This fall, Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks creative residency returns to KST’s Alloy Studios, showcasing two new performance works-in-progress that transform deeply personal experiences into collective celebrations of resilience, imagination, and community. On Friday and Saturday, October 3 – 4, Moire del Carmen shares Baquiné, a theater work drawing from the Afro-Caribbean tradition in Puerto Rico that celebrates a child’s passing as the birth of an angel. Rickia Davenport’s dance-theater piece, The Choice, explores the complex reproductive health challenges faced by African American women and the power of their voice on Friday & Saturday, November 7 – 8.
Written and performed by Puerto Rican trans artist Moire del Carmen, Baquiné is an absurd romp through death and back. This humorous one-act play follows Moire and her friends as they grapple with loss, trying to make art while the seductive pull of death threatens to consume them. Moire shares, “In Puerto Rico, it is believed that when a child dies, it is not a cause for mourning because an angel is born from their innocent soul.”
This tradition carries deeper meaning for Moire as a trans woman who has also lost a close trans friend. “Since coming out, the idea of my funeral has haunted me. Will I be buried in cropped hair and a suit? Since I’ve only lived as myself for four years, I feel like a child of sorts,” she reflects. “Some years ago, I lost a close friend who was also trans. I became obsessed with using theater to speak to him again. I began having visions of trans people in a fabulous afterlife, in their highest glam, celebrating and ironically singing to ‘Hell’ by the Squirrel Nut Zippers.” Inspired by Moire’s lived queer experience, Baquiné explores what happens when grief is met with laughter, love, and the transformative power of art.
Directed and choreographed by Rickia Davenport, The Choice blends contemporary, hip-hop, and modern dance with compelling visuals, crafting an intensely personal yet universal story of struggle, resilience, and hope. Topics such as motherhood, child loss, bodily autonomy, and societal expectations converge in this intimate performance.
Despite her traumatic experience of child-loss at birth, Rickia decides to brave through her vulnerability and share the complex reproductive health challenges faced by African American women through her work: “‘The voice of the voiceless’ is my goal throughout the entire show. What happened to my son and me could have been prevented with the right care and attention during my pregnancy. Our voices, mine and my son’s, were significant then, and they carry even more weight today”. Through movement and storytelling, Rickia calls for African American women to be proactive, empowered, and supported in their healthcare journeys. “My hope is that this work can provide healing, impart knowledge, and inspire meaningful change in the medical field for others who may share similar experiences”, said Rickia.
Kelly Strayhorn Theater invites audiences to witness Moire and Rickia’s creative process and be collectively inspired by their journey of healing. Through artistic experimentation, they honor what has been lost while celebrating what endures: love, community, and the unbreakable spirit of creation.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks creative residency returns to KST’s Alloy Studios on October 3rd and 4th, and November 7th & 8, 2025. Tickets at: https://kellystrayhorntheater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SVO000003SyYz2AK
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Feature Stories, Show Previews
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