This event is live on Zoom using this link.

Join us for a stimulating theater presentation and discussion led by Regina Williams, Thomasina Petrus and Sun Mee Chomet. Regina, Thomasina and Sun Mee will read two scenes from the play, Nina Simone: Four Women, a play that Pillsbury House Theatre hopes to produce in the near future. The readings will be followed by a discussion of the themes, tying in current events, personal values and narratives.

Written by local playwright, Christina Ham. In this powerful play inspired by Nina Simone’s song “Four Women,” Simone and three other women find themselves in the rubble-filled 16th Street Baptist Church on the day of the 1963 bombing, in which four young girls were killed. As riots erupt outside, the women must come to terms with the tragedy and with each other if they are to move forward. During this time, women, who played a critical organizing role in the Civil Rights era, were not allowed to march with men or speak at the ceremony except to sing for the crowd. Featuring Simone’s most popular anthems that highlight how music was a powerful form of resistance for women during the Civil Rights Movement, Nina Simone: Four Women is a timely and electrifying testament to the radical and healing power of art.

On Stage: Creating a Community Dialogue Around Live Theater is a fiscally sponsored program through Springboard for the Arts, and is designed to strengthen community support by reaching a wider “non-traditional” theater audience. This program aims to give participants a new perspective on the possibilities of live theater and in dramatic literature in general. Discussions touch on important ethical and civic questions, as well as other themes developed in the chosen works. In addition to community events, On Stage holds discussions in a variety of college and high school classes in an effort to get a younger audience to see live theater.

Since Covid hit in March, On Stage has launched a new education experience for students and members of our community. This new online program, OnStage/OnLine, is a series of discussions based on plays that are ‘in the works’ to be produced and performed in the Twin Cities in the future, designed to: stimulate an interest in live theater, examine the cultural context of a play, and, of course, to have fun!

In addition to this discussion with community members, On Stage will be facilitating 15 more discussions based around the play on Zoom with over 300 Twin Cities college students! Go to onstagemn.org for more info.

Click “Going” and share on Facebook!