Rebel with a Cause: The Artistry and Activism of Nina Simone at 92NY

Featuring Amber Iman
Jocelyn Bioh – Writer
Reggie D. White – Director
Michael O. Mitchell – Arrangements, Orchestrations, Piano and Music Direction
With Tiffany Mann and Ines Nassara – Background Vocals

Jazz. Classical. R&B. Soul. Gospel. Blues. Tender ballads, fierce protest anthems, standards and swing. 92NY Lyrics and Lyricists™ 2024/25 season continues with a tribute to an incomparable singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist with Rebel With a Cause: The Artistry and Activism of Nina Simone. Groundbreaking 2024 Tony nominee Amber Iman celebrates Simone’s legacy in this new show written by Tony-nominated playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding ). Directed by actor/artist/educator Reggie D. White (The Inheritance) with musical direction and arrangements by Michael O. Mitchell (MJ: The Musical) and a band enriched with horns and strings, Iman will draw from a remarkable Simone songbook that ranges from pop hits and standards like “I Put a Spell on You, “Feeling Good” and “My Baby Just Cares for Me” to ballads like “Plain Gold Ring” and protest anthems like “Mississippi Goddam” and “Backlash Blues.” Performances are on December 7, 8 and 9 with tickets available here. 

“I made my Broadway debut in 2013, playing the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone. I’ve been carrying her with me ever since. I’ve read every book, listened to (almost) every song, and watched every video I could find, to understand who she was,” comments Amber Iman. “She was put on this earth as an artist, to use her voice. I’m looking to build a conversation with Nina – about and around her. These songs feel timely and necessary, with a softness in her lyrics we don’t always acknowledge. Who she is as a Black woman has inspired, encouraged and challenged me and I hope it does that to the audience.”

Additional credits

Stephanie Alvarado Prugh, Artistic Producer

Musicians
Jeremiah Fleck, trumpet
Chala Yancy, violin/viola
Michael Thurber, bass
Sherrod Barnes, guitar
Lonnie Christian, drums

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Now celebrating its 150^th  anniversary, 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit  www.92NY.org.