East Liberty has seen sweeping changes in the past decade, and like any community partner worth its salt, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater has adapted to its cultural and social needs.

The theater is a performance venue named for two Pittsburgh luminaries — Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn — of 20th-century entertainment. But that’s just the story of a structure and not the creative hub that KST has become.

KST enters its 10th season, all with Janera Solomon at the helm, as host of the Thrival Festival’s Future of Work Symposium, with topics such as workers displaced by automation in the heart of Google country.

It was important to Ms. Solomon that Thrival hold its symposium at KST, as opposed to being merely a performance venue.

“East Liberty is at the intersection of immigration, technology, climate change, old vs. new, queer, not queer … all the things that people are wrestling with and thinking about, East Liberty is at the heart of those conversations through the people living and working here, and in some cases, leading the way,” she said.

Being part of that conversation is a key to advancing the KST mission of nurturing inclusive, creative expression through the arts. Having that opportunity “is vital,” she said.

“It’s not incidental and it’s not a privilege,” she said. “We think it’s something everybody deserves … to be inspired.”

While remaining grounded locally, KST also has become entrenched in the national and global arts community, with recognition from an array of foundations that allow most performances to be “Pay What Makes You Happy,” and to further the careers of established and emerging artists.

As an example, she notes a co-commissioned work by award-winning choreographer and performance artist Cynthia Oliver that is part of this 10th-anniversary season. Her work “is exquisitely beautiful,” Ms. Solomon said. It will appear on the same season that includes a Fresh Works residency for emerging artists such as multidisciplinary artist Kelsey Robinson, a Pittsburgh native, working with collaborators Asia Lae Bey and Di-ay Battad on a response to the Heinz History Center exhibition “From Slavery to Freedom.”

The season also brings excitement from far and wide in December, when KST is host to “Pittsburgh Live and Onstage,” as part of the the National Performance Network annual conference. Ms. Solomon notes that the theater will be a part of 400-plus visitors getting to know more about the Pittsburgh arts and cultural scene, one they may have heard about on best-of lists but now will see for themselves.

Back in 2008, when the KST was getting started, “there was still a question about what type of neighborhood this would be and who it would be for,” said Ms. Solomon, who performed at the venue with Staycee Pearl as a dancer and worked as a curator for some of the top choreographers in the country before moving into the executive director’s seat at KST.

The Oakland Catholic High grad returned to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia to take the job, “And in 2008, when I told people I was moving back from Philly to Pittsburgh, people were like, ‘Why?’ And it’s been great to see the news and coverage of Pittsburgh being a world-class city and being on lists — and that comes back to arts and culture,” she said.

“Being recognized nationally as an organization that’s a part of that, in the really small footprint of East Liberty, it feels good.”

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com o 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.

KST Presents fall season highlights

(Tickets are “Pay What Makes You Happy” unless otherwise specified, kelly-strayhorn.org or 412-363-3000.)

Wednesday, 6 p.m.: Thrival Festival: Future of Work Symposium: Speakers and open-format discussion, including a live excerpt of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated drama “Marjorie Prime,” the season-closing play at Pittsburgh Public Theater. ($25, limited discounts available; www.thrivalfestival.com)

Saturday, 10 a.m.: RADical Day. A family-friendly afternoon of movement in the KST studio, with options including pre-ballet, hip-hop, zumba, line dancing, healthy treats and more.

Saturday, 8 p.m.: “Halo-Halo” (“mix-mix”) by Philippine-American Performing Arts, a resident company of KST’s Alloy Studio. An evening of dance and music celebrating the Filipino arts, with more than 40 dancers, musicians and singers.

Sept. 28-29, 8 p.m.: “Virago-Man Dem,” by Cynthia Oliver. An evening-length, dance-theater work that navigates stereotypes, rumors and half-truths that surround black masculinities. “Virago-Man Dem” is a National Performance Network Creation Fund Project, co-commissioned by Dance Place, in partnership with the Painted Bride Art Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kelly Strayhorn Theater and NPN with national foundation support.

Oct. 5, 8 p.m.: Percussionists Gladstone Deluxe & Samir Gangwani. Part of a monthlong residency using virtual reality technology and other forms of new media to explore rhythmical intricacies of drumming cultures from around the globe.

Oct. 7 and Dec. 9: Mixed Threads at KST’s Alloy Studios. Marketplace and forum for next-generation designers and entrepreneurs who celebrate street fashion and aesthetics. Includes DJs, live music and local food vendors

Oct. 20: Keyword: International (schedule TBA). A collaborative initiative of KST and Carnegie Museum of Art, with 20 Pittsburgh-based research fellows considering the meaning of “international,” with perspectives from local to global.

Oct. 27, noon: 10th Annual Halloween Mayhem, with activities and youth-led performances.

Nov. 2, 8 p.m.: Freshworks residents Kelsey Robinson, Asia Lae Bey and Di-ay Battad at KST Alloy Studios. A pop-up exhibition — the prototype for a large-scale installation — that employs performance art, film, storytelling and artifacts to map histories of migration, immigration and freedom.

Nov. 16-17, 8 p.m. (Full schedule TBA): “My People Queer Arts.” Annual series that explores the lives of queer people of color through award-winning films, community conversations and performances

Nov. 24, 6 p.m. reception, 8 p.m. performance: “Suite Life”: Billy Strayhorn Birthday Bash, a concert with Roger Humphries & The RH Factor.

Dec. 1, 11 a.m.: Let’s Move! Family Dance Party.

Dec. 7, 8 p.m.: Freshworks residents Trevor Miles and Julie Mallis at KST Alloy Studios. Choreographer and dancer Miles collaborates with visual artist Mallis to explore the opioid crisis and especially its impact on youth.

Dec. 14-15, 8 p.m.: “Pittsburgh: Live & Onstage,” presented in partnership with the National Performance Network and highlighting the work of Pittsburgh’s contemporary performance makers, including the Staycee Pearl dance project, Bill Shannon, Anqwenique Wingfield, Afro Yaqui Music Collective, slowdanger and Blak Rapp M.A.D.U.S.A.

Feb. 1-2, 8 p.m.: “Halfway to Dawn,” David Roussève/REALITY. A KST commission, “Halfway to Dawn,” explores the complicated emotional truths that shaped the life of the legendary out gay jazz composer Billy Strayhorn.

First Published: September 17, 2018, 9:33 p.m.