Author: Brandon Goins
Nina Simone was the name on everyone's lips in August. "Come Hear NC," the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council's year-long campaign to highlight the state's countless contributions to music, led a month-long celebration of the state's native icon.
The celebration included the North Carolina Museum of Art's Nina Simone Weekend, a weekend of workshops, discussions, and a Saturday night concert by her daughter Lisa Simone. The following week the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission collaborated with the Playmakers Repertory Company at the University of North Carolina in their production of "No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone." Written by Howard L. Craft and directed by Kathryn Hunter-Williams, "No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone" is a one-woman show starring Yolanda Rabun.
The production was followed by a discussion highlighting the combined efforts of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Nina Simone Project, World Monuments Fund, and the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission to restore Simone's childhood home in Tryon, N.C. The discussion was led by Angela Thorpe, director of the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, and Carly Jones, music director of the N.C. Arts Council.
"Do you remember the last place you visited that truly moved you?" Thorpe challenged the audience to consider the power of space. She was alluding to the house where Nina was raised and where she discovered her love for music. The home, small and unassuming, holds power in its walls, "Places have power. Which is why this [preservation] work is so important," Thorpe adds.
Although the play is an extension of the celebration of Nina Simone in general, its themes tied closely to the mission to save the house in Tryon. "No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone" was more than a love letter to a distant icon. The show was an honest look into the life of Eunice Waymon. Yolanda Rabun as Nina Simone reveled in the cheers from the audience at the highs of her career but challenged them to reflect on their shudders at the lows of her life. Through her rapport with the audience, Rabun showed reverence and understanding of the woman she embodied for the performance.
Taking an honest look at the woman, Eunice Waymon, is also a priority for Thorpe and the N.C. African American Heritage Commission in their work in Tryon. Thorpe assured the panel and the audience that what is to be done with Simone's childhood home will be true to the woman behind the icon.
Follow along with the preservation efforts of Nina Simone's Childhood Home in Tryon and visit the Come Hear N.C. website for more stories from the North Carolina Year of Music.
Visit Playmakers Repertory Company online to follow their upcoming productions.
Lisa Simone Photo Credit: Sandra Davidson
Yolanda Rabun Photo Credit: Curtis Brown Photography