Kelly Strayhorn Theater Presents New York Premiere Of Jesse Factor's THE MARTHAODYSSEY

As part of Kelly Strayhorn Theater's (KST) ongoing Owning Our Future, Thriving Where We Live strategic direction, KST has announced the third year of KST X NYC, a special initiative to share new works commissioned and developed in Pittsburgh by KST in collaboration with national partners.

This year, KST will present the New York premiere of Jesse Factor's The Marthaodyssey, co-presented with Live Artery | New York Live Arts in association with Martha Graham Dance Company Friday, January 10 – Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 9:30pm and Monday, January 13, 2025 at 11:00am.

Dancing across gender, time, and bodily differences, The Marthaodyssey is a solo evening-length speculative fantasy through which dance artist Jesse Factor animates “the high priestess of modern dance” to the sonic landscape of “the queen of pop.” The work siphons the rich physicality of Martha Graham's archive, reinterpreting and recontextualizing classic works as they are set to excerpts of Madonna's 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour setlist with deep reverence and playful humor.

This NYC premiere presentation coincides with GRAHAM 100, an initiative of Martha Graham Dance Company celebrating its hundredth year. Part dance concert, part pop concert, part drag show, The Marthodyssey's aesthetic presentation moves Graham's tradition of lights and tights into pop spectacle and genderfuck lip sync. Performances take place at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at 10 West 64th Street and tickets are Pay What Moves You: $25 to $40. Tickets on sale soon!

KST X NYC 2025 also highlights the work of three additional Pittsburgh-based artistic entities. Theater Artist Adil Mansoor, will be in conversation with The Flea Artistic Director Niegel Smith for the Under the Radar festival's Coming Attractions at artXnyc on Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 12:00pm – 2:00pm. The pair will discuss Amm(i)gone, Mansoor's recent work that employs Greek tragedy Antigone as a tool to locate love across faith in a Pakistani immigrant family. The work will see its New York premiere in April 2025 produced by PlayCo, Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, Kelly Strayhorn Theater and The Flea at The Flea.

Non-binary dance duo slowdanger shares material from STORY BALLET as a part of Pentale's showcases at New York City Center Studios on Saturday, January 11 from 2:10pm – 2:30pm. Set to premiere at KST in Fall 2026, the surreal dance theater performance examines Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, re-contextualizing the tale into an exploration of mental health de-stigmatization and perception.

PearlArts Movement & Sound shares an excerpt of the company's newest creation, sum of y'all, with artistic collaborator Marvin Touré for Pentacle's showcases at the Ailey Citygroup Theater, Sunday, January 12 from 2:45pm – 3:15pm. The new work invites audiences to reflect on the delicate impermanence of community. Tracing back to memories of historically Black spaces that have been erased over time, sum of y'all highlights the constant and inevitable state of expansion, change, and transformation. Premiering Spring 2026 at KST.

“KST X NYC brings KST's vision of ‘Owning Our Future. Thriving Where We Live.' to a national stage, highlighting the importance of artists and culture in creating a lively community in Pittsburgh,” says KST's Co-Executive Director Joseph Hall.

KST's Programming Director, Ben Pryor notes, “In January, The Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference hosts an unprecedented opportunity for national and international exposure and exchange. In bringing these works to New York City during APAP, we are telling KST's story to our national and international colleagues and creating an opportunity for exposure that most Pittsburgh-based artists don't get to experience.”

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater is ADA-accessible and Kelly Strayhorn Theater is happy to further address any accommodations that will enrich your visit. Please reach out to KST's Box Office team at 412.363.3000 x 213 or boxoffice@kelly-strayhorn.org to let the team know in advance. For more details, please visit kelly-strayhorn.org.

ABOUT THE MARTHAODYSSEY

This presentation of The Marthaodyssey is supported by the Ford Foundation and Heinz Endowments America's Cultural Treasures initiative. The Marthaodyssey was created with support from National Center for Choreography Akron, The Space Upstairs, Point Park University, Martha Graham Center, Slippery Rock University, and Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Jesse Factor was a 2023 and 2024 NDP Finalist Grant Award recipient. Support was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation in support of The Marthaodyssey and to address continued sustainability needs.

Jesse Factor, Concept and Performance
Robert Ramirez, Director
Andy Hasenpflug, Sound Editing and Remixes
Scott Andrew, Projections, Lobby Installation
Julianna Waechter, Jesse Factor, Tony Allgeier, Costumes
Travis Klingler, Aurora Borealis, Wig Designs
Tucker Topel, Set Designer
Madeleine Steineck, Lighting Designer
Anya and Mitsuko Clark-Verdery, Creative Consultants

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jesse Factor trained at the Martha Graham School and danced with Graham II and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Born in Sharon, PA, Jesse grew up in Quito, Ecuador and Bangkok, Thailand before earning a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Factor's work has been presented at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, OUTsider Festival (Austin), Milton Art Bank, RADfest (Kalamazoo),  St. Mark's Church in the Bowery (NYC), Fresh Fruit Festival (NYC), Queer Spectra (Salt Lake City), and House of Yes (NYC).

Robert Ramirez (Director) works across the country as a director, actor, recorded voice artist, and vocal coach. His professional credits include the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Alley Theater in Houston, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Public Theater in New York City. Recently, he performed here in Pittsburgh with Quantum Theater in Scenes from an Execution. Robert is a member of the National Theater Conference, Actors Equity Association, and currently serves as the Head of the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University.

Scott Andrew (Media Designer) b. 1982 in Waynesburg, PA, is a multimedia queer-oriented video, installation, performance artist, media designer, educator, and curator. Media Design projects include 'Suite Life' at KST, ‘Underland x Alice' at the New Hazlett Theater, and ‘Show Queen', a 2023 NDP finalist and ongoing collaboration with Dance Artist Jesse Factor that grew out of a Freshworks presentation of ‘I Am A Haunted House' at KST Alloy Studios. scottnandrew.com

Andy Hasenpflug (Composer/Music Editor) started his career with the drum set, obtaining a master's degree in classical percussion. Mr. Hasenpflug currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he freelances and works as the music director for the dance department of Slippery Rock University. In the summers, Andy is the musical director for the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC.

Tony Allgeier (Costume Designer) uses his 14+ years of design expertise creating projects ranging from full service interior design, luxurious upholstery, and high caliber costuming. Allgeier is artist-in-residence at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and competed on HGTV's Design Star: Next Gen – reinforcing their brand of ‘Streamlined Androgyny' and the notion that design has no gender.

Madeleine Steineck (Lighting Designer) has been working as a Lighting Designer and Master Electrician in western Pennsylvania since 2011. Companies she has designed for include: Mercyhurst University, MCG Jazz, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, New Hazlett's CSA Program, Texture Contemporary Ballet, STAYCEE PEARL dance project, fireWALL dance theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, and City Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival. She has also toured with Philadelphia artist Raphael Xavier.

Tucker Topel (Scenic Designer) became a Pittsburgh-based scenic designer and theater maker after growing up in the southern Wisconsin area. He is an alum of Point Park University.  Tucker's most recent local design credits include: Andy Warhol's Tomato (Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre), Million Dollar Quartet (Pittsburgh Musical Theatre), Angels In America (ELSEWHERE Theatre Company), Three Penny Opera (Mercyhurst University), and The Height of the Storm (FUSION Theatre).

Creative Consultants Anya Clarke-Verdery (Long Island University, BFA) and Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery (Carnegie Mellon University, BFA) are the co-founders and artistic directors of MICHIYAYA Dance—a femme-centric contemporary dance company based in NYC and Pittsburgh. The duo created MICHIYAYA to honor contemporary dance and to center the experiences of queer women and nonbinary folx. Their work has spread nationally at Yale University, Brooklyn Museum, and the Andy Warhol Museum and been featured in Art Forum, Thinx, Vice i-D, and Medium.

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