“To be young, gifted, and Black...” — Nina Simone

Kindled by Nina is a powerful, multimedia theatrical experience written, produced, and directed by Dr. Karen Moore, weaving poetry, film, and music into a soul-stirring requiem for Black womanhood. Inspired by Nina Simone’s iconic and provocative anthem “Four Women,” this original work dives into the layered identities, unspoken struggles, and untamed power of Black women throughout history and today.

This groundbreaking piece made its world premiere at the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, presented by Cannonball, and left audiences breathless in its intimate portrayal of four women—Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing, and Peaches—brought to life through a hybrid blend of performance poetry, visual storytelling, and cinematic reflection. Each woman’s story is told not only through the words she speaks but through the body she carries, the music that surrounds her, and the fire that kindles her transformation.

Featuring guest performances by:

• Shallena Morrell, a commanding guest poet whose voice carves out truth and vulnerability with elegance and edge.
• Karen Smith, a master percussionist whose rhythms root the audience in ancestral knowing and spiritual connection.

Together, they breathe life into a journey that is at once personal and collective—bearing witness to pain, resilience, beauty, and revolution.

A Tribute and a Reckoning

Kindled by Nina is more than homage—it is invocation. It celebrates Nina Simone not just as a musician, but as an activist, truth-teller, and artist who used her voice to reflect the times. Through this work, her legacy reverberates—disrupting, healing, and igniting.

Whether you come for the music, the story, or the spirit of Nina herself, this performance promises to leave you changed, emboldened, and inspired.

The Broad Street Review called it a love letter to Black Women.