February
1996 (Exact date unknown)
Booker
T. Washington High School
Set:
Strange Fruit
Notes:
* This performance was part of a show that the high school was putting on for
Black History Month in which Norah auditioned to play the part of Billie
Holiday at a friend’s urging. The
part required Norah to perform this song.
* It is unclear if Norah only sang this song, or accompanied her singing with
piano.
* Norah would later tell Pamela Colloff in a 2004
interview that at first, because the song happened to be about lynching in the
South, she felt “silly singing it, because I’m white, you know?”
However thanks to everyone’s
encouragement and the director’s “great instruction,”
she was able to “do the best she could”
and later appreciated the song for “what
it was; an amazing piece of poetry”
and a “beautiful experience learning about Billie Holiday.”
* In another 2004 interview with CNN’s
Lorraine Hahn on a TalkAsia segment, Norah also
mentioned that the experience “was crazy, but I had to sort of channel her. I tried
really hard, I don't know how good I did” and again complimented the director
saying he/she was “really cool for giving me that role.”
* We are almost certain that this
performance may have been recorded, as this was a show at a highly esteemed
school and there would have inevitably been proud parents in the crowd with
video cameras, but unfortunately we have no tangible proof, as nothing has
surfaced or has been confirmed to exist.
Pictures:
We would love to post any pictures you might have of
this show here. Please send to zwfwrestling@yahoo.com and we will
acknowledge you in the updates section.