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.
Next up! The Bloom Stage presents “Are We There Yet? Seasonal Stories About Getting There, Getting Lost, and Getting Together” on December 7 at Walnut House.
Join us for storytelling, poetry, live music, and art inspired by a season that puts pressure on us all to arrive at some (sometimes unachievable) real or metaphorical destination.
Whether the holiday and solstice season finds you
on the road or at home,
merry or melancholy,
nostalgic or cynical,
tranquil or tangled up in tinsel
this show will have something for you!
The show will take place at the beautiful Walnut House, 116 N Walnut Street (off the Square in downtown historic Murfreesboro). Doors at 6:30 pm with libations and light refreshments, and the show starts at 7 pm.
There will be OPEN MIC segments throughout the show, so prepare a maximum 4-minute piece to share on the theme and email poetryintheboro@gmail.com to put your name in the hat for a slot!
We suggest a $10 donation at the door to help with expenses, but admission is free thanks to a sponsorship by Grady Payne at FM Bank, The Shannon Wheeler Mortgage Team at PMG, and Kara Kemp Coaching.
TELL YOUR STORY ON THE BLOOM STAGE
2024 Season show dates will be announced at our December 7 show!
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’re always looking for support for The Bloom Stage to keep it free & open to the public. If you’d like to be a sponsor, let us know.
Click on any poster for a link to a past production.
“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.