The Bloom Stage & Storytelling
The Bloom Stage and Storytelling
Story is an important tradition that connects our communities, holds a mirror up to life lessons and helps chart where we are going. In our current golden age of storytelling, people are becoming more aware of how sharing their personal narratives function as a pathway to physically healing experiences and to achieving their goals. Stories elicit powerful emotional responses and are useful tools. Your story is your power!
The Bloom Stage offers quarterly events that bring a blend of storytelling, poetry, music, and art to the Murfreesboro stage. The series is produced by storyteller and personal coach Kara J. Kemp with assistance from poet and writer Kory Wells and partnership with Poetry in the Boro. This series celebrates the ability of art to honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection. It seeks to present established and emerging storytellers, poets, performers and artists and to encourage unity among communities whose stories often go unheard. Each show presents a broad theme for artists to build upon, such as “Defibrillator” for a February Valentine’s show, “Cornbread and Casseroles” for Mother’s Day and “The Dog Days” for an August show on furry friends, summer’s end and school’s beginning. Live musicians weave the stories together throughout the series as well as visual artists on exhibit.
Don’t shrink. Bloom.
Bloom Stage presents Golden Hour in Murfreesboro and Historic Rugby.
Bloom Stage proudly announces the third show in its 2026 series, “Golden Hour” on Sept 10 at Walnut House in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and on Sept 12 at The Rebecca Johnson Theatre in Historic Rugby, Tennessee.
Produced in collaboration with the Poetry in the Boro, this show explore the theme of Golden Hour, which can be the literal light just after dawn or before sunset, but it can also be the sweet spot of a life: a meaningful season, a hard-earned lesson, a favorite memory, a relationship, a golden era, or a moment when everything seemed to come together. It can be about sunshine, success, wisdom, nostalgia, or anything else that feels golden.
As with every Bloom Stage production, participating artists are invited to interpret the theme through their own creative lens. The result is an evening that moves across genres and perspectives, bringing together different voices, stories, and artistic expressions around a shared idea.
Co-produced by Kara Kemp and Kory Wells, the Bloom Stage is built around the belief that live art is at its best when it creates room for connection, curiosity, and surprise. Golden Hour continues that tradition with an evening of work from artists who have something to say, something to share, and a willingness to follow an idea wherever it leads.
Golden Hour will be presented in Murfreesboro on September 10 and Historic Rugby on September 12. Shows beginning at 7:00 PM, and please note Rugby is EASTERN Time.
Admission is free, with a suggested $10 donation at the door to help cover production expenses. Special thanks to Historic Rugby for presenting this show with a grant by the Tennessee Arts Commission.
2026 Bloom Stage Season
The Bloom Stage 2026 Season continues our mission of cultivating connection through intimate, multi-genre and multi-generational performances rooted in storytelling, music, poetry, movement, and visual art. Hosted at Walnut House in downtown Murfreesboro and extending across the region, this season reflects both deepened partnerships and meaningful expansion.
Since launching in 2018, Bloom Stage has collaborated with over 300 artists internationally, welcomed nearly 3,000 in-person audience members, and reached more than 21,000 virtual viewers. None of this work is possible without the continued support of our community.
The 2026 season invites audiences, artists, and partners to gather in shared space, to listen deeply, honor lived experience, and celebrate creativity as a vital force for connection and care.
JOIN OUR STAGE
Have a story to tell? The Bloom Stage is always in search of new storytellers. No experience required, just a great story and a willingness to collaborate. Performers have an option to work with a coach to be performance-ready.
SPONSOR THE BLOOM STAGE
Supporting the arts is the noblest thing you can do to keep humanity thriving. -Anonymous We need support for The Bloom Stage to stay free and accessible to the public. If you’d like to become a sponsor, let us know.
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“True belonging requires meeting real people in real time in a real space. Story helps you find your real.” – Kara J. Kemp
Kara’s storytelling performances have also been crafted for energetic events such as United We Style benefiting United Way, The Ghostly Gathering in historic Rugby, Tennessee, The Moth Nashville and custom story workshops. Kittens on the Keys is a full-length production that resonates with audiences as “a unique mix….at once sophisticated and homespun” which explores the complexities and charm of growing up Southern and what we do with our past in order to shape our futures. Kara is available for customizing workshops or private coaching sessions to help tap into real power for simply sharing, performance or corporate presentations.