THE COLOR PURPLE

from Applause -- 1776, March 21 - April 2, 2023

1776: REDEFINING A MOMENT IN HISTORY

The Color Purple is a stirring family chronicle following a young woman on her journey to independence and selflove. Celie Harris — abused by her family, torn from her children, and faced with the loss of her beloved sister — must learn to rebuild her life from scratch. Through joy and despair, anguish and hope, Celie discovers the power of love and life.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, the musical boasts a Grammy Award-winning score of jazz, blues, and gospel. DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman says, “There’s a great spirit of celebration, uplifting community, and a simple authenticity to The Color Purple.” The DCPA Theatre Company is proud to share in the joy of live theatre and share diverse, genuine stories onstage. Few stories have had the cultural signiﬁcance and lasting power of The Color Purple. It is a triumphant, uplifting piece of art that reaﬃrms some fundamental truths: that Black is beautiful, that women are powerful, and that love is love.

Page, the ﬁrst African American to be named the Marcus Institute Fellow for Opera Directing at The Juilliard School, believes this new 1776 opens up a conversation around who has the right to this dream we call America.

“It’s interesting because I never really knew what 1776 was, and in the community that I come from, that is not all that far-fetched,” he said. “It might seem alien that an American would have no relationship to what the founding of America means at its very essence. But in many ways, I have felt like the America that people often speak about doesn’t involve me. And so I think this show is interested in commenting very speciﬁcally on who gets to have a piece of this American dream – and who does not.”

Paulus is a great believer that theater is an art form that is alive and present, and so she wanted very much to make our present moment of America part of the experience of this production. Theater at its best not only entertains us, Page added, “it awakens us, it shakes us, it disorients us, so that we have the ability to think in ways that are new and bright.

“I think that’s what 1776 does. I’m very proud that this show provokes a kind of discussion that galvanizes an entire community.”

Don’t miss this beloved musical at the Wolf Theatre in the Bonﬁls Theatre Complex from March 31 through May 7, 2023.