Nikki Powerhouse is a native of Philadelphia who embodies her name.
The actor, poet and playwright began her extensive theater training at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and Temple University. She has continued her theater passion at Black Nexxus and Theatre for New Generation and in New York City, where her stage credits include “Notice Me,” “Sex, God and Heels,” “Queen Mary of Scotland” and “Khepera.” Her Philadelphia stage credits include her one-woman show “Fantasy is an Addiction,” Black Women’s Arts Festival, the lead role in “Antigone,” “Seven Guitars,” “Fences” and “Merry Wives of Windsor.” And, if you’re lucky, you will get a chance to see her one-woman show “The Art of I Am,” June 17 at the Painted Bride Art Center. Powerhouse plays multiple characters in this touching and spirit-lifting show, accompanied by the talented cellist Monica McIntyre. The show sold out on its last run so call for tickets now!
PGN: Tell me a story about the family or a favorite relative.
NP: Oh, so many. I have one relative, a cousin named Karima, who made the transition three years ago and she’s now my ancestor; she was older than me, so she was like an aunt to me. She was a small-framed woman but she was a powerhouse and I was fascinated by her. She was very expressive. She was a writer and performer with a very distinct way of speaking. She had three kids my age and I’d go over to her house a lot, but it wasn’t to play with the kids, I just wanted to be near her to watch her in action; the way she moved, the way she spoke, she just owned everything. She was small but took up a lot of space with her presence. And she was one of my biggest supporters. About a week before she passed, she gave me advice that I still follow. She simply said, “No fear, no envy and no meanness. Go out there and get what’s yours.” She lives through me as I follow her words. They’re my mantra.
PGN: Speaking of words, when you first said she transitioned, I was thinking something else entirely, having just been at the Trans-Health Conference.
NP: I get that a lot! But I prefer the word “transition” as opposed to “passing away” because I believe that our energy may not be here on a physical plane but I feel it’s still around, just on another level.
PGN: What was the first poem you wrote and how old were you?
NP: I believe I was around 11, but I don’t remember it. I didn’t take it seriously yet. The first piece that sticks out was something I wrote with my sister Val Ray. She’s a jazz singer here in Philadelphia. I wrote a piece called “Black Woman” for her, which she recorded on her CD called, “No Fool, No Fun.” It was a live recording and I got to read it with a bass playing behind me. It was the first time I started really owning my craft.
PGN: Any other siblings?
NP: There are three of us: my older brother, Val and me. I’m the baby.
PGN: Tell me about the parents.
NP: They were big lovers of music, which is where I get it from. My father transitioned to ancestor when I was 13. He was a good-time guy, real energetic and vibrant. My mom was 20 years younger than him and she did hair. She loved to sew, loved to cook. She could put her foot in some good cooking! He was a real free spirit; it makes sense that he was with my mom because she loved being around people and good energy. But if the vibe wasn’t right, she’d let you know it. She transitioned in September. But that woman is still working! I feel her every day!
PGN: Who do you look like?
NP: From pictures, most people would say my father but when I look in the mirror I see my mom. Maybe it’s just her mannerisms that I’ve adopted that make it seem so.
PGN: What’s your day job?
NP: I’ve been with Amtrak for eight years. I do customer service and I’ve been with them since I was in school. It’s great because I can travel anywhere with them. I just flash my pass and I’m gone!
PGN: Where did you go to school?
NP: I started out at Community College majoring in theater and then transferred to Temple to get my degree.
PGN: You’ve worn many hats: actress, poet, playwright, nude figure model and freedom dancer.
NP: [Claps] Wow! When you said, “You’ve worn many hats” … in my mind I was thinking, You don’t even know, but apparently you do know!
PGN: I do my research! How did you get into the artistic modeling?
NP: About 12 years ago, a friend of mine, who was a chiseled, handsome African-American male, was doing nude modeling. We lived together and one day he wasn’t able to go so he suggested I take his place. I was like, “Child what? They don’t want me. We are nothing alike!” But we’ve been friends since 10th grade so I said OK. He scheduled a meeting for me with the person in charge and I come to find out that they were in search of an African-American full-figured woman but couldn’t find anyone so they settled for the chiseled male. When they met me they were like, “Oh my God, you’re exactly what we’re looking for!” I went in for a sculpting class, seven people in a semi-circle around me. They had music, wine and cheese in the dressing room and a towel. I went back, got undressed and said to myself, OK, Nikki, what are you doing? I didn’t know what was going to happen and I was feeling vulnerable. It was a six-week class so I got comfortable. They were watching me, I was watching them. It was really intense but magical. Nina Simone was playing and then Aretha Franklin’s “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” came on. I felt like I was in the most natural state of being I could be in. I could hear a woman saying, “Oh my God, look at her body. It’s magnificent, it’s so alive.” It was such a great experience, I started going to different schools in New York, and when I moved back to Philly 10 years ago I started modeling for Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and other schools here. It’s such a freeing and amazing experience to have people see you through the lens of light and color. I’d hear, “See! There’s turquoise around the breast and a silhouette of raw sienna over her eyes, you want to capture that.” And I’d be like, Wow! I got all that? Yaaasss!
PGN: And what is “Freedom Dancing”?
NP: I love dancing, but I never thought I had the chops to “dance.” But “Freedom Dancing” is telling a story with my movements, it comes from the body, it comes from the soul. I learned a lot dancing in gay clubs, getting my life, because I was in such a free space to express myself.
PGN: What was your coming-out experience like?
NP: I never looked at it like coming out. Things happen, I make a decision and go with it. I started out as a kid going to the COLOURS Organization when they had 40 Acres of Change and bouncing back and forth between that and The Attic. I always identified as fluid. Someone would ask me what I liked and I’d respond, “I’m open for suggestions.”
PGN: Tell me about your work and what to expect at your show.
NP: People are going to go on a journey with the main character, Crystal, which will hopefully influence and inspire your own journey, hence “The Art of I Am.” They are close to true tales that challenge the standards of beauty, sexuality, belonging and rediscovering identity in a world which Crystal never fit into. You get to follow her search of self-discovery, which permits a glimpse into a journey that we all must take. It’s about revisiting all the experiences that make you, you. I play several different characters: Crystal at different stages of her life and the people around her. So I play everything from a young girl to an elderly woman.
PGN: The show is designed to be uplifting. Why was that important to you?
NP: I think that my journey, this life, this energy, has been inspired by others and I want to pass it on. To help others discover their “I Am.” Art has such an impact on our psyche and what we think and feel, so I want my work to help people to connect to their power.
PGN: You received a standing ovation from 250 people at the first performance. That must have felt great.
NP: Oh yes, I did the show six months after my mother passed. I wasn’t thinking about doing a show but I decided that immersing myself in the work would help me grieve. I told my mother, “You’re not here with me physically but I need you to show up.” I felt like a feather before I walked on that stage and just took it all in. I saw her in those 250 faces that night. It was like a theater filled with my mama everywhere I looked.
PGN: That’s wonderful. OK, let’s do some random questions. What’s the last thing you bought online?
NP: The copyright for my poetry book “The Sun and the Mirror: Poetry as Memoir.” There are about 40 poems in it. It was one of those things where I could have kept adding more, but then you focus on trying to do more and end up not getting anything done, so I had to just stop myself and hit send and get it going. Go! Done!
PGN: Best or worst concert?
NP: Not a concert but I love going to the balls. Honey, I love the excitement and the edge, the freedom to holler and shout, screaming, “Work bitch!” at the top of your lungs and not even thinking about, “Oooh, is anyone watching? Should I not be so loud?” No, you can just let loose there. I’ve walked a few times doing women’s vogue and, honey, to have 10,000 people screaming, “You betta work!” makes you work. It’s amazing. I love, love, love, love it.
PGN: If you had a talk show, who would your first three guests be?
NP: Oh, let’s see … Nina Simone, Sylvester and Alanis Morissette.
PGN: You have your play and your book. What else is on the horizon?
NP: I’ll be doing the show in New York Oct. 21. I’m also a teaching artist so I will be doing partnerships with different organizations, helping people in marginalized communities write their own stories. Find their own journeys to “I Am.”
PGN: Something people don’t know about you?
NP: I once was a phone-sex operator. When I was in New York, I saw an ad for actresses and called up; it wasn’t what I expected but it turned out to be fascinating. [Laughs] A real eye-opener. We are some really interesting creatures. I did learn that there’s a real art to building, to creating an illusion of intimacy. It was fun, I got to play so many different characters. People would request a black woman or a transsexual or other specific types and you’d have to create a world to go with it. The real interesting part was who was working there. You had young women, middle-age women, black women, Asian women, you had old white ladies coming in with their little shopping carts, you name it. It was beautiful.
PGN: What was the most interesting character you did? Could you do a French accent?
NP: No, I found I loved playing the dominatrix! I even did a show based on it called “Fantasy is an Addiction.”
PGN: And what does theater mean to you?
NP: Theater means sharing, exchanging ideas, making a difference in people’s lives. It’s important to have a message. Why create art if it’s not going to be impactful? If you’re not going to inspire people to do something once they leave the theater … Don’t just be entertained, take what you’ve received and go out there and do something!
For more information on “The Art of I Am,” visit https://paintedbride.org/events/the-art-of-i-am/.
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