Kelly Strayhorn Theater

Kelly Strayhorn Theater Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people.
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As the last of nine theaters from the 1950s heyday of East Liberty, the Kelly Strayhorn plays a key role in the transformation of East Liberty into a welcoming and dynamic town-within-a-city by using the arts as a catalyst for continuing community revitalization. Kelly Strayhorn Theater is an intimate, professionally-equipped, 350-seat multiple-use performance venue. With a commitment to support t

he burgeoning arts community in the city of Pittsburgh, the theater serves as an ideal place for emerging local artists, regional artists and arts organizations to take risks and present new work.

This is not your typical karaoke night.What happens when karaoke becomes a way to grieve?Step into the karaoke-funeral-l...
09/12/2026

This is not your typical karaoke night.

What happens when karaoke becomes a way to grieve?

Step into the karaoke-funeral-lounge of WITH OURSELVES, WITH EACH OTHER (WOWEO), a new solo performance by Korean adoptee and dance-maker Maree ReMalia. Blending dance, storytelling, and pop music, WOWEO explores grief, memory, adoption, family, belonging, and the people we carry with us.

Come sing. Come remember. Come feel it all.

✨ World Premiere at Kelly Strayhorn Theater
🎟️ October 23–24, 2026 | Pay What Moves You: $20–$35
🖇️ Join us + learn more → https://rb.gy/dy58x3

09/12/2026

Trapped: A Powerful New Play Opens this Thursday at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre

Former Mahoning Valley Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. has been the subject of books, documentaries and podcasts since his death in 2014. A stage production will be added to that list this month.

Trapped is a compelling and unique play written by London Cain, founder of the Iron Horse Theatre Company in Ambridge, Pa.

Trapped follows Jim Traficant as he battles with his conscience while in solitary confinement. He is visited by Lisa, a mysterious woman who attempts to get him to reevaluate his life’s choices.

This intense play will keep you on the edge of your seat. It will be staged at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood for a seven-performance run beginning this Thursday, September 17th.

Tickets are on sale now at:
https://kellystrayhorntheater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/events/a0SVO000005W4jx2AC

"It's a beautiful theater, " Cain said. "We've got an amazing set and three incredible actors. If you enjoy live theater, this is a play you won’t want to miss."

Make it a night out in this popular East Liberty neighborhood! Here are some well-liked restaurants nearby (most just a short walk to the theater):
Soba Lounge – Noodlehead – The Fire Side Public House – Title 9 PGH - Casbah – Paris 676 – Umi Japanese Restaurant - One by Spork – Palm Palm – Pasha Mediterranean Restaurant -Lilith – Duo’s – Hey Babe – Margaux – Mad Mex

Ready to get moving? Tap into the rhythm and joy of West African dance with Balafon West African Dance Ensemble at KST’s...
09/12/2026

Ready to get moving?

Tap into the rhythm and joy of West African dance with Balafon West African Dance Ensemble at KST’s Alloy Studios!

These high-energy, beginner-friendly classes are open to all bodies, ages, and experience levels. Whether you’re stepping into dance for the first time or already have some moves, come build your skills, get a full-body workout, and lose yourself in the rhythm.

✨ Drop-ins are always welcome!

💃🏿 Sundays, Sept. 13–Oct. 19 | 1:30–3:15 PM
🕺🏿 KST’s Alloy Studios
Pay What Moves You: $5 – $15 (Drop-In) / $50 – $100 (Full Session)

💫 Save your spot and come move with us → https://tinyurl.com/7jz2e326
⁠

Take your seat. The conversation is about to begin.KST Co-Executive Directors ✨ Joseph Hall + Melanie Paglia ✨ sit down ...
09/12/2026

Take your seat. The conversation is about to begin.

KST Co-Executive Directors ✨ Joseph Hall + Melanie Paglia ✨ sit down with Chris DeCardy for the Season 7 premiere of We Can Be from Heinz Endowments.

Together, they talk community, culture, inclusion, and the role of art in creating spaces where everyone can belong 🎭

Listen to the conversation and hear more about the work happening at KST!🖇️ Join the conversation → https://u2l.ai/jqeA3U

09/05/2026

Season 7 of “We Can Be” starts now!

We’re kicking things off with Kelly Strayhorn Theater Co-Executive Directors Joseph Hall and Melanie Paglia, joining Endowments President and host Chris DeCardy.

“Culture is the soul of community, and art is the expression of that soul,” says Joseph.

Melanie underscores the importance of true inclusivity: "Inclusivity cannot live only in our mission statement or on the stage alone."

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a Pittsburgh arts anchor built on community-centered programming and inclusive access. Hear how Joseph and Melanie are putting that mission into practice.

Listen to the season 7 premiere now on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.

Dreams of Hope's theatriQ ensemble is a space for q***r and Trans young people from the ages of 13 -26 to make theater f...
09/04/2026

Dreams of Hope's theatriQ ensemble is a space for q***r and Trans young people from the ages of 13 -26 to make theater for radical social change. 🎭️

Members of theatriQ’s performance ensemble work together to create an original play from the ground up! 💪🏽

Whatever your creative practice, there IS space for you to shape the show! An application is required to join theatriQ.

Curious about joining theatriQ? You can join Dreams of Hope’s try out theatriQ event on 🗓️ Wednesday, September 9 at KST’s Alloy Studios. Come see the space where you’ll work, get to know the program, and meet ensemble and staff members.

😄Selected participants will be paid a stipend for weekly attendance and performances at the end of the program.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/try-out-theatriq-registration-1993567698652?aff=oddtdtcreator

Photo Credit: Ava Grace

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📢 Do you remember artist Jesse Factor's amazing performance The Marthaodyssey, in 2024 at KST? We want to share Jesse's ...
09/02/2026

📢 Do you remember artist Jesse Factor's amazing performance The Marthaodyssey, in 2024 at KST? We want to share Jesse's next journey - The MetaMarthasis that's coming up at the Greer Cabaret Theater with the Pittsburgh Dance Council from Thursday - Saturday, September 10 - 12!

💫 Attendees for the Saturday, September 12 performance are welcome to stay after the performance for a post-show talkback featuring Chief Programming Officer of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Brooke Horejsi, Kelly Strayhorn Theater's Executive Director Joseph Hall and Jesse Factor.

They will discuss the development of the work, its connection to our community, and the production's future within and beyond Pittsburgh.

The MetaMarthasis joyfully floats on a series of oppositional forces: authenticity vs. artifice, stark minimalism vs. dazzling spectacle, high modernism vs. pop confection. This celebratory event features excerpts from Jesse Factor’s evening-length dance work The Marthaodyssey and some new surprises. In The MetaMarthasis, Jesse’s studied synthesis of the “High Priestess of Modern Dance” (Martha Graham) and the “Queen of Pop” (Madonna) celebrates rigor, excess, devotion, and diva. Part modernist archive, part pop-culture pageantry, part drag extravaganza – completely fabulous.

https://trustarts.org/production/105829/jesse-factor-the-metamarthasis?utm_source=kst&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=dc27&utm_content=jesse+factor+the+metamarthasis+cross+promo

Are you excited for KST's new season that was just announced last week? The first performance of this season is by Fresh...
09/01/2026

Are you excited for KST's new season that was just announced last week? The first performance of this season is by Freshworks artist and playwright Mal MacKenzie, with their new performance in progress, AURA. 😆

Over the years, we've heard audiences talking about how much they enjoy seeing Freshworks, witnessing new ideas, supporting the community, and having the joy of scavenging for raw diamonds. We are as well!

🤖 AURA follows a mother as she creates an AI chatbot of the daughter she’s lost to help her mourn. But her child is very much alive, and he goes by Dustin. Now spending more time talking to a version of her child who never transitioned, the mother’s memory of the past fractures the present, leaving Dustin trying to hold the pieces together.

At a time when the discussion of AI usage has occupied the everyday headlines, we invite you to come see the showcase on Friday & Saturday, October 2–3.

It'll be at KST's Alloy Studios! 👀 As Mal puts it, "just down from the AI Avenue." ⭕️ And of course, the play is created WITHOUT the use of AI tools!

https://kellystrayhorntheater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/events/a0SVO000006sRRB2A2

KST is recharging 🔋💜That means a little less screen time, a little more rest, and some much-needed space to reset.We’ll ...
08/29/2026

KST is recharging 🔋💜

That means a little less screen time, a little more rest, and some much-needed space to reset.

We’ll be back soon with fuller batteries and plenty more to share, create, and experience together. Because sometimes the best thing we can do for each other is rest.

Do you know that August is Black Philanthropy Month? It's a global movement, celebrated every August, that unites nonpro...
08/29/2026

Do you know that August is Black Philanthropy Month? It's a global movement, celebrated every August, that unites nonprofits, donors, foundations, companies, and communities to recognize, amplify, and invest in Black-led giving and change.

78.6% of Black arts donors say community impact is the most important reason they give. When we invest in Black artists and arts organizations, we invest in our communities.

KST is one of East Liberty’s leading Black-led institutions creating the conditions in which innovative work can take root—from an artist's first residency to a nationally recognized production, from a child's first performance to a community gathering that inspires people to vote. Every dollar invested in KST circulates value locally while exporting Pittsburgh-made work on the international stage.

Support us today! https://kellystrayhorntheater.my.salesforce-sites.com/donate/?dfId=a0nVO00000PjGrpYAF&

Address

5941 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
15206

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
7pm - 8pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
7pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
7pm - 8pm

Telephone

+14123633000

Website

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