MISSISSIPPI GODDAMN: a Nina Simone musical
Nina Simone says in her 1959 Town Hall performance that “Mississippi Goddamn” is a song for a musical that hasn’t been written yet. Wally has a plan to create a musical written by a collection of individuals, playwrights and choreographers.
This project seeks to encourage artists and writers of all ages to be a bridge from today’s world to Nina Simone’s poetry, politics and music. We are here to explore our response to a society in need of truth and understanding. Nina Simone challenges us to recognize our shared humanity and our need for the long overdue revolution of social values.
To assist you in your efforts here’s coach Wally’s PDF of A Playwright’s Manual and in .doc form here’s A Playwright’s Manual.
Your two to five-minute scene or monologue can lead into or come out of one of the following songs:
- Another Spring
- Backlash Blues
- Baltimore
- Brown Baby
- Come Ye
- Do I Move You?
- Everything Must Change
- Feeling Good
- Four Women
- Gimme Some
- Go Limp
- Go to Hell
- I Put A Spell On You
- I Shall Be Released
- I Sing Just to Know That I’m Alive
- I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl
- I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free
- In The Dark
- Isn’t It A Pity?
- Just In Time
- Mississippi Goddamn
- Ne Me Quitte Pas
- New World Coming
- Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
- Nobody’s Fault But Mine
- Old Jim Crow
- Ooh Child
- Peace of Mind
- Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
- Revolution
- Rich Girl
- Save Me
- Sinnerman
- Stars
- The Human Touch
- To Love Somebody
- Tomorrow Is My Turn
- Trouble In Mind
- What You Gonna Do
- Who Am I?
- Work Song
- You’ve Got To Learn
- Young, Gifted and Black
- Zungo
Send your short play in PDF form to damnmississippi (at) gmail (dot) com … We will post all the plays that are contributed here, under the title of the Nina Simone song that is employed.
Write to Wally at damnmississippi (at) gmail (dot) com for a link to a Dropbox folder of these songs if you need it. If you favor a song that is not on this list then go right ahead and make your short play just the way you’d like.
This is not a professional business endeavor, there are no fees or prizes. This is for the love of Nina Simone and dedicated to the “young, gifted and black”.
