Beltzhoover’s Nathan James reveals his ‘Growing Pains’

In “Growing Pains,” he employs poetry, monologues and movement to “strip away the layers of black male masculinity” and express the emotions and sensitivities hidden behind the mask of machismo that is shown to the world.

“Beltzhoover is a pretty rough neighborhood, but I was always a sensitive kid,” Mr. James said of his inspiration. “So I had to put on this machismo to act like I was harder than I really was — there’s a sort of bravado that you have to have so people don’t mess with you. And there’s a ‘suck it up’ you have to do, even if you are feeling depressed or stressed. You always have to be strong.

“I found that, in front of my boys, I would act like everything was cool. But if I’m going through heartbreak or hard times, me and a lot of guys I know, we all cry when we are by ourselves. Men, when they feel pain or emotion … we are not supposed to show it — warriors bleed on the inside.”

With “Growing Pains,” he employ chapters in his life to delve into what he calls “toxic masculinity and address what lies beneath.

Bringing the show to the August Wilson Centerfor African American Culture, Downtown, represents one of those chapters for Mr. James, who met with and was inspired by the late Pulitzer Prize winner from the Hill District.

When the actor describes how “Growing Pains” is influenced by Pittsburgh, he describes it as “like watching an August Wilson play” — it speaks to people outside of Pittsburgh even though it takes place here.

Performing here, though, he is spared having to explain a city that “eats and breathes” the Steelers.

Mr. James plays multiple characters and at times addresses the audience, reading some of his poetry.

He has performed “Growing Pains” at venues including the Cultural Conversations Festival at Penn State, where he received his MFA in acting.

Although being onstage is his first love,