my interests, skills and experience came in contact with opportunity—out of the blue I became a 
is possible they have all the information they need and can start the process. Communities of color and poor communities need more political representation at a city, state and national level.
