Hittite Empire conquers Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH--Confronting racism, probing social ills within African-American communities, and identifying black men's issues are the realm of Hittite Empire, a predominantly male, multidisciplinary performance-art collective based in Santa Monica, California. Imported by the Pittsburgh Dance Council for its new Distinctly Different Series, which currently showcases black artists, the Empire will appear in The Undersiege Stories at the Stephen Foster Memorial Theater, March 17-18. An adjunct seven-week workshop for at-risk youth will culminate with performances of I Drink Televised Gods, featuring twenty select workshop participants, at the City Theatre, April 4-6.

Founded in 1987 to fill a cultural void, the Empire is a ten-man company (which can expand to an ensemble of thirty-five) that melds history, audience participation, and the arts into thought-provoking, harsh, and confrontational scenarios. "We like to think of ourselves as Renaissance shamans," says "Prince" Keith Antar Mason, a poet and performance artist who serves as the company's artistic director.

"This is not traditional theater," he adds. "We get people to listen to the men's stories. As these stories are related, a healing process begins." With increased international touring, the Empire's format now emphasizes nonverbal communication and dance. "We're moving toward a more gestural movement theater," Mason says.

"Concerns about gang violence and economic conditions are fairly common across the country," he says, explaining the purpose of the workshop. "I'm perplexed when at seventeen they say, `I won't live to be 22.'"

Mason developed a youth program in 1992 for black men and youths aged 16-25. The program builds trust, teamwork, and self-esteem in a relaxed and supportive environment. Through artistic integrity and commitment, Mason says, "I want to get young men from urban experiences to think about their lives, to use anger and turn it into something positive."

Begun last fall, the company's work in Pittsburgh offered open enrollment in creative writing, improvisational theater, and butoh dance as part of the preparation for Gods. Jam sessions provided an outlet for artistic self-expression. The closed, final installment of the program (from March 20 to April 1) will be an intensive rehearsal for Gods.

"We didn't call it `dance,'" says Mason, referring to the movement workshops. "But all the while, we were watching our movers and providing them with more difficult physical and emotional obstacles. We taught them a monologue format and to use words that excite the imagination. We let them create their own stories." These tales are integrated with material influenced by Hollywood stereotypes. Yet according to Mason, "When we strip away the theatrical conventions," Gods "tells their personal stories."