Perspectives series on "The Color Purple": Norman Sylvester & Mel Brown
Please join us for a series of 30-minute post-show discussions following select Sunday matinee performances of The Color Purple. Hear and share personal reactions and thoughts inspired by the play, filtered through the perspectives of local musicians, leaders, health workers, historians and community leaders. Join us and discover how The Color Purple connects directly to our community. All speakers identified and discussions moderated by Lenanne Sylvester.
Immediately following select Sunday matinee performances
Perspective series on The Color Purple
September 23 – Norman Sylvester & Mel Brown
September 30 – Cyreena Boston-Ashby & Antoinette Edwards
October 7 – Margaret Carter & Carmen Sylvester
About The Speakers
Norman was born in Bonita, Louisiana in 1945, his earliest musical influence came from hearing gospel singing in church, and blues greats; BB King, Johnny Taylor & T Bone Walker coming from the Juke Joints on the back streets of town. He formed his current band; The Norman Sylvester Band in 1987, has released four albums to date and plays regularly around the Portland area.
Mel performed as a drummer with Motown legends Diana Ross and The Temptations before applying his distinctive style and consummate skill to the jazz idiom. In addition to leading several high profile combos, Mel's rock-solid time and high-energy solos have made him the drummer of choice for jazz superstars Leroy Vinnegar, Monty Alexander, Teddy Edwards, Lou Donaldson and Joey DeFrancesco.
Current & Upcoming
Art Exhibit: ¡Soy Yo! by Mika Martinez
¡Soy Yo!, is a multi-media project, created by Mika Martinez, that examines and celebrates Latinx identity featuring more than 50 portraits of the Hispanic/Latino community in Portland.
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
Improvisation Classes for Beginners
Whether you're looking to get more confident in social situations, think quicker on your feet, or get in touch with your imaginative side, these "one-off" improv classes will set you on the path to success!
Nassim
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment, presented in collaboration with Boom Arts. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box... Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
Art Exhibit: Garam Garam Chai by Yusra Siddiqui
Portland Center Stage will host Garam Garam Chai, an art exhibit by Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Yusra Siddiqui, featuring a series of hand-sewn teabag printmaking pieces that serve as a contemplation of the communal tea times shared between Desi and British culture.
Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the war hero Coriolanus and the fight between the elite and the deprived masses will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble with a muscular, movement-focused staging.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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