RELEASE: Karaoke Takes Center Stage at Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s 18th Benefit House Party
MEDIA CONTACT
Mingsi Ma, Marketing Specialist
Photo Credit: Heidi Wiren Kébé
PITTSBURGH, PA – Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) reimagines its 18th annual benefit as a karaoke fundraiser, House Party: Mic Drop! The event takes place on Saturday, July 11. The Immersive VIP Reception from 7:00–9:00pm spotlights karaoke performances by Treasure Treasure, DS and Anqwenique Kinsel, and Bridgette Perdue. The Donate to Vote fundraising campaign features guest celebrity singers at the Immersive VIP reception at 7:00pm. Beginning at 9:00pm, karaoke opens for all and dj Selecta spins all night long for an unforgettable Dance Party in the lobby. The VIP Reception and Dance Party are Pay What Moves You, from $175 – $325, and $50 – $100, respectively. VIP tickets include admission to the Dance Party and all tickets include complimentary refreshments.
A tradition that stretches from Harlem to Pittsburgh, house parties have long brought people together to raise funds, raise spirits, and raise each other. Funds raised directly support KST’s Fall season, which features performances by national artists, a visual art exhibition, youth and family programming, and the development of new performance work.
KST’s Co-Executive Director Joseph Hall shares, “House Party is where our community invests in our forthcoming fall season of programming. Every year, we support 100+ artists, welcoming more than 20,000 audience members, creating opportunities for community dialogue, and providing free and accessible programs for families. Every dollar raised helps ensure KST remains a home for creative experimentation, cultural expression, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people.”
Clockwise from Top Left: Erika Strassburger, Ki Ki B. Jones, Jeremy Waldrup, and Deryck Tines
What makes House Party: Mic Drop! especially exciting is Donate to Vote, an interactive fundraising experience that puts the power of the karaoke playlist in supporters’ hands. During the VIP Reception, four celebrity singers take on a karaoke challenge: beloved WAMO 107.3 host Ki Ki B. Jones, Pittsburgh City Councilperson Erika Strassburger, legendary activist and gospel musician Pastor Deryck Tines, and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President & CEO Jeremy Waldrup.
Each celebrity singer has chosen two possible songs, and attendees decide which one they will sing by donating to vote. The song with the highest donation amount wins and will be sung live by the celebrity singer. It’s part American Idol, part choose-your-own-adventure, and 100% for a great cause, helping KST reach the $16,000 donation goal to support artists, programs, and the work of KST. Donate to Vote opens on the website before the event and continues throughout the evening, building anticipation until the winning songs are revealed live on stage during the VIP Reception.
During the Dance Party, guests can have their own karaoke moment on the KST stage alongside dancing the night away to music with dj Selecta.
KST also collaborates with Freshworks alumna Lucy Chen, to design an interactive, commemorative zine gift for guests highlighting each program from this past season. VIP guests enjoy a specialty menu from Soju and an open bar with cocktails sponsored by Tito’s Vodka. All guests are invited to glam up at the complimentary photo booth and enjoy late-night pizza.
KST’s Co-Executive Director Melanie Paglia shares that, “It’s everything a great house party should be: good food, good people, great music, and a few surprises along the way.”
House Party: Mic Drop!
Saturday, July 11, 2026
7:00pm – 9:00pm: Immersive VIP Reception | 9:00pm – 12:00am: Dance Party
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Tickets for House Party: Mic Drop! are Pay What Moves You, $50 – $325 per attendee and can be reserved here.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Anqwenique Kinsel is a vocalist and educator specializing in opera, classical music, jazz, and soul. Anqwenique currently serves as the Program Director of Hope Academy of Music and the Arts, an outreach program of East Liberty Presbyterian Church founded in 1999 to bring arts education to children and youth in our community. Anqwenique holds a long-standing connection to Kelly Strayhorn Theater including participating in the flagship program Freshworks in 2014, and as a vocalist in the fifth annual tribute concert, WHITNEY, in 2025.
DS Kinsel is an award-creative entrepreneur and cultural agitator who expresses his creativity through painting, curating, public art, and non-traditional performance. He is the co-founder of BOOM Concepts, a Pittsburgh-based creative hub dedicated to the advancement of Black and brown artists. His work has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally. As a member of the KST family, he has worn many hats at KST throughout the years including curator, senior producer, Freshworks artist and host for various programs.
Bridgette Perdue has served the greater Pittsburgh region for the past 15 years as a musician, teaching artist and consultant by fostering the artistic gifts of children. In 2025 she was appointed Executive Director of Alumni Theater Company (ATC), the premier institution for identifying, developing, and training young Black performers in the region. Bridgette began performing at KST in 2012 and continues to partner with KST through ATC’s participation in the organization’s long-standing Halloween and MLK Day programming.
Treasure Treasure is an artist whose career has spanned three decades. Notable projects: Hedwig & The Angry Inch (City Theatre), GRAPPLING (Director, New Hazlett), Hamlet (Quantum); and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Byham. Broadway: Annie Get Your Gun. Treasure is the co-author and star of Agnus Teaches Acting (New Hazlett). This is Treasure’s fourth year in a row gracing the KST stage, having been featured at the organization’s annual benefit concert, Suite Life, and in the Owning Our Future Symposium.
Ki Ki B Jones is a multimedia personality from Pittsburgh, who has built a career in radio for over 25 years. She is currently the afternoon host and Assistant Program Manager of WAMO 107.3, an Audacy station. Ki Ki also hosts her community-engagement show, “What’s Good in Your Hood,” every Wednesday on WAMO 107.3, and co-hosts “Talk Pittsburgh” for KDKA News. Ki Ki lives on the North Side with her husband Trevin and Bernedoodle puppy, Zaydah.
Erika Strassburger is a Member of Pittsburgh City Council, proudly serving the residents of District 8 as the first woman elected to this seat. Before her career in government, Erika advocated for environmentally sustainable policies at PennEnvironment. Since being sworn into City Council, Erika has passed trailblazing legislation to protect our neighbors’ rights, safeguard Pittsburgh’s finances, and keep our communities clean. Erika graduated from Bucknell University and lives with her family in Squirrel Hill.
Pastor Deryck Tines is a prominent Pittsburgh cultural leader, ordained minister, and gospel artist. He is the founder and director of the Lemington Gospel Chorale, known for bringing vibrant traditional gospel music to audiences across Western Pennsylvania. Passionate about community enrichment, Deryck serves as a co-chair of the Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and sits on the board of the Afro-American Music Institute. He is also the proprietor of Deryck Tines Consignments in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Jeremy Waldrup has served as the President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership for fifteen years. Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, his background includes economic development initiatives for the City of New York and Charlotte. In Pittsburgh, his leadership has guided downtown through a major transformation, overseeing more than five billion dollars in landmark investments. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the Pittsburgh Public Theater.
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.