To say 2020 has been a whirlwind so far for Joseph Hall would be an understatement. 

In January, he was named the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s new executive director and resigned from his job at BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance in New York City, where he worked as deputy director for five years. He relocated to Pittsburgh and started his job at the historic East Liberty theater and its sister venue, The Alloy Studios in Friendship, in early March. 

A week later, COVID-19 restrictions, closures and cancellations tightened their grip. 

“I feel like I’m navigating two transitions right now”  — a new job and a new normal in the wake of a pandemic. 

Mr. Hall is no stranger to the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and its mission to bring together diverse communities and celebrate creative expression. He worked there from 2009-14, rising through the ranks from intern to producing director. He also fosters a lifelong love of the arts and lots of experience presenting them. 

“I'm curious about all of the learning that is happening now and how we'll come out on the other side of [COVID-19]. For me, I think it's exciting and there's lots of possibilities,” he says.

Mr. Hall, a native of Maryland who grew up in Friendship, N.Y., succeeds Janera Solomon as executive director. She announced in August her plans to step down at the end of 2019 after 11 years in the position. 

A committee comprised of board members and community representatives was formed to head the search, aided by Michelle Pagano Heck of Nonprofit Talent. Mr. Hall applied in the fall and had his first in a series of interviews in November. 

“We needed someone who understood the mission, who had a proven track record with fundraising and someone who had an eye on operational efficiency,” explains Caitlin Green, vice chair of the board and search committee co-chair. “Since this wasn’t Joseph’s first introduction to the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and he honed his leadership skills in New York City, he had no learning curve.”

He left the Kelly Strayhorn the first time because he “felt like it was time to tackle New York,” Mr. Hall says. “That’s the dream for so many people in the arts.”

He credits his arts introduction to the evangelical church where his adopted father was a pastor. 

“I am a queer black person who was raised by white people from birth, and I don't shy away from that,” Mr. Hall says. “The arts helped me discover who I was, and they continue to help me discover who I am.”

Upon moving to New York City, he spent about nine months with 651 Arts, an organization in Brooklyn that presents performances of the African diaspora. He also had a stint as company manager for Pittsburgh native and acclaimed choreographer Kyle Abraham, who has his own history of performances and residencies at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. 

BAAD! in the Bronx hired Mr. Hall as its third full-time employee. During his tenure, he helped to triple the size of the budget, expanded programming, increased partnerships with artists and tour presenters, and doubled administrative and production staff. 

“I think that Joseph is a person who can work with both sides of his brain,” says Charles Rice-Gonzalez, a writer and activist who co-founded BAAD! in 1998 with dancer/choreographer Arthur Aviles. “He can be very logical and analytical, but also very creative and in an arts organization in terms of leadership I feel that the strongest leaders have those qualities. They're able to look at a grant proposal and think strategy for it but also dream up amazing programming.” 

He lists one of Mr. Hall’s ideas for the organization’s trans visionary performance series as one of his legacies. It involved partnering with restaurants to serve as performance spaces for transgender and gender non-conforming artists. 

“To present it in a public platform brought BAAD! and the artists into venues and situations where they may not have had the opportunity to present themselves,” Mr. Rice-Gonzalez recalls. “Also the patrons and people who happened to be there for dinner or take-out got to have some kind of interaction with the art that was being presented.”

Mr. Hall believes the Kelly Strayhorn Theater can be a beacon for diversity in Pittsburgh, too. 

“I think KST has done such a good job in Pittsburgh to make sure it’s a space for many different types of people. I will say that I think that work has been implicit, and so I want to be explicit about it,” he says. “What we do is really committed first and foremost to the liberation of black life in Pittsburgh and to empowering historically marginalized communities.”

That vision involves the support of people from all walks of life, he adds.

“What I see for Kelly Strayhorn in terms of the artists on stage and the audience is people who are white, black, Latinx, Asian — so many people. The liberation of black life in Pittsburgh is wrapped up into all of us.”

Putting this plan into motion requires taking a closer look at KST’s footprint, programming and connection with the community. Mr. Hall wants to build upon its reputation as a destination for on-the-pulse, boundary-pushing dance, music and theater by artists from Pittsburgh and around the world. He envisions creating an artists advisory council so artists and community members can have a voice in programming and give feedback on the theater’s rental structure. 

And how does COVID-19 impact all of this? 

“When you're a new leader you're supposed to meet everyone and be at every event and have people see you. All of that is very different in the Zoom culture now,” he says. “I still have been meeting with lots of wonderful folks and am making connections and certainly reconnecting with the people I knew from before when I was in Pittsburgh, but it's different.”

In response to canceling in-person programming, he’s shifted events to the internet through the “KST’s Global Stream” series. It features weekly talks with artists and kid-friendly dance jam sessions. A virtual happy hour to welcome Mr. Hall back to Pittsburgh was attended by people in California, New York and Illinois. 

“Virtual programming now is going to be a regular thing,” he says. He’s exploring how it may complement future in-person events once restrictions lift. “In some instances, it’s bringing up the inequities that exist for folks who don’t have access to a laptop ... but for others it’s actually kind of equalized the stage. For artists, you just turn on your phone, and that’s your stage.”

He admits that this is a tough time financially for arts organizations. The theater’s annual Full Bloom fundraiser in June has been postponed and may need to be reimagined as a virtual event. The Kelly Strayhorn’s pay-what-makes-you-happy admission model can help meet people where they are when it’s time to return to the theater. 

“Certainly KST has struggles in this moment, but we certainly have an idea of what events bring in what ticket revenue,” Mr. Hall says. “It's a more accessible structure. One person could be paying $25 for a dance performance and one person could be paying $5 — whatever makes you happy.”

At the top of his list, though, is making sure the Kelly Strayhorn’s family — artists, staff and neighbors — is taken care of. He’s committed to paying artists for their canceled and rescheduled shows. 

“We need to make sure people can live through this moment,” Mr. Hall says. “That means shifting our priorities from output to humanity.”

Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.

First Published: April 23, 2020, 12:00 p.m.