Thomasina Petrus is a 25-year equity actor and professional jazz vocalist, a company member at Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Park Square Theatre, and has performed with the Twin Cities’ most beloved artists. Mentors and friends, James “Cornbread” Harris, Sr., Javetta Steele, T. Mycheal Rambo, Stokley, Walter Chancellor, Austene Cleopatra Van, and Prince, have encouraged her to continue creating exceptional music and theatre by launching Thomasina Productions. Highlights include: Lady Day by Lanie Robertson, Etta James… Dreams to Remember, Hot Chocolate Holiday musical series, the 5-woman a cappella ensemble “The Sound Effects,” HOLD, a play on incarcerated women through music and poetry, and Five Points by Harrison David Rivers. She is a Performance/Bessie Award Nominee.
Performance
The Best of Billie & Me
A powerful and intimate historical musical cabaret celebrating the life, legacy, and enduring influence of Billie Holiday. With a spine‑tingling ability to capture both the vocal essence and physical mannerisms of Lady Day, Thomasina Petrus invites audiences on a mesmerizing musical journey through history that culminates in the discovery of Thomasina’s own, incredibly unique and powerful voice.
Blending storytelling, song, and personal reflection, Thomasina recounts her discovery of Billie Holiday and jazz as a young girl. Her narrative is both fascinating and deeply entertaining, infused with humor, vulnerability, and emotional authenticity. Audiences of all ages connect to her exploration of how history, music, and culture shape every generation.
Through heartfelt acknowledgments of mentors, teachers, and members of her local jazz community who nurtured her love of music and learning, Petrus honors the lineage of jazz itself. The performance highlights artists influenced by Billie Holiday, including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Nina Simone, and more. In celebrating these extraordinary Black women and men, Petrus illuminates their profound impact on jazz, its origins, and its lasting imprint on American history.
The Best of Billie & Me is more than a tribute—it is a living bridge between past and present, honoring legacy while boldly claiming a voice all its own.
