Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks residency works with local artists to produce unique productions. In the program’s 11th year, KST will present two shows: Yusef Shelton (Ys1)’s Barbershop Talk on Friday & Saturday, October 4 – 5, at 7:30 pm, transports the audience into the heart of Black barbershop culture with music. On Friday & Saturday, November 1 – 2, at 7:30 pm, Arnita Simone’s Heavy Is The Crown honors the beauty of Black hair and the Black diaspora through dance. Immediately after each performance, the audience is encouraged to respond to the work and share feedback with the artists at a post-show discussion.
TABLE spoke with Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Programming Manager, Sarah Gilmer, about what audiences can expect from these new experimental theater works by two accomplished local artists.
What To Expect From Two New Plays at Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s “Freshworks” Residency
Was it a purposeful choice to pick two productions that have such similar themes, or did that emerge by coincidence?
The fact that two standout projects submitted for KST’s Freshworks artist residency program this fall both honor aspects of Black hair culture was a welcome coincidence. Yusef Shelton (Ys1)’s Barbershop Talk highlights the Black barbershop as a space for healing, care, and cultural production, while Arnita’s Heavy Is the Crown celebrates Black hair traditions by tracing their history and impact to the present. Something we appreciated about both projects was their interrogation and exploration of identity.
Over the past several years, the Freshworks program has gained increasing interest from artists. Artists value the eight weeks of hands-on support their projects receive. This year, we received the most applications in the program’s history. It makes it really difficult for us to choose just two projects per season!
How do the two productions work together? Where are they different?
In addition to ensuring diversity of artistic form — dance, music, theater, etc. — with the pairing of Ys1 and Arnita’s projects we saw the opportunity to highlight stories that continue to expand the boundaries around what it means to be a Black person in the world today. This directly ties to KST’s mission of being rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. Both projects honor the histories of Black folks in different places, and the artists are exploring those connections. The stories are totally different but also connected by what I’ve known and referred to as a “hair journey.” Format-wise, Ys1 focuses on original music and spoken word. Arnita is a talented contemporary dancer. I’m looking forward to seeing what similarities will emerge thematically and symbolically across the artistic disciplines of music and dance.
What did Ys1 and Arnita Simone bring to the table that made them the best picks for the Freshworks programming?
Given this was the most competitive Freshworks cycle, there were many, many highly qualified artists and interesting project proposals. What makes Ys1 and Arnita stand out were how they were able to convey their unique visions on the page, the way their projects capture the current moment for Kelly Strayhorn Theater audiences, and our conviction that the artists are at the right stage in their careers for this residency to have maximum impact.
We’re excited by how Ys1 is able to share personal stories and meaningful experiences he’s had at Black barber shops during tough times through the medium of hip-hop. We’re impressed by Arnita’s thoughtful research, how she uses dance to highlight the sacredness and symbolic meaning of different hairstyles.
Both artists are active within the Pittsburgh community, and both artists are also part of the KST community. Ys1 previously performed in Fully Expressed: The Lyricist’s Journey (2022) as a Hip-hop artist. Arnita has been a teaching artist for the Adult Jazz Heels class at KST’s Alloy Studios in partnership with PearlArts. She’s has also collaborated with Fall 2023 Freshworks artist Andraya Rand-Mathis. So, we were happy that they chose to apply with their visions for new original performances. And we were ultimately thrilled to come alongside them in bringing these works to life.
Beyond the performances themselves, what was the sound, lighting, and set design process like for these shows?
Freshworks projects are “performances in progress,” as opposed to fully realized works. So, artists are coming into the program with new ideas and with varying degrees of performance production experience or ideas about lighting, sound, and media design.
This is why the residency offers so much hands-on support from staff. Over the course of the two-month residency, artists have regular meetings with our Production Manager, J.R. Shaw, to flesh out their production ideas in tandem with the venue’s capabilities. During the residency, the artist has to decide what they ultimately want for their showing. They can work with the tech crew KST provides for sound and lighting. Or, they can bring on additional collaborators to the project with their $1,500 resource budget. It’s an exciting and collaborative process, focused on creating a strong starting point that sparks further growth and development, rather than aiming for a fully “polished” show.
On top of production support, Freshworks artists get free rehearsal space. They also receive marketing and PR help to draw full houses for their two-night shows. Our Marketing Specialist, Mingsi Ma, meets with each artist to understand their audience demographics, talk through outreach plans, and work on social media strategies. After the performances, there’s a post-show discussion where artists can hear feedback directly from the audience and gain valuable insights into their work.
What do you hope viewers take away from the performances?
I hope audiences recognize how important it is to support local artists. KST and the artists we support, like Arnita and Ys1, rely on support from our community to thrive. I find it incredibly powerful to facilitate an opportunity like this to create something new
that is informed by the community (e.g., people who participate in the post-show discussions after each Freshworks performance). At KST, our mission also includes being a home for collective action. The art is meant to inspire the action we take together as a community. We don’t yet know what Ys1 and Arnita’s Freshworks will inspire—you’ll have to come and find out!
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