Kelly Strayhorn Theater Reveals Fall 2025 Season In Celebration of 25th Anniversary
Featuring: David Roussève's world premiere of Becoming Daddy AF, Pumpkin Palooza, Visual Art Gallery, and New Freshworks Residencies.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 14, 2025
Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) will present its Fall 2025 season from September through December, marking its 25th anniversary as a cultural anchor in Pittsburgh’s East End.
The lineup includes the world premiere of Becoming Daddy AF by David Roussève (September 26–27), new Freshworks Residencies, beloved holiday programming, and community-centered events, all under the season’s theme of “joy as an act of resistance.”
Founded in 2001 and named for Pittsburgh icons Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, KST has become a hub for creativity, community building, and collective liberation. The 2025–2026 season also commemorates the 50th anniversary of Dance Alloy Theater’s founding, highlighting Pittsburgh’s long-standing support of artistic innovators.
The season opens with Roussève’s Becoming Daddy AF, a dance-theater meditation on ancestry, living with HIV, and personal loss, accompanied by the Pittsburgh Queer History Project’s exhibit Calendar Girls in the House of Tilden (opening September 26). Freshworks Artists in Residence will present in-progress works, including Moire del Carmen’s Baquiné (October 3–4) and Rickia Davenport’s The Choice (November 7–8). Holiday favorites return with Pumpkin Palooza (October 25) and Suite Life: A Celebration of Billy Strayhorn & Gene Kelly (November 29).
Through the Mutual Aid Residency program, Dreams of Hope and Balafon West African Dance Ensemble will offer youth-centered dance, music, and intergenerational gatherings throughout the fall.
Pittsburgh Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
ANASTASIA: THE MUSICAL (Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center)
9.2% of votes
2.
THE PROM (Stage 62)
8.9% of votes
3.
SOMETHING ROTTEN! (Geyer Performing Arts Center)
8% of votes
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