a tour through the heart and lungs: a multidisciplinary performance exploring interpersonal relationships

by RaiNE Brabender

This is an editorial response written by a member of the inaugural cohort of the KST HomeMakers Program on peformance unstich. HomeMakers is a committee of Pittsburgh Artists and community members that work with KST Staff to advocate for and support Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s programs and supported artists.

Anna King Skeels is a performer and playwright who brought us the experimental theater piece titled “unstitch”. They also star as the protagonist of the piece named Stell. unstitch was the final Freshworks piece of the Spring 2024 season. I was interested in writing about this work because I always want to show up and support other fat and trans artists.

When we walked in as audience members we were greeted by a large heart that looked very soft. You could see that it was fabricated from multiple different cloths. There was also a long woven ropelike structure representing lungs. When I see props on the stage my mind races and I wonder how they will be interacted with. I was excitedly awaiting what was to come.

Then the lights come on. Shifting my focus. The stage is illuminated with red light and that is where we begin our journey. We can hear the sounds of the heart beating and the main character, Stell is breathing in and out. There were multiple points throughout this performance where we were focusing on breathing. As a spectator I found myself trying to match their rhythmic pattern. 

Stell begins running around the lungs when a newcomer can be heard off stage telling them to slow down. This person ,Glass, is a new arrival to the heart as opposed to those who were already there, family and friends. This newcomer was entering a very fragile ecosystem in which Stell was already feeling apprehensive about.

Then there’s this gorgeous part that brings me to tears: Stell decides to expose and share their heart with Glass. They begin to play together, rolling around on the ground, giggling. The breath work comes back into play and I find myself going on along with them again. I wonder how many others in the audience are joining us to regulate our own bodily ecosystems at this moment. The lighting starts to shift and I can feel the music fill the air as I watch the two of them twirl around each other’s bodies. It’s this connection that so many of us long for. The lights are adding this emotional ambience for me. I start to have this visceral feeling of falling in love. It is such a beautiful thing to have the capacity to connect with other humans in this way. That’s when the tears start flooding my cheeks. I was very moved. That scene then shifts abruptly.

There is a major conflict in which Stell seems scared to be scared of abandonment by Glass. Stell is talking about how they know their brain and that it doesn’t look “like this”. You can feel how this person is completely terrified of what is happening. How they have given their heart to a new person. Stell shares their feelings of self doubt by proclaiming “I’m not amazing like you”. I feel that so many of us can relate to feelings of being inadequate for a lover or relationship of any variety. I always say that starting a new relationship brings all of my insecurities to the forefront. Dealing with existing mental health problems on top of a new relationship can feel so overwhelming, something I really resonate with.

We see this conflict represented after Stell opens up their heart when the other character, Glass dives into it head first, swimming around inside the heart. The audience members then watch along as Glass starts disassembling the heart on stage. Glass ends up leaving the stage with a piece of the heart in their hand. At this point Stell starts to close, or “stitch” their heart back up. To me it seems that it is an attempt at self preservation. Yet I feel that this act doesn’t do what it is intended to do. I think it has the opposite effect because you are then shutting out possible connections. And isolating from everyone hurts more in the long run. The fear of letting people in is so strong though. The fear of being vulnerable and opening yourself to being hurt by people you care for. Stell starts to shut this connection down and Glass out. They are fearing change in the upset of their “normal” life. Afraid of how this connection will potentially mess everything up.

Then we see the two of them joining forces to theoretically mend the heart. They are working together now to regulate the system again. There is so much power in relational connections and communal support. They begin to talk about scars as a metaphor of being hurt. They talk about how things will happen in our lives. That those experiences may be negative or ugly but that they are signs that we are alive. We don’t truly lose ourselves after sharing ourselves with people. Even if they leave us. 

I really enjoyed the performance. A big takeaway for me was the reminder that all of our experiences provide us lessons for our lives. That we have to navigate through things at times that seemingly feel like “the end”. But we are better off taking those chances then letting those fears isolate us. 

Photo Credit: Beth Barbis

RaiNE Brabender (they/them) is a queer artist and aspiring curator who grew up in West Virginia. They are now based in Pittsburgh, PA. RaiNE received their art degree from PSU in Oregon. They are very drawn to art that depicts everyday life. The joys, the sorrows and everything in between. Some major themes include living in a fat brown body and our connections to the earth. RaiNE creates self portraits, sculptures, video art, and performance. Often mixing multiple mediums. They are very inspired by traveling, meeting people, seeing different landscapes, and engaging in storytelling.

Photo Credit: Jahkobeen