FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KST brings Slowdanger, STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos to NYC this January

PITTSBURGH, PA — As part of Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s (KST) ongoing Owning Our Future, Thriving Where We Live strategic direction, KST is thrilled to announce the second year of KST X NYC, a special initiative to share new works commissioned and developed in Pittsburgh by KST in collaboration with national partners. This year, KST is proud to announce the New York City premieres of two new dance works from Pittsburgh-based artists, slowdanger’s SUPERCELL and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s (SPdp&SS) CIRCLES: going in from Thursday, January 11 to Sunday, January 14, 2024 in New York City. 

slowdanger’s SUPERCELL, an ​​evening-length multidisciplinary quintet responding to the climate crisis and media sensationalism, is presented on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 6:00 pm and Friday, January 12, 2024, at 2:00pm. STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s CIRCLES: going in is presented on Saturday and Sunday, January 13-14, 2024 at 6:00pm. All performances take place at The Flea Theater at 20 Thomas St, NYC. Tickets are Pay What Moves You: $20 to $35. You can access tickets for SUPERCELL and CIRCLES: going in beginning Monday, December 11. 

KST X NYC was first launched in January 2023 as a special presentation of Pittsburgh-based theater artist Adil Mansoor’s solo lecture performance, Amm(i)gone, at the Performance Project at University Settlement, to open the pathways for Pittsburgh-based talents to thrive through national touring. 

“KST X NYC brings KST’s vision of ‘Owning Our Future. Thriving Where We Live.’ to a national stage, highlighting the importance of artists and culture in creating a lively community in Pittsburgh,” says KST’s Executive Director Joseph Hall.

Co-commissioned by KST, The Theater Offensive (Boston, MA) and the National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund (NPN), Mansoor’s performances launched a US Tour with upcoming presentations at a growing list of institutions including Woolly Mammoth Theater (Washington, DC), and Long Wharf Theater (New Haven, CT). KST hopes to extend the life of slowdanger’s SUPERCELL and SPdp&SS’s CIRCLES: going in, through these special NYC premiere performances.

KST’s Programming Director, Ben Pryor notes, “In January, The Arts Presenters conference hosts an unprecedented opportunity for national and international exposure and exchange. In bringing these works to New York City during APAP, we are telling KST’s story to our national and international colleagues and creating an opportunity for exposure that most Pittsburgh-based artists don’t get to experience.”

slowdanger’s SUPERCELL draws inspiration from the awe-inspiring yet ominous supercells—large storms with deep, persistent updrafts often leading to tornadoes. The terrifying supercells are harbingers of substantial damage. This natural effect is also similar to sensationalist media, instantly amplifying catastrophic events for insatiable public consumption. SUPERCELL therefore is informed by the natural effect, finding parallels and addressing environmental collapse and sensationalism in media. 

According to anna thompson and taylor knight of slowdanger, “KST has been a beacon of support for slowdanger since our inception and has become a cherished home and community for us in Pittsburgh. Their support as development partners for SUPERCELL and conviction towards placing Pittsburgh artists on the national stage has been pivotal in our growth.”

CIRCLES: going in, was co-commissioned by KST in collaboration with The Joyce Theater (NYC) and the National Performance Network (New Orleans, LA) via NPN’s Creation and Development Fund. The work premiered at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (Pittsburgh, PA), and has toured to the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL). It will be presented at Bates College (Lewiston, ME) in February ‘24. 

Layering dance and visual arts with pulsing beats and bass lines, CIRCLES: going in presents snapshots of popular culture through choreographer Staycee Pearl’s lens as a Black woman. With an ensemble of five dancers, CIRCLES: going in is a colorful, unapologetic, and daring path to self-reclamation. Central to the work is an original sound score of hip-hop, house, techno, and ballroom music samples – bringing the joy, spontaneity, and uncensored freedom of self-expression from the club to the stage. 

“We first developed our artistic voice and organizational mission during our time as the resident dance company from 2010 to 2013 at KST,” Staycee Pearl fondly remembers, “KST’s support has played a huge part in propelling our work onto the national stage.”

Join KST before and after each performance for light refreshments in The Flea Theater’s lobby. You’re also invited to a special reception on Friday, January 12 at 12:30pm with the artists.

The Flea Theater is ADA-accessible and Kelly Strayhorn Theater is happy to further address any accommodations that will enrich your visit. Please reach out to KST’s Box Office team at 412.363.3000 x213 or boxoffice@kelly-strayhorn.org to let the team know in advance.

For more details about each performance, please visit kelly-strayhorn.org. 

Download the .pdf HERE.

slowdanger
SUPERCELL
Thursday, January 116:00pm 

Friday, January 12
2:00pm

The Flea Theater | 20 Thomas Street, NYC
Pay What Moves You: $20 – $35

SUPERCELL is an evening-length multidisciplinary quintet performance responding to climate consciousness, media sensationalism, desensitization, and environmental collapse. The title refers to supercells, large storms of deep, persistent updrafts often resulting in many tornadoes. While supercells are terrifying, ominous, and harbingers of great damage, they are simultaneously breathtaking environmental events when witnessed from afar. The effect is similar to sensationalist media, instantly amplifying catastrophic events for an insatiable public consumption. The work begs the question, how do we cultivate hope during continually uncertain times?

This presentation of SUPERCELL is supported by The New England Foundation for the Arts’s National Dance Project and America’s Cultural Treasures, a program of the Ford Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. SUPERCELL is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. SUPERCELL is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and NPN. SUPERCELL is also supported by the Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The PNC Charitable Trusts, and The Heinz Endowments, with additional residency support from NCCAkron, The Space Upstairs and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dance. 

CREDITS
Direction by taylor knight and anna thompson
Performance Collaborators: AJ Libert, Christian A. Warner, kira shiina
Process Collaborator: Nile Harris
Scenic Design by ProjectileObjects
Lighting Design by Harbour Edney
Costumes by Mad Recital
Sound Design by slowdanger in collaboration with cast
Choreography/Direction by slowdanger in collaboration with cast
Dramaturgical Support, Collaborating Media Design, and Collaborating Sound Design by Jasmine Hearn
Run Time: 75 minutes, no intermission 

slowdanger, taylor knight (they/them) & anna thompson (they/them) are co-founding artistic directors of slowdanger, a multidisciplinary performance organism based in Pittsburgh, PA. slowdanger uses a systematic approach to movement, integrative technology, found material, electronic instrumentation, vocalization, physiological centering, and ontological examination to produce their performance work, which utilizes continual practice to delve into circular life patterning including effort, transformation, and death. Through the process of making each piece, slowdanger works with an ever deepening understanding of energy, synergy, action, gender, time, and storytelling. As a queer, non-binary led organization, slowdanger is committed to deconstructing the binaries of how performance and performers are viewed onstage through their performances, workshops and public facing engagements.

STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos 
CIRCLES: going in 

Saturday & Sunday, January 13 – 14
6:00pm 

The Flea Theater | 20 Thomas Street, NYC
Pay What Moves You: $20 – $35

Black Joy. Femme. Cycles of Life and Love. CIRCLES: going in is a full-length dance work celebrating #BlackGirlMagic #BlackLove #BlackJoy. Layering dance, visual arts, with pulsing beats and bass lines, the work presents snapshots of popular culture through choreographer Staycee Pearl’s lens as a Black woman. With an ensemble of five dancers, CIRCLES: going in is an unapologetic, and daring path to self-reclamation. Central to the work is an original sound score of hip-hop, house, techno and ballroom music samples mixed live throughout the performance – bringing the joy, spontaneity and uncensored freedom of self-expression from the club to the stage.

This presentation of CIRCLES: going in is supported by The New England Foundation for the Arts’s National Dance Project and America’s Cultural Treasures, a program of the Ford Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. CIRCLES: going in is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Joyce Theater, and NPN. CIRCLES: going in was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Co-commissioning Partners are Kelly Strayhorn Theater, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and The Joyce Theater. The development of CIRCLES: going in is made possible in part by the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron). CIRCLES: going in is supported in part by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Fund, The Heinz Endowments, and The Opportunity Fund.

​CREDITS
Choreography: Staycee Pearl
Sound Designer/Engineer: Herman B. Pearl
Music Collaborators: DJ Haram, DOTGOV, Geña, Ixa, Kha’DJ, Kilamanzego, Madame Dolores, Meejah, Queen Jo, Yah Lioness
Visual Collaborations: Bekezela Mguni, Kitoko Chargois, sarah huny young
Lighting Design: Scott Nelson
Costume Design: S. Ruth
Set Design: Rob Hackett
Dancers: LaTrea Derome Rembert, Chandler Bingham, Cameron Waters, Nia Goodman, Joy Holder
Tour Coordinator: Joanna Futral
Exclusive USA Tour Representation: Pentacle, Sandy Garcia 
Running Time: 60 minutes, no intermission.

Staycee Pearl, Executive/Co-Artistic Director Staycee Pearl is the co-artistic director of PearlArts Studios and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos, where she creates artful experiences through dance-centered multimedia works in collaboration with her husband and artistic collaborator, Herman Pearl. In 2009, STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos (SPdp&SS) debuted at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Since then the duo has produced several works including …on being…, OCTAVIA, and FLOWERZ, and has recently premiered their National Dance Project supported CIRCLES: going in, presented by the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. Staycee is passionate about sharing resources and creating opportunities for the arts community by initiating project-generating programs including the Charrette Series, the In The Studio Series, and the PearlDiving Movement Residency. 

Herman Pearl, Co-Artistic Director Herman Pearl (Soy Sos) is the head engineer and owner of Tuff Sound Recording, as well as the sound designer and co-artistic director of PearlArts Studios. Through PearlArts, Herman creates soundscapes to serve as a component to contemporary dance. As a sound designer, Herman’s repertoire includes a wide variety of projects and collaborators. His work has been featured in various independent films and documentaries, video games, and advertising. He has designed soundscapes for numerous choreographers. He has collaborated with many visual artists to create installations and touring exhibits. He has recorded and produced work for a plethora of recording artists across genres and techniques. Herman has performed, created, and recorded his own music for over 25 years.

ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER 

Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is a home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. We welcome our home to all who uplift Black, Indigenous, people of color, and queer voices. 

KST is an institutional arts anchor in Pittsburgh’s East End that has served the community for more than two decades. Since launching KST Presents programming in ’08, KST has been Black-led, fostering radical imagination for Black and queer arts, culture, and community in Pittsburgh by cultivating BIPOC and/or queer artists, entrepreneurs, and arts administrators, developing their careers, and shifting narratives around Black possibility.

Photo Credit: Mariah Miranda, Heather Mull, Mariah Miranda, Joshua Freznos, Beth Barbis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Pittsburgh Duo slowdanger Responds to Climate Crisis and Sensationalism with Performance SUPERCELL

EAST LIBERTY, PA — Kelly Strayhorn Theater is thrilled to present Pittsburgh-based performance duo slowdanger and their new work SUPERCELL, with an exciting week-long program during the first week of December.

At KST’s Alloy Studios, on Monday, December 4 at 6:00pm, artists anna thompson and taylor knight of slowdanger share their artistic ideas and creation process with audiences at our informal Welcome Dinner & Artists Talk, kicking off the week. Following the talk, on Wednesday, December 6 from 9:00am to 10:15am, slowdanger offers a 75-minute workshop De-Mystifying the Box co-presented with PearlArts, engaging participants to sense deeper into the micro-ecosystems of our bodies. 

The week reaches its crescendo at Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9 with the Pittsburgh premiere of the evening-length quintet performance SUPERCELL at 7:30pm. Kelly Strayhorn Theater co-commissioned this performance as a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project in collaboration with The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (College Park, MD) and NPN (New Orleans, LA). SUSPERCELL was developed with support from the prestigious National Dance Project, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, and additionally supported by residencies at the National Choreographic Center (Akron, OH), The Space Upstairs (Pittsburgh, PA) and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dance (New York, NY) . 

The work draws inspiration from the awe-inspiring yet ominous supercells—large storms with deep, persistent updrafts often leading to tornadoes.

The terrifying supercells are harbingers of substantial damage. This natural effect is also similar to sensationalist media, instantly amplifying catastrophic events for insatiable public consumption. SUPERCELL therefore is informed by the natural effect, finding parallels and addressing environmental collapse and sensationalism in media. 

Through seamless integration of corporeal mime techniques, contemporary and improvisational dance frameworks, live vocalization, electronic and sample-based music, and interactive set design, SUPERCELL is a multidisciplinary adventure by nature. The synchronized and amplified breaths and vocalizations of the dancers serve as a motif, articulating the effects of toxic natural and media environments on our bodies.

“Throughout the creation process, we formed and consulted with advisory cohorts in Maryland and Pittsburgh, composed of scientists, climate activists, anthropologists, sustainable design experts, and a dramaturgical advisor,” said slowdanger. 

The collaborative nature of the project allows for multiple truths to emerge in the reception and interpretation of SUPERCELL. Through a dinner conversation and a workshop with the general public, slowdanger opens the floor for diverse discussions and decentralizes the creative process.

SUPERCELL is the final event of KST’s Fall 2023 Season. Information about the Winter/Spring Season will be released on Thursday, December 14 at kelly-strayhorn.org. 

This presentation of SUPERCELL is supported by the National Performance Network Artist Engagement Fund, The New England Foundation for the Arts’s National Dance Project and Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation’s ArtsConnect programs. SUPERCELL is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. SUPERCELL is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project co-commissioned by Kelly Strayhorn Theater, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and NPN. SUPERCELL is also supported by the Opportunity Fund, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, with additional residency support from NCCAkron, The Space Upstairs and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dance.

Download the .pdf HERE.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

slowdanger, taylor knight (they/them) & anna thompson (they/them) are co-founding artistic directors of slowdanger, a multidisciplinary performance organism based in Pittsburgh, PA. slowdanger uses a systematic approach to movement, technology, found material, vocalization, and physiological centering to produce their performance work. Through the process of making each piece, slowdanger works with an ever deepening understanding of energy, synergy, action, gender, time, and storytelling. As a queer, non-binary led organization, slowdanger is committed to deconstructing the binaries of how performance and performers are viewed onstage. 

Harbour Edney | Lighting Designer (they/he) is a freelance lighting designer and installation artist who is currently nested in the Philadelphia area. Recent designs include Always the Hour (Annie Wilson), The Wild Party (Eagle Theatre), a hit dog will holler (Azuka Theatre Company), Chaat (Usiloquy Dance Designs), Papa (The New Hazlett Theatre) and Bruise & Thorn (Pipeline Theatre Company). They have designed for other companies such as Obvious Agency, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, The Pillow Projects, The Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre, Alumni Theater Company and INTAR NYC. Harbour has a special love for dance and is thrilled and grateful to be working on SUPERCELL with this team.

Nile Harris | Performer (he/him) is a performer and director of live works of art. He has done a few things and hopes to do a few more, God willing. 

Jasmine Hearn | Dramaturgical Support, Collaborating Media Design, and Collaborating Sound Design (they/them) is an internationally-touring interdisciplinary artist, director, performer, choreographer, organizer, doula, and teacher. They are committed to performance as an expansive practice that includes a spectrum of dance and somatic traditions and techniques, sound design, garment design, cooking, and the archiving of matrilineal memories. They give gratitude to Spirit, their mothers and aunties, and all the mothering Black people who have supported their moving, remembering body.

AJ Libert | Performer (he/him), from Pittsburgh, PA, started his dance training at the age of three. He graduated from PBT’s full time program, and then attended Point Park University where he received a BFA in Modern dance. AJ enjoys the complexities that movement exploration has to offer. Combining his love for the natural world with his love for movement drives AJ to continue to find deeper connections between the two, in hopes to merge both worlds seamlessly. AJ would like to thank his two beautiful mothers, without them he would not be where he is today.

ProjectileObjects | Scenic Designer and Technical Director (he/him) Cornelius Henke III is a multi-talented creative with a passion for video production and performance art. His work spans across various mediums, including music videos, motion graphics, live events, and interactive installations. Cornelius is an activist and partner at Merging Media, a boutique digital media production company based in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2021, ProjectileObjects formed an LLC that offers a range of services, including conceptual design, development, engineering, fabrication, and installations. With a wealth of experience and expertise, Cornelius continues to captivate audiences with his unique vision and exceptional talent.

Mad Recital is an avant-garde fashion label established in 2010.  The designers involved in the label are Richard Ramirez (who started his own fashion label in 1997 prior) and Sean E. Ramirez-Matzus. Mad Recital focuses on deconstruction, repurposed garments, handmade techniques, alternative visions of beauty and unconventional designs. Drawing inspiration from nature, folk-lore, myths and legends, film and the arts as well as the history of avant-garde fashion, Mad Recital aims to create wearable art. The end goal, pieces that delight, unsettle, inspire and provoke. Their work has been sold at boutiques in Japan and France.

kira shiina | Performer (they/she) is a dance and sound artist based on the unceded Lenape land known as Philadelphia, PA. kira shiina attended Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts, going on to receive their BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts. In 2019, they presented their first solo work, DID YOU / FALL APART in collaboration with painter Jameelah Platt. They were a founding company member of Mark Caserta’s Big Kid Dance and are currently a creative associate of choreographer Tommie-Waheed Evans, and has been a company member of waheedworks  since 2019. kira shiina is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance at the UArts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KST Freshworks Artist Andraya Rand-Mathis Reflects Healing Journeys in Diving Within, A New Performance in Process

EAST LIBERTY, PA — Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks: New Performance In Process artist-in-residence, Andraya Rand-Mathis, is set to bring her original performance Diving Within to the stage on Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2, for the first time. This 30-minute showing commences at 7:30pm at KST’s Alloy Studios, followed by an engaging Q&A session with the audience.

As a proud Black trans woman, Rand-Mathis draws inspiration from her personal recovery process after her gender transition, as well as the painful yet beautiful healing journeys of other people of color. Through dance, music, drag, performative storytelling, and audio from first-person interviews, Rand-Mathis breathes life into her impactful performance, Diving Within, and reflects on self-discovery and recovery from negative experiences.

Rand-Mathis is a choreographer, dancer, and educator born and raised in Pittsburgh. When she began her gender transition, she decided to let go of social expectations. Her transition goes beyond her physicality, breaking through gender stereotypes cast on her free spirit. She uses dance as a powerful expression to convey her resistance. 

“As a transgender woman still early in her process, I find myself questioning and reflecting on life on a daily basis, trying to understand the roots of my actions, habits, and perspective of life. I’ve spent years conforming and showing up in the ways that others expected me and told me to, but now I’m reclaiming my authentic self,” said Rand-Mathis. 

Her past internal conflicts have informed her compassionate worldview and provided the origin point for Rand-Mathis’ latest work, Diving Within. The performance in progress revolves around a symbolic character’s life struggle, delving into their deep interiority and unveiling their innermost doubts, fears, anxieties, and pain.

Rand-Mathis further expands the narrative by incorporating the voices of her interviews with five open-minded and forthright people of color sharing their lived experiences. These individuals share their burdens — healing from substance abuse, parental loss, misaligned gender identities, and single parenthood. Diving Within uses these interviews as a foundation, explores universal healing experiences, and embraces inclusivity that goes beyond her personal gender transition. 

According to Rand-Mathis, “Hopefully their stories [in the performance] can encourage a warm, welcoming space free of judgment and open to vulnerability.”

Download the .pdf HERE.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Andraya Rand-Mathis is a choreographer, dancer, and educator who was born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh. She has choreographed several musical productions, which have won Gene Kelly Awards for Best Choreography. Even though Andraya started their dance training at a late age, she is a  force to be reckoned with for her generation and future generations to come. Since hitting the dance scene a little over 8 years ago, Draya has had the opportunity to work with some amazing artists such as Greer Reed, Staycee Pearl, Kontara Morphis, and Anthony Williams. 

ABOUT FRESHWORKS: NEW PERFORMANCE IN PROCESS

Freshworks is KST’s creative residency for artists and collaborators based in the greater Pittsburgh region. Freshworks made its debut in 2013 and supports playful exploration in performance through interdisciplinary work in contemporary dance, theater, music, and multimedia.The program provides artists with planning support and guidance, studio space, production staff, lighting and sound design and encouragement for creative risk taking. Artists are invited to apply either as an individual or as a collaborative group.

Freshworks artists are provided a $1,000 honorarium and $1,500 resource budget during the residency. This is to help offset the costs of creating new work. Each residency will take place over a two-month period. During these two months, artists will develop a 30-minute live showing that is a first draft of an original artistic project. The first month is intended for planning; this includes what form the project will take, securing collaborators, and brainstorming design. During this time, artists will meet weekly with KST Programming and Production Staff to chart out production and scheduling needs as well as utilize their outside perspectives. The intention is that KST Staff is present to pose questions that can help the artist think through various aspects of ideas.

The second month is focused on in-studio rehearsal and creation of a 30-minute draft of their project. Weekly meetings with KST Staff continue and shift focus towards actualizing production needs.The goal of the residency is for the artist to experiment and explore early iterations of ideas and share a draft of these concepts in front of an audience. At the end of the process, they will have valuable insight into further developing their project.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KST Presents Suite Life, A Theatrical Jazz Benefit Concert Celebrating Icons Billy Strayhorn and Gene Kelly

EAST LIBERTY, PA, October 18, 2023 — Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) invites you to celebrate our namesakes with the music of composer Billy Strayhorn and the imagery of performer Gene Kelly at our unforgettable theatrical jazz benefit concert Suite Life on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 7:30pm at Kelly Strayhorn Theater (5941 Penn Ave.). Starting two hours before Suite Life, we hold our VIP Reception at our generous sponsor Duolingo’s East Liberty Headquarters (5900 Penn Ave.) at 5:30pm. The reception features specially crafted cocktails, sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, and meaningful opportunities to connect with Pittsburgh’s leading jazz enthusiasts. 

We warmly welcome music director and pianist Dr. Alton Merrell, as well as band members: Dwayne Dolphin (bass), James Johnson III (drums), and Colter Harper (guitar). The concert features jazz singer and Billy Strayhorn aficionado Joshua Banbury, along with Suite Life veterans kelsey jumper and Treasure Treasure. KST reunites our friends, media artist Scott Andrew, and lighting designer Madeleine Steineck for a dazzling visual experience. 

“Strayhorn has inspired me to bring theatrics into jazz,” classically trained jazz singer and opera librettist Joshua Banbury explains, “in recent years, I have attempted to get very close to Strayhorn and his work. Being near his work, his story has greatly impacted my own. I’ve also fallen in love with his music because his ballads in particular are so akin to arias and art songs. To be able to sing his music in a theater dedicated to him is so special to me”. 

This year’s event marks KST’s 16th annual celebration of Gene Kelly’s energetic and athletic dance style and Billy Strayhorn’s longing and artful tones. Billy Strayhorn, born in 1915, lived in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh while Gene Kelly, born in 1912, grew up in East Liberty. 

“While there is no written record showing the two ever met, it is documented that they both attended shows at Pittsburgh venues like the Stanley Theatre, where Strayhorn met Duke Ellington in 1938. Through the mixing of music and visuals, Suite Life imagines how their lives might have crossed paths right here, at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, back when it was the Regent Theatre,” according to Joseph Hall, KST’s Executive Director. We commemorate the duo’s artistic and social legacies while cheering the communal and creative spirit embedded in our locality.

Suite Life travels back in time and delivers an immersive visual and sonic experience with dance, live music, monologue, and storytelling. “This will be my third year performing in Suite Life, and I’ve loved witnessing the shift from pure concert format to a dramaturgically grounded production,” said vocalist and dancer kelsey jumper. The theater lighting and multimedia projection create a lush atmosphere. As media artist Scott Andrew comments, “This event is a fun chance to generate live visuals that complement the work of the musicians, offering a vibrant backdrop to the performance.” 

Let’s dress for jazz and “sing in the rain,” immersing ourselves in the shower of rich and lush harmonies. 

Download the .pdf. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Scott Andrew (media artist) is a queer multimedia video, installation, performance artist, media designer, educator, and curator. His works have been exhibited at Ballroom Marfa (Marfa, TX), The Hammer Museum (LA), The J. Paul Getty Museum (LA), Whitechapel (London, UK), among others. Media Design and VFX projects include ‘Show Queen’, a collaboration with Jesse Factor, ‘Suite Life’ and ‘House Party’ (KST), and the documentary ‘Workhorse Queen’ by Angela Washko.  Scott is a Visiting Lecturer in Studio Arts at the University of Pittsburgh, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University, and co-curates TQ Live! (CMoA). www.scottnandrew.com/

Joshua Banbury (vocalist) is a classically trained jazz singer and opera librettist with Texas roots. At twenty-eight, his collaborations include solo performances with many of the most respected musical organizations in the country, including The Apollo Theatre, The Phillips Collection, The New York Philharmonic, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz at The Ballroom, National Sawdust, and The National Black Theatre. In 2022, Joshua also served as Librettist in Residence with the American Lyric Theatre, considered to be one of the country’s premier mentorship initiatives for promising operatic writers. His work has been commissioned and presented by The Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, and Fort Worth Opera. Joshua is a graduate of The New School and The Austin School for Performing and Visual Arts. 

Dwayne Dolphin (bass) is a Pittsburgh-born bassist, bandleader, and educator who has been an essential member of the jazz scene and a major artistic force for many years. He is a world-class acoustic and electric bassist, and in the late 1990s Dwayne began playing the electric piccolo bass. His piccolo band played strictly in an R&B funk setting for years, and now Off Minor features Dwayne playing his electric piccolo bass in a straight ahead, acoustic jazz setting. Something he’s never done before! Repertoire includes music from the jazz and American songbook catalog, and a few surprises.  

Colter Harper (guitar) is a guitarist and ethnomusicologist whose creative and scholarly work explores jazz, American nightlife, and the music of West Africa. Harper served as a Fulbright Scholar in the University of Ghana from 2018 to 2020 and has performed as a guitarist, including with the rock band Rusted Root. His forthcoming book Jazz in the Hill: Nightlife and Narratives of a Pittsburgh Neighborhood (University Press of Mississippi, 2024) delves into the intersections of jazz, entrepreneurialism, placemaking, labor organizing, and critical listening in Pittsburgh’s Hill District from 1920 to 1970. 

James Johnson III (drums) adapts comfortably to various genres, excelling in Jazz. He began his musical journey playing drums at five years old. His father, Dr. James Johnson Jr., a nationally known pianist and educator sparked his passion for music. Prior to his worldwide career, he attended Pittsburgh’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), where he was mentored by jazz great Roger Humphries. This laid the foundation for a stellar career that has included performing as a regular member with legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal. His musical adventures have led him to play in prestigious venues and with respected artists worldwide. 

kelsey jumper (vocalist, dancer) is a Brooklyn-born, rustbelt-reared performance artist. She’s joined celebrated PGH theater companies including The Public, Quantum, Pittsburgh CLO and Carnegie Mellon Drama in musical storytelling, as well as local bands Afro Yaqui Music Collective, Bindley Hardware Co. and Ames Harding & the Mirage. She’s been honored to perform at favorite local venues as well as internationally acclaimed stages including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Studio Museum of Harlem, MoMA and The Shed. Her duo with Treasure Treasure, The Cookie Table, is currently in residency at The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and is honored to return for another year of Suite Life.

Dr. Alton Merrell (musical director, piano) is a world-class pianist, Hammond B-3 organist, composer, author and educator. He has performed and taught throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and parts of the Caribbean. Merrell’s musical artistry is a unique blend of lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and fluid technique that spans multiple music genres including jazz, gospel, classical, pop, and rhythm and blues. Merrell’s musical interpretations take listeners on spirit-filled excursions that deeply touch the soul. Currently the Professor of Jazz Piano at West Virginia University, Merrell has taught students all over the world and continues to train musicians worldwide through his online school Minstrel School of Music. www.altonmerrell.com / www.minstrelschool.com 

Treasure Treasure (vocalist, dancer) (she/her) is a performing artist, comic, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. She recently starred as the title role in Hamlet with Quantum Theatre. Other appearances: Broadway, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, Atlantic Theater Company, PCLO, PICT, Hangar Theater, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Squonk Opera. Treasure’s original score for The Tempest made its premiere with Southwest Shakespeare Company and her debut EP, Hypnerotomachia, is available on all platforms. Instagram: @beingtreasure

Madeleine Steineck (lighting designer) has been working as a lighting designer and master electrician in western Pennsylvania since 2011. Companies she has designed for include: Mercyhurst University’s MIAC and Theatre Programs, MCG Jazz, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, off the WALL Productions, the New Hazlett’s CSA Program, Texture Contemporary Ballet, fireWALL dance theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, and various local schools. She also works as a stagehand for IATSE Local 3. Her design for PPTCO’s production of Miss Julie, Clarissa, and John was seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. She has also toured with Philadelphia artist and choreographer, Raphael Xavier.

ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER

Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is reflective of the passion that its namesakes had for the arts. Today, KST carries their legacy by fostering bold and innovative artistry with a global perspective. KST celebrates diversity in voice, thought, and expression, and upholds a firm commitment to inclusion. 

KST has a dynamic footprint in Pittsburgh, with two venues running along Penn Avenue. KST’s Alloy Studios is a cultural hub in the heart of Friendship, and the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located in the thriving business district of East Liberty. More than 20 years after the founding of the theater, KST continues to use its broad reach to impact the contemporary arts and the community.

PC: Heidi Wiren Bartlett, Courtesy of the Artists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Welcome to Pumpkin Palooza, An East Liberty Halloween Adventure at Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Saturday, October 28, 2023

EAST LIBERTY, PA, September 27, 2023 — Kelly Strayhorn Theater cordially invites all local community members to one of our most beloved annual family programs, Pumpkin Palooza! This year, we are thrilled to offer candy, crafts, and performances from our fantastic community partners. From 1:00pm – 4:00pm, The Alloy School, Assemble, Phase 4 Learning Center, Youth Enrichment Services, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, and Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation offer family friendly activities in the KST lobby. From 2:00pm – 3:00pm, DS Kinsel hosts performances on the KST mainstage from K-Theatre Dance Complex, Alumni Theater Company, The Obama Marching Band, and Afro-American Music Institute’s Jazz Lab. Celebrate a fun, spooky, and costume-filled Halloween with KST on Saturday, October 28, 2023 from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. Join us in your favorite costume, or come as you are!

We have celebrated Halloween with our East Liberty community for over a decade. Compared to previous iterations, “this year, we’ve renamed KST’s annual Halloween event from ‘Halloween Mayhem’ to ‘Pumpkin Palooza’ to make sure folks know it’s fun for the whole family,” said Programming Manager Sarah Gilmer.

On the date of the event, our cause-driven community partners come together to provide an array of Halloween-themed activities for children and caretakers of all ages. These include candy distribution, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and even a DIY station for trick-or-treat bags.

Everyone can immerse themselves in the Halloween spirit by participating in the costume contest. Come and capture memorable moments in front of an interactive green screen, and vote for your favorite costumes. There are plenty of boo-tiful opportunities for children to create, interact, and discover. 

During the performances, Afro-American Music Institute’s Jazz Lab introduces a rising six-piece student bands while Alumni Theater Company captivates the audience with a blend of dance and original writings. K-Theatre Dance Complex creates a Ghostbusters-themed dance for this special occasion, transforming the stage into a mysterious alleyway. We are delighted to have The Obama Marching Band conclude the day with boisterous celebratory energy. 

Our Development and Communications Director, Liz Rudnick, fondly recalled her memories from last year: “The lobby was full of tables with unique activities. The children moved in excited groups, hurrying from one table to another with high energy — Taking photos with friends and showing off their costumes, everyone had a great time!”

We can’t wait to see little spidermen, unicorns, and pumpkins gather in the theater for a spooktacular trick-or-treat!

Download the .pdf HERE.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Founded by Dr. James Johnson and Mrs. Pamela Johnso in 1982, the Afro-American Music Institute (AAMI) provides music programs of excellence under the guidance and tutelage of its committed, professional staff and board members. Under the supervision of Howie Alexander III, the ensemble provides performance opportunities for youth who have studied instruction in composition, improvisation, basic theory, chart reading and ear training. With a foundation of jazz, the Jazz Lab explores Gospel, R&B and Pop and the way in which jazz traditions contribute to modern musicality. afroamericanmusic.org

Alumni Theater Company (ATC) is a year-round program providing talented Black youth in grades 6-12 with high quality performing arts training and a platform to express their ideas. ATC is currently in its 15th season of creating bold theatrical work that gives fresh voice to the experience of young Black artists and highlights their rich contribution to our community. alumnitheatercompany.org 

DS Kinsel (Host) is an award-winning creative entrepreneur and cultural agitator who expresses his creativity through various mediums, including painting, printmaking, curating, and public art. D.S. is a former AmeriCorps Public Ally member and Awardee of the Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40. D.S. is also the co-founder of BOOM Concepts, a Pittsburgh-based creative hub dedicated to advancing black and brown artists. Since its establishment in 2014, BOOM Concepts has curated 50 on-site exhibitions, paid over $150k in artist fees, and produced 200+ events across the country. BOOM Concepts is recognized as a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasure through The Heinz Endowments and The Ford Foundation. boomuniverse.co

K-Theatre Dance Complex (KTDC), is a dance academy that provides quality dance instruction in several major areas of dance, which include Ballet, Contemporary, Modern and Hip Hop. Led by Artistic Director Kontara Morphis, and Arts Education Director Rickia Davenport, KTDC curriculum incorporates dance theory, terminology and dance theater. KTDC has largely impacted the physical, academic, creative, and personal development of its students. facebook.com/ktheatredancecomplex 

The Obama Marching Band (OMB) was first established in 2011. The band is comprised of interested music students in grades 7 through 12. Student musicians represent the high-achievement and excellence modeled by our school Pittsburgh Obama Academy. In 2023, OMB represented the City of Pittsburgh as ambassadors in the 2023 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC. We collaborated with Pittsburgh Allderdice HS, Pittsburgh Brashear HS, and Pittsburgh Obama Academy to form Pittsburgh’s “One Band One Sound” All-City Marching Band. The marching band performs at parades, pep rallies, football games, and other community-wide events. Visit our website to learn more: pghobamaband.com

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Youth Enrichment Services (YES), based in East Liberty, provides socially and economically at risk youth the opportunity to achieve success through participation in mentorship, education, and enrichment programs. Through mentoring partnerships, peer assisted tutoring programs, and — when needed — monitoring and mentoring programs for juvenile offenders, YES invests its talent, energy, time, and resources in empowering and enriching the lives of children and teens. YES provides responsive, innovative, and youth-designed programs that offer young people unique academic, enrichment, and employment experiences. Youthenrichmentservices.org 

Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation raises health with LGBTQ+ and HIV communities in and around Western Pennsylvania. Our team offers a variety of resources and supports including youth and family services, school based programming, Hugh’s Kitchen pantry program, civil legal aid, wellness programming and all ages special events, as well as training and consultation for organizations to improve their skills and capacity to serve LGBTQ+ clients and staff. Some of our most popular programs for youth and families include our youth AFFIRM series, parent mentoring & support groups, Big Sibs mentoring, student LGBTQ+ groups, online QChats and Discord server, social activities, and so much more. hughlane.org 

Assemble envisions a world where learning and creating are transformative experiences and where all people are equipped with the tools to make a difference, together. At Assemble, we use learning as a tool to create a more equitable future for youth and learners in the Pittsburgh region and beyond. We build confidence through making; connect learners, makers, technologists, and artists; and nurture agency in learners. We offer free afterschool, Saturday programs, camps, and more for kids as well as adult programs. Visit us at Assemble 4824 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. assemblepgh.org  

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse is a non-profit that inspires creativity, conservation, and community engagement through reuse: We operate a non-traditional art supply shop located at the intersection of Wilkinsburg, Homewood, and Point Breeze, where people can donate used art and craft supplies, as well as shop for these unique items all in the same location. We also facilitate hands-on creative programming that educates the public about the benefits of reuse for the environment, community, and self. We see reuse as a vehicle for boosting self-confidence, learning new skills, and creating opportunity for all. For more information, visit our website at pccr.org.

Phase 4 Learning Center offers a safe and caring learning environment for historically underserved students in grades 6 – 12 to earn a high school diploma and gain work experience. Phase 4 focuses on four phases of development: academic, social, behavioral, and future employment. Although based in Pittsburgh, Phase 4 operates at six locations in Allegheny and Beaver County including The Best Buy Teen Tech Center (BBTTC) located at 5850 Centre Ave. The BBTTC is a member of The International Clubhouse Network and winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring. To learn more about Phase 4 visit their website at phase4learningcenter.org.

ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER

Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is reflective of the passion that its namesakes had for the arts. Today, KST carries their legacy by fostering bold and innovative artistry with a global perspective. KST celebrates diversity in voice, thought, and expression, and upholds a firm commitment to inclusion. 

KST has a dynamic footprint in Pittsburgh, with two venues running along Penn Avenue. KST’s Alloy Studios is a cultural hub in the heart of Friendship, and the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located in the thriving business district of East Liberty. More than 20 years after the founding of the theater, KST continues to use its broad reach to impact the contemporary arts and the community.

PC: Liz Rudnick

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KST Presents Pria Dahiya’s You and Me and The End of the World, A Freshworks: New Performance in Process

EAST LIBERTY, PA, September 14, 2023 — Kelly Strayhorn Theater presents You and Me and the End of the World, a devised theater piece by Freshworks: New Performance In Process artist in residence Pria Dahiya. The work is presented as a 30-minute showing followed by a Q&A with the audience at KST’s Alloy Studios on Friday and Saturday, October 6 and 7, 2023 at 7:30pm. This digitally sick, nauseatingly young, and fearfully queer performance project explores first love, first loss, and coming of age online.

“At a certain point I realized that so many people had experienced things associated with coming of age — falling in love, processing loss, and finding the work of art that changes your life forever — online. In the past, it may have meant going to a concert and seeing someone across the room, but now it is just between you and your phone or computer. For several years I’ve wanted to do a project that would physicalize, through theater, these isolating and alienating experiences I’d experienced firsthand” — Pria Dahiya

Embodying the disconnect between the bewildering psychological excess of living online and the frightening reality of living offline, the performance in progress explores the relationship between alienation, desire, mortality, and the internet. In an isolated corner of the world, on an isolated corner of the internet, two teenagers seek understanding through imperfect screens, confessional posting, and constant communication.

Pria Dahiya is in the last phase of her undergraduate career in Carnegie Mellon University’s John Well’s Directing Program. Her relationship with KST started when she assistant-directed Adil Mansoor’s Am(i)gonne at KST’s Alloy Studios in 2022.

“I was blown away by the amount of freedom the rehearsal process had and by the amount of time we were able to build in the space. The production was relatively simple, yet so much time and so much support was given to it. I had also seen Lyam B. Gabel’s performance, the dance floor, the hospital room, and the kitchen table at KST and again was blown away by the amount of resources and support for these fascinating, hybrid, boundary-pushing pieces” — Pria Dahiya

As a part of the Q&A, the artist welcomes a myriad of reactions to the themes presented by the performance in progress. Dahiya hopes that audiences who have grown up online will see their experiences reflected onstage, and audiences who have not will gain a deeper understanding of how growing up online influences our perception of the world and ourselves.

Download the .pdf HERE.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Pria Dahiya is a director, visual artist, and writer exploring internet culture through literary adaptation, movement, and media design. Pria has spent twenty-one years being biracial, bisexual, and chronically online. Her work touches on the absurd code-switching and constant alienation of this duality, and how the internet can hide, broadcast, and manipulate these conflicting identities. Her recent work, Anything Good Makes Me Want to Die, was an evening of two surreal plays adapted from Otessa Moshfegh’s short stories. These self-produced plays inaugurated her theater company, the New Modern Product Theatre, an avant-garde company centering the realities of being raised online.

Yin Raquino (they/them) writes sonnets with their right hand and cracks the knuckles of their left. They return to Pittsburgh bruised, sober, and eager to devise art that is aligned with their integrity, intuition, and newfound definition of inquisitiveness. They believe it is imperative that we refuse to assemble a museum exhibit of loose threads in our denim pockets. We cannot afford to tear each other down anymore when ecstasy does the unraveling for us. They’ve made an oath to their Filipino ancestors to sustain virginity in their drinks, but never their mouth.

Rory Janney (she/her) is a writer, actor, playwright, costume designer, theatre & community maker based in Pittsburgh. Her work explores alienation, community, trauma, loneliness, and grief through all things human, fantastic, absurd, and grime. She likes tchotchkes, bric-a-brac, knick knacks, women, horror stories, sunscreen, monsters, soft-yolky insides of hard and ugly things, hard-snarly insides of pretty polite things, chasing grace, embracing ugly, pirates, bats, and therapy. Having been a part of New Modern Product Theatre’s baptismal piece, she is excited to continue the work to make this happen.

Rowan Acadia Dunlop is a proud Cajun from the back pastures of Vermont. As a writer, dramaturg, visual artist, and founding member of New Modern Product Theatre, Rowan’s work revolves around the rural experience, the study of the past for the sake of the future, and holding hands. Rowan works on war dramas and good old fashioned love stories, and has worked with the DOD as a scriptwriter for President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition, with the U.S. Army War College, researching/devising WWII case study exercises, and with StoryWarrior Media Capital, producing children’s animation. Rowan also enjoys working with goats.

davine byon (she/her) is a performance artist, theatre designer, and digital hoarder. her work visualizes the media landscapes that hold our silly and shameful collisions, offering that they might also be precious, even sublime. she is traumatized by brutal anonymous internet behavior and charmed by the hope that none of it matters.davine’s recent work has been featured at Kelly Strayhorn Theatre, Rivers of Steel, Quantum Theatre, the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art, Pao Arts Center, Lenfest Center for the Arts, the New Hazlett Theater, City Theatre Company, and The Andy Warhol Museum.

ABOUT FRESHWORKS: NEW PERFORMANCE IN PROCESS

Freshworks is KST’s creative residency for artists and collaborators based in the greater Pittsburgh region. Freshworks made its debut in 2013 and supports playful exploration in performance through interdisciplinary work in contemporary dance, theater, music, and multimedia.The program provides artists with planning support and guidance, studio space, production staff, lighting and sound design and encouragement for creative risk taking. Artists are invited to apply either as an individual or as a collaborative group.

Freshworks artists are provided a $1,000 honorarium and $1,500 resource budget during the residency. This is to help offset the costs of creating new work. Each residency will take place over a two-month period. During these two months, artists will develop a 30-minute live showing that is a first draft of an original artistic project. The first month is intended for planning; this includes what form the project will take, securing collaborators, and brainstorming design. During this time, artists will meet weekly with KST Programming and Production Staff to chart out production and scheduling needs as well as utilize their outside perspectives. The intention is that KST Staff is present to pose questions that can help the artist think through various aspects of ideas.

The second month is focused on in-studio rehearsal and creation of a 30-minute draft of their project. Weekly meetings with KST Staff continue and shift focus towards actualizing production needs.The goal of the residency is for the artist to experiment and explore early iterations of ideas and share a draft of these concepts in front of an audience. At the end of the process, they will have valuable insight into further developing their project.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Meg Foley Comes to KST with Blood Baby, a Week of Events Centering Radical Gender Expression, Queer Kinship, and Belonging

EAST LIBERTY, PA — The KST Presents Fall 2023 season, Brave Actions Bold Voices, kicks off with Blood Baby, a body of work by interdisciplinary artist Meg Foley. The week-long program begins on September 18 with a Welcome Dinner & Artist Talk celebrating the opening of Eternal Maternal, a visual art exhibition curated by DS Kinsel featuring Foley and Fran Flaherty. Then, on September 20, Foley and KST mutual-aid resident PearlArts co-present The Embodied Imaginary, an improvisational dance workshop. Later that evening, Foley leads a Queer Parent Convening, a free dinner where queer and trans parents can connect and share their experiences. The week comes to a crescendo on Friday and Saturday, September 22-23 when Foley presents Blood Baby: Communion, an evening-length performance piece celebrating queer kinship, radical gender performance, and belonging.

“For the past 20 years I have made performance projects with radical self-determination as subject, crafting body-based explorations of identity, belonging, and time from a queer perspective. In a loving tumble with formalism in dance and what constitutes performance and influenced by my identity as a queer mom in a trans family, I work on a continuum of research that centers the 24hr body and asks how identity is occupied: an all-the-time, ever-shifting self, a sacred site, a portal, a prism.” — Meg Foley

Eternal Maternal, a visual art exhibition in KST’s historic lobby, puts Foley’s creative practice in conversation with the work of Fran Flaherty, an artist, curator, and educator who centers issues of migrant family relationships, maternal feminism, and disability aesthetics (Flaherty happens to be Deaf). Flaherty is the founder of Anthropology of Motherhood, a project inspired by the care paradigm — the premise that human beings cannot survive alone, and that the progress of human beings as a species flows from our ability to connect to each other. In works from the Alchemy series, Flaherty scanned unusable breast milk with a flatbed scanner. The resulting silk-mounted images and 3D printed objects evoke bodily topography, subterranean organs, and pressed flowers. Foley’s contribution to the exhibition is the collaborative Blood Baby: Primordial, an otherworldly, sensual video and sound installation by visual artist (and Foley’s co-parent) Carmichael Jones. Primordial’s “rock drag” captures Foley dancing with the landscape, connecting geology, transformation, and queer gestation. The opening will take place with a reception and artist talk with ASL interpretation at Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Monday, September 18 at 6:00pm.

On Wednesday, September 20 at 9:00am, Foley asks participants of The Embodied Imaginary, an improvisational dance-making workshop: What does it feel like to be a rock? The hour-long exploration invites members to reframe their relationships to movement, inhabit the moment where feeling meets form, and use textiles as body-building tools. The workshop is co-presented with KST mutual-aid resident PearlArts and will take place at KST’s Alloy Studios in Friendship. That same evening, Foley hosts a gathering for queer and trans parents to share their experiences of family-building in an intimate home setting, complete with dinner and childcare.

Finally, KST presents Megan Foley’s Blood Baby: Communion on Friday and Saturday, September 22 – 23. The piece is participatory and audiences will experience the work in the round and in close dialogue with Foley. Exploring the relationship between body and language, the event involves shared reading, facilitated embodiment, and conversation between Foley and the audience. Overlapping geology, gestation, and parenting, Communion explores the shape and feeling of language on and against our bodies, demonstrating how language extends, represents, and ruptures our corporeal identities. Friday night will also feature a post-performance discussion with ASL interpretation.

Blood Baby is supported by a National Dance Project Award from New England Foundation for the Arts and National Performance Network Creation Fund and Development Fund grants, with additional support provided by Leeway Foundation, Indiana University-Bloomington Arts & Humanities Council, a mini-Roser grant, and a USC Visions & Voices grant.

Additional research support provided by ATLAS Institute B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance (CU Boulder), Redline Gallery, Kinsey Institute, Velocity Dance Center, ONE Archives at USC, National Center for Choreography Akron, SPACE Gallery, and CounterPulse.

Download the .pdf HERE.

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Welcome Dinner & Artist Talk
with Fran Flaherty & Meg Foley

Monday, September 18*
6:00pm
*with ASL interpretation

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

BOOM GALLERY | VISUAL ART
Eternal Maternal
Fran Flaherty & Meg Foley

Monday, September 18 – Sunday, December 17, 2023
Opening Reception: Monday, September 18, 6:00pm

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | WORKSHOP
The Embodied Imaginary
with Meg Foley
Co-Presented with PearlArts

Wednesday, September 20
9:00am – 10:15am

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Queer Parent Convening
with Meg Foley

Wednesday, September 20, 2023
7:00pm

RSVP for Location
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | DANCE
Meg Foley
Blood Baby: Communion

Friday & Saturday, September 22* – 23, 2023
7:30pm
*Post performance discussion with ASL interpretation

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $15 – $35

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kelly Strayhorn Theater Announces Fall 2023 Season: Brave Actions Bold Voices

The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is –
it’s to imagine what is possible.

– bell hooks

EAST LIBERTY, PA— The KST Presents Fall 2023 season is about celebrating the brave actions and bold voices of the artists, audiences, and communities who call KST home. The season features new offerings from Mutual Aid Residents Dreams of Hope and PearlArts, a visual art exhibition in the BOOM Gallery, two Freshworks Performances in Progress, and premieres of Local and Global Performances from longtime Pittsburgh favorites and returning faces.

Our Mutual Aid Residencies continue to support Dreams of Hope and PearlArts with administrative facilities and space for ongoing classes and events. This fall, Dreams of Hope hosts the theatriQ educational workshop series, offering queer creatives ages 13 – 26 a space to learn, discuss, and connect through a plethora of topics pertaining to theater and the performing arts. PearlArts brings together Soy Sos and Ali Berger, and later Soy Sos, James Johnson III, and Erik Lawrence for two editions of the music and dance staple, Synchronized with Soy Sos. Later in the season, a dance-focused PearlPRESENTS will feature SPdp&SS founder Staycee Pearl alongside choreographers Raphael Xavier and Chitra Subramanian.

Curated by DS Kinsel, the BOOM Gallery, located in KST’s historic 1914 lobby, presents Eternal Maternal. Featuring artworks from interdisciplinary artists Fran Flaherty and Meg Foley, the exhibition centers motherhood both as an active pursuit and a fundamental state of existence, irrespective of and subject to gender. Visit the gallery before performances from the opening on Monday, September 18 and Sunday, December 17 to experience the artists’ unique interpretations of the sacred practice.

Our Fall 2023 Freshworks Residencies support exciting new performance works in process. On October 6 and 7, Pria Dahiya shares a “play-adjacent performance work” You and Me and The End of the World” that touches on loneliness and coming of age through a pandemic. On December 1 and 2, Andraya Rand-Mathis presents dance, music, and drag in Diving Within, part of a healing process from grief, heartbreak, and childhood trauma.

KST’s Youth and Family programs feature a revamped Halloween celebration. Bring the whole crew to join us for Pumpkin Palooza, An East Liberty Halloween Adventure! There will be tricks, treats, performances, and crafts from community partners. Tune in August 10 for our complete Fall 2023 offerings from The Alloy School.

The KST Presents Local and Global Performance series welcomes Blood Baby from Detroit/Philadelphia-based artist Meg Foley, featuring four works from the series (Primordial, Queer Parent Convening, Communion, and Touch Library). Foley shares the performance Communion on Friday and Saturday, September 22 – 23. Don’t miss the Welcome Dinner & Artist Talk on September 18, where Foley will be in conversation with Fran Flarety; The Embodied Imaginary, a workshop with Foley on September 20; and a Queer Parent Convening later that evening. On December 8 and 9, Pittsburgh’s own superduo slowdanger takes to the KST mainstage with SUPERCELL, a new work addressing climate change and media sensitization. Join artists anna thompson and taylor knight for a Welcome Dinner & Artist Talk on December 4, and their workshop Demystifying the Box on December 6.

Finally, the Fall season wouldn’t be complete without Suite Life, our annual celebration of KST namesakes Billy Strayhorn and Gene Kelly! Join us on Saturday, November 25 for a VIP reception and eclectic performance celebrating these Pittsburgh legends and artistic champions.

There is so much to be explored in the voices and actions of artists across the KST Presents programs. We hope you will add your bravery and boldness to the mix by coming out to share in the work!

Download the .pdf here

MUTUAL AID RESIDENCY | MUSIC | DANCE
Synchronized with Soy Sauce
Featuring Ali Berger

Friday, September 15
7:30pm

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click to Learn More…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Welcome Dinner & Artist Talk
with Fran Flaherty & Meg Foley

Monday, September 18*
6:00pm*with ASL interpretation

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

BOOM GALLERY | VISUAL ART
Eternal Maternal
Fran Flaherty & Meg Foley

Monday, September 18 – Sunday, December 17
Opening Reception: Monday, September 18, 6:00pm

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | WORKSHOP
The Embodied Imaginary
with Meg Foley
Co-Presented with PearlArts

Wednesday, September 20
9:00am – 10:15am

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Queer Parent Convening
with Meg Foley

Wednesday, September 20
7:00pm

RSVP for Location
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERFORMANCE | DANCE
Meg Foley
Blood Baby: Communion

Friday & Saturday, September 22* – 23, 2023
7:30pm
*Post performance discussion with ASL interpretation

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $15 – $35

Click for more details…

MUTUAL AID RESIDENCY | THEATER
THEATRIQ
Creative Sessions for Queer Youth
Co-Presented with Dreams of Hope

Wednesdays, October 4 – November 6
5:30pm – 8:00pm

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Registration Coming Soon!

Click to Learn More…

FRESHWORKS | THEATER
Pria Dahiya
You and Me and The End of the World

Friday & Saturday, October 6 – 7
7:30pm

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click for more details…

MUTUAL AID RESIDENCY | MUSIC | DANCE
Synchronized with Soy Sos
Featuring Erik Lawrence and James Johnson III

Friday, October 20
7:30pm

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click to Learn More…

YOUTH & FAMILY | MUSIC | DANCE | THEATER
Pumpkin Palooza
An East Liberty Halloween Adventure

Saturday, October 28
1:00pm – 4:00pm

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25

Click for more details…

MUTUAL AID RESIDENCY | DANCE
PearlPRESENTS
Featuring SPdp&SS, Raphael Xavier and Chitra Subramanian

Saturday, November 11
7:30pm

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $25

Click for more details…

BENEFIT | MUSIC | PARTY
Suite Life
A Celebration of Billy Strayhorn & Gene Kelly

Saturday, November 25
5:30pm VIP Reception
7:30pm Concert

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $35 – $200

Click for more details…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: House Party Returns with a Night of Interactive Performance and Celebration

EAST LIBERTY, PA — Kelly Strayhorn Theater is pleased to announce that House Party, the organization’s annual summer benefit, will come to East Liberty on Saturday, July 22, 2023. House Party celebrates the legacy of KST with a night of entertainment and unforgettable flavor from local artists, including music and dance artists anna thompson and taylor knight of slowdanger with lighting and visual effects artist Cornelius Henke III, also known as ProjectileObjects, and multimedia queer-oriented video, installation, and performance artist Scott Andrew. Funds raised through House Party will support the KST Presents Fall 2023 season.

Inspired by the theatrics of Studio 54 and the iconic fashion of the Met Gala, House Party brings the mood with an immersive atmosphere and live performance. From the instagram-worthy VIP Reception to the rapturous Dance Party, you can expect a night of cool fantasy in the thick of Summer.

Beginning at 7:00pm, VIP guests will arrive to encounter an installation in the KST lobby of digital portraits featuring the House Party Host Committee and KST Board of Directors created by Scott Andrew. Andrew has been a Pittsburgh resident for seventeen years, where he is a professor of digital media at University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Andrew co-founded the group Fail-Safe, a reoccurring frame for experimental performance, with artists Angela Washko and Jesse Styles, which was presented in the Fall 2022 season at KST. Andrew has also created media design and installations for House Party ‘22, last year’s Suite Life, and the March 2020 Freshworks presentation of I am a Haunted House in collaboration with dance artist Jesse Factor.

Moving through the lobby, VIPs will encounter a transformed Theater, with the reception occurring on the main stage and throughout the auditorium. There, attendees will hear from Executive Director Joseph Hall and Board Chair Adam Golden, enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, and have exclusive access to an open bar. From the stage and the loge seating, VIPs will enjoy a performance from Pittsburgh staple slowdanger. Featuring their signature blend of electronic music, slithering and undulating movement vocabulary, and sharp eye for riveting and evocative aesthetics, slowdanger in collaboration with ProjectileObjects will present a short performance on a uniquely installed temporary stage constructed over the theater’s orchestra seating.

Presented in the round for VIPs to experience from anywhere in the auditorium, the performance will give patrons a taste of the artists’ special brand of movement. slowdanger will be back at KST as a part of the Fall 2023 season, supported by House Party, with a new evening-length work to be announced later this summer. The project currently in development with support from KST was recently awarded $101,500 from New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project program.

Additionally, VIPs can have their fortune told to them through tarot card readings by Amber Eps a.k.a. Hollyhood and get custom House Party temporary tattoos from artist Zhen Lee.

Following the VIP reception, guests move to the KST lobby for a signature dance party with disco vibes! Dance Party guests can join from 9:00pm – 12:00am to get down and celebrate KST with the East Liberty community, and will receive one drink ticket after which they can purchase signature House Party cocktails from the KST bar!

“House Party is our summer blow-out party that showcases the work we do to support artists throughout the year,” said KST Executive Director Joseph Hall. “We invite you to join us for this once a year spectacular event! We encourage guests to dress to impress and get ready to sweat it out on the dance floor as only one does at KST.”

House Party is supported by our Host Committee: Kenya T. Boswell, Dana Bishop-Root, Anne Chen, Gina & Idris Evans, Sherree Goldstein, David Finegold, Kenya Matthews, Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, Khari Mosley, Jessica Gaynelle Moss, Richard Parsakian, Barb Pugh, Hon. Erika Strassburger, Kannu Sahni, Gina Winstead & Donny Donovan. Thanks to our generous sponsors, Duolingo, Pittsburgh City Paper, FHL Bank, UPMC Health Plan, and Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield & Allegheny Health Network for supporting House Party and the Fall 2023 KST Presents Season. You can support KST HERE

Download the .pdf HERE

Join KST for House Party on Saturday, July 22. Immersive VIP Reception 7:00pm – 9:00pm and Dance Party 9:00pm – 12:00am at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn. Ave. Tickets are Pay What Moves You: $50 – $250 For full season details, KST COVID policy updates, and tickets, visit kelly-strayhorn.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

taylor knight and anna thompson are co-founding artistic directors of the Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary performance entity slowdanger. Founded in 2013, slowdanger uses movement, integrative technology, found material, electronic instrumentation, vocalization, physiological centering, and ontological examination to produce their performance work. The more they engage in this collaborative work, the more they recognize the manifestation of their work as a non-binary entity that is one body amassed of multiple bodies in space. Each work seeks a deeper understanding through the practice of making. This ever evolving process is akin to the construction zone where inspiration was drawn for the name, slowdanger. anna and taylor have worked with Sidra Bell, Francesca Harper, Roderick George, Bill Shannon, MICHIYAYA Dance, Nile Harris, Jasmine Hearn, Maree Remalia|merrygogo, CorningWorks, Mark C. Thompson, The Pillow Project |Pearlann Porter, Jil Stifel, Shantelle Courvoisier Jackson and more.

Cornelius Henke III, a.k.a. ProjectileObjects, is a multi-talented creative with a passion for video production and performance art. His work spans various mediums, including music videos, motion graphics, live events, and interactive installations. As a former fellow and artist in residence at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University, Cornelius has had the opportunity to showcase in venues including 9:30 Club, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. He has participated in residencies at MANCC, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, The Yard Martha’s Vineyard, and Catskill Mountain Foundation. Cornelius is a contributing writer for VIDVOX and a partner at Merging Media, a boutique digital media production company based in Pittsburgh, PA.

Scott Andrew is a multimedia queer-oriented video, installation,  and performance artist. He creates speculative fantasies that peer into otherworldly portals and voids. He has exhibited at MoMA’s PopRally Performance Series (NYC), Ballroom Marfa (Marfa, TX), the Hammer Museum (LA), and the J. Paul Getty Museum (LA), among others. Scott co-curates TQ Live! a yearly LGBTQ+ variety series that has been presented at the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Along with Angela Washko and Jesse Stiles, Scott organizes a National Endowment for the Arts funded performance series called Fail-Safe, which seeks to provide a supportive space for the presentation and potential failure of performative works-in-progress. Other previous curatorial projects include the drift and the Institute for New Feeling’s Felt Book.

Dr. Amber Epps a.k.a. HollyHood a.k.a. Amber the Witch is a hedge witch, psychic, trance medium, root worker, and daughter of Oyá. As co-owner of Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop, she and her partners were voted #1 psychics/tarot readers in the 2022 Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of Reder’s Poll. Amber is also a curator, advocate, educator, musician, mom, and inter and transdisciplinary artist. She loves cats, tacos, and collard greens.

Yang Zhen Lee is a comics and tattoo artist who likes to dabble in many things. Zhen was in Teresa Martuccio’s Pink Potatoes, and in some City of Play events such as Emotional Landscapes, Intimate Subjects and Fantastic Adventure: Greenfield Bridge. When not rehearsing, Zhen likes playing games, moving through the world in new ways, petting animals, and seeing what art peeps have been making. 

ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER

Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is reflective of the passion that its founders had for the arts. Today, Kelly Strayhorn Theater carries on the legacy of its founders by fostering bold and innovative artistry with a global perspective. KST celebrates diversity in voice, thought, and expression, and upholds a firm commitment to inclusion. Furthermore, KST provides a safe and welcome space for dialogue and artistic expression for all who enter.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater has a dynamic footprint in Pittsburgh, with two venues running along Penn Avenue. KST’s Alloy Studios is a cultural hub in the heart of East Liberty, and the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located in the thriving business district. More than 20 years after the founding of the theater, KST continues to use its broad reach to impact the contemporary arts and the community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Announcing KST Presents: Summer 2023 Season

I have only to break into the tightness of a strawberry, and I see summer—
its dust and lowering skies. 

– Toni Morrison

EAST LIBERTY, PA — The KST Presents Summer 2023 Season is all about building momentum toward Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s immersive summer celebration and dance party, House Party, A Benefit for KST. On Saturday & Sunday, June 10 – 11, KST goes on the road to the Three Rivers Arts Festival, hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. There, at the Trust Oasis @ 7th Street, stop by the House Party Pop-Up Photo Booth and Box Office to snap a selfie and get your tickets to the hottest event of the summer! Then, on Saturday, July 1, KST takes over the Carnegie Museum of Art Sculpture Court as part of Inside Out: Carnegie Museum of Art’s free summer concert series. Join KST for (Out of the) House Party, an afternoon of performances and beats featuring lys scott, Supa NxC, Erika Denae J, Livefromthecity, YS1 and Le Siren FKA Childlike Empress, that gives museum-goers a taste of the House Party to come!

Our Six-Week Summer Session of The Alloy School offers a refreshed slate of classes from July 8 through August 12. The session kicks off with an Open House on Saturday, July 8 and includes new offerings: Arts & Crafts, co-taught by Jen Gallagher & her daughter Isabella Papucci, and Acting & Improv with Tru Verret-Fleming. The new classes join Alloy School favorites: West African: Dance & Drum with Yamoussa Camara, Creative Play with Taylor Couch, Kids Jazz with Indira Cunningham, and Hip Hop with Jazmine Bailey to keep everyBODY moving this summer. Don’t forget to join in for the Showcase and Let’s Move! Family Dance Party on Saturday, August 12.

KST mutual aid resident PearlArts is extending their popular class offerings through the summer! Adult Ballet Club with Andrew Blight and Adult Jazz-Heels Club with Arnita Thompson will run from the weeks of June 6 – August 2 with a break for the 4th of July. SPdp&SS will also be taking over the Carnegie Museum of Art sculpture court with Inside Out– INTERIM: Amplified Ecoustics, an immersive performance on Saturday, July 17, and Inside Out Night on Saturday, August 19. 

Finally, on Saturday July 22, join us at Kelly Strayhorn Theater for our signature benefit supporting the upcoming fall season of programming! House Party celebrates the legacy of KST with a night of spectacular entertainment and unforgettable flavor. Featuring a performance from slowdanger and immersive art by Scott Andrew, partiers will enjoy catered bites and curated cocktails. From the VIP Reception to the Dance Party, expect a night of cool fantasy on the hottest block in East Liberty. 

For full season details, KST COVID policy updates, and tickets, go to kelly-strayhorn.org.

Joseph Hall, Executive Director

Access the PDF HERE

COMMUNITY
House Party Pop-up
Three Rivers Arts Festival

Saturday & Sunday, June 10 – 11
12:00pm – 6:00pm

Trust Oasis @ 7th Street
FREE

Click here to learn more…

MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Sound Series: Dub Corridor
PearlArts @ The Warhol

Thursday, June 15
8:00pm

The Andy Warhol Museum, Silver Street | 117 Sandusky Street
Tickets: $5 – $8

Click here to learn more…

MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
INTERIM: Amplified Ecoustics 
PearlArts @Carnegie Museum of Art: Inside Out

Saturday, June 17, 2023
12:00pm – 5:00pm

Carnegie Museum of Art, Sculpture Court | 4400 Forbes Ave.
FREE

Click here to learn more…

MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
(Out of the) House Party
KST @Carnegie Museum of Art: Inside Out

Saturday, July 1
12:00pm – 5:00pm 

Carnegie Museum of Art, Sculpture Court | 4400 Forbes Ave.
FREE

Click here to learn more…

DANCE | COMMUNITY
The Alloy School Open House  
Learn About The Alloy School

Saturday, July 8
10:00am – 11:00am

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
FREE

Click here to learn more…

DANCE | COMMUNITY
The Alloy School 
Six Week Summer Session

Saturdays, July 8 – August 12
Times Vary

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $10 – $110

Click here to learn more…

DANCE | COMMUNITY
The Alloy School Showcase
and Let’s Move! Family Dance Party

Saturday, August 12
10:00am Showcase
11:00am Dance Party

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $5 – $20

Click here to learn more…

MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Sound Series: Dub Corridor 
PearlArts @ The Warhol

Thursday, July 13
8:00pm

The Andy Warhol Museum, Silver Street | 117 Sandusky Street
Tickets: $5 – $8

Click here to learn more…

FUNDRAISER | COMMUNITY
House Party
A Benefit for Kelly Strayhorn Theater

Saturday, July 22
7:00pm – 9:00pm VIP Reception
9:00pm – 12:00am Dance Party

Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $50 – $250

Click here to learn more…

DANCE
Adult Ballet Club
with Andrew Blight
Presented by PearlArts

Tuesdays, June 6 – 27 &
July 11 – August 1
6:00pm – 7:00pm 

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
$10 Suggested Drop In

Click here to learn more…

DANCE
Adult Jazz Heels Club
with Arnita Thompson

Wednesdays, June 7 – 28 &
July 12 – August 2
7:00pm – 8:00pm

KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.
$10 Suggested Drop In

Click here to learn more…

MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY
Sound Series: Dub Corridor
PearlArts @ The Warhol

Thursday, August 17
8:00pm

The Andy Warhol Museum, Silver Street | 117 Sandusky Street
Tickets: $5 – $8

Click here to learn more…

DANCE | MUSIC | PERFORMANCE | COMMUNITY 
Inside Out Night
SPdp&SS @ Carnegie Museum of Art: Inside Out
Presented by PearlArts

Saturday, August 19
7:00pm – 10:00pm

Carnegie Museum of Art,
Sculpture Court | 4400 Forbes Ave.
FREE

Click here to learn more…

ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER

Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a non-profit community performing arts center in East Liberty, advancing live art through strategic vision and community collaboration with two venues running along Penn Avenue. KST’s Alloy Studios is a cultural hub in the heart of East Liberty, and the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located in the thriving business district. More than 20 years after its founding, KST continues to use its broad reach to impact the contemporary arts and the community. KST’s mission is to be a home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. Welcome to The Soul of East Liberty!

Photo Credit: Beth Barbis, Liz Rudnick, Delaney Greenberg, Heidi Wiren Bartlett