Pillsbury House Theatre

09/11/2026

Tickets are still available for "NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN" tonight, Friday, September 11, and tomorrow, Saturday, September 12 at 7 PM!

Sunday’s 2 PM matinee is almost sold out, so grab your seats while you can.

Written by Christina Ham and directed by Faye M. Price, "NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN" features:

Erin Willis* — Nina Simone / Peaches
Aimee K. Bryant* — Sarah / Auntie
Thomasina Petrus* — Sephronia
Traci Shannon — Sweet Thing
Sanford Moore — Sam Waymon / Musical Director

Run time: Approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes

Tickets: https://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/production/nina-simone-four-women/

Box Office: 612-825-0459
Box Office hours: 9 AM–2 PM daily and one hour before showtime.

Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis

*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

Photos by Tom Wallace

NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN runs through September 27 at Pillsbury House + Theatre.

09/04/2026

Opening night for "Nina Simone: Four Women" is officially sold out.

There are still opportunities to see the production throughout the month:

"Nina Simone: Four Women" runs September 5–27 at Pillsbury House + Theatre.

Tickets and full performance details at pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org.

09/03/2026

"Nina Simone: Four Women" By Christina Ham opens September 5 at Pillsbury House + Theatre.

In this excerpt from our KRSM - 98.9 FM conversation with Mike Brooks, hear Erin Willis*, Aimee K. Bryant* and Thomasina Petrus* reflect on Nina Simone, the world of the play, and bringing this production to the stage. The video also features a glimpse of Traci Shannon in performance.

Watch the extended interview here:
https://vimeo.com/1222822305?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

There’s more to hear and read this opening weekend. On Friday, September 4, hear "Nina Simone: Four Women" on MPR News "All Things Considered" between 3–6 p.m., tune in to KRSM - 98.9 FM at 3 p.m. for the full cast interview, and listen for an interview on Jazz88.

Sahan Journal’s Myah Goff also takes a deeper look at the history behind the play, its return to Pillsbury House + Theatre, and the artists bringing it to the stage, with insights from director Faye M. Price.

"Nina Simone: Four Women" runs September 5–27 at Pillsbury House + Theatre.

Tickets and more information at https://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/production/nina-simone-four-women/

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Music ft is Stick Dance by Sanford Moore and Christina Ham

09/01/2026

Artists and theatre professionals—we’d love to see you at Industry Night for "Nina Simone: Four Women"!

Join us before the performance for snacks, drinks, and time to connect with fellow artists and members of the theatre community.

Wednesday, September 9
Pre-show social: 5:30 PM
Performance: 7 PM
Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis

Reserve your tickets and join us for an evening of theatre and community.
https://ci.ovationtix.com/27105/production/1273050

08/20/2026

One night only—get your tickets now for Queen Drea’s Born on the Fourth of July: From Mississippi to Minnesota.
https://vimeo.com/1219367566?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Through original music, poetry, oral history recordings, improvisation, and layered sound, Queen Drea traces her mother’s journey from Mississippi to Chicago and Minnesota. This immersive performance and installation explores Black womanhood, migration, caregiving, memory, and the family legacies carried across generations.

Following the performance, stay for a conversation about The Great American Migration and Its Lasting Impact, moderated by poet, organizer, educator, and cultural producer Tish Jones.

Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m.
Barbara Barker Center for Dance
University of Minnesota campus

This is a one-night-only event. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, from $5–$45.

Get tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/27105/production/1285634

Commissioned through the American Composers Forum’s Recomposing America initiative and presented as part of Pillsbury House + Theatre’s 2026 Makers Series.

Friday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. Barbara Barker Center for Dance University of Minnesota Campus About the Work Join Queen Drea for Born on the Fourth of July: From Mississippi to Minnesota, an immersive interdisciplinary sound performance and installation exploring family archive, oral history, and Bl...

08/14/2026

“Nina Simone: Four Women”
Written by Christina Ham
Directed by Faye M. Price
Musical direction by Sanford Moore
September 5–27 at Pillsbury House + Theatre

Amid the tumultuous Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s, Nina Simone’s songs captured America’s anguish and galvanized activists working to alter the course of history.

Set in the aftermath of the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, “Nina Simone: Four Women” imagines a conversation between Simone and three Black women whose personal stories help inspire her famous anthem, “Mississippi Goddam.”

Through live music, movement, and charged conversation, witness the birth of a song that gave voice to a movement.

This PH+T production marks a homecoming and reunion for original cast members Aimee K. Bryant, Thomasina Petrus, and Traci Shannon, joined by Erin Willis in her PH+T debut. The production is directed by PH+T’s former visionary co-artistic director Faye M. Price, with musical direction by acclaimed Twin Cities musician, arranger, composer, and Moore by Four founder Sanford Moore.

September 5–27, 2026
Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis

Special performances include Industry Night + Pre-Show Social, a Post-Show Q&A, an ASL-interpreted performance, Karaoke Night, an audio-described performance, and mask-required performances.

https://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/.../nina-simone.../

Tickets + full performance calendar:
https://ci.ovationtix.com/27105/production/1273050

Pictured: Faye M. Price, Aimee K. Bryant, Thomasina Petrus, and Erin Willis.
Photo by Sara Abdelaal

08/11/2026

08/07/2026

On Thursday, July 30, at 9:00 p.m., an estimated 100–150 people gathered at Powderhorn Lake for the Peace Lantern Ceremony.

We are grateful to the young people who helped shape the event and guided participants through humming, breathing, dancing, and creative self-expression. It meant a great deal to hear community members describe the ceremony as moving and healing.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening possible.

Photos by Bruce Silcox.