"The Color Purple" Perspective Series
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
September 23 – Norman Sylvester & Mel Brown
September 30 – Cyreena Boston-Ashby & Antoinette Edwards
October 7 – Margaret Carter & Carmen Sylvester
About the Speakers
Margaret was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1935, the eighth of nine children and the youngest girl in her family. After receiving a degree from Oregon State University, Carter became a counselor at Portland Community College, where she worked for the next 27 years. In 1984, she became the first African American woman elected to the Oregon Legislature. She took office the following January and spent almost twenty-eight years serving in either the Oregon House or Senate. A member of the Legislature's joint budget committee, Carter was chosen as chair of the Oregon Democratic Party in 1996. In 2010, Carter was honored by OSU with the Alumni Fellow Award. The following year, Portland Community College named its new technology building after her. In retirement, she has continued to volunteer at Portland Community College and in Portland-area skills centers.
Ms. Sylvester was the first African-American woman police officer in the state of Oregon and for the Portland Police Bureau. She was hired on November 27, 1973 and became one of five women to work in patrol. During her career as one of Portland’s finest, she was very passionate about working in schools and regularly visited as Officer Friendly. She also championed the Stranger Danger Program. She retired in 1999 after 26 years of service to the City of Portland.
Current & Upcoming
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.
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.
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.
First Annual 503 Day
Portland's first annual 503 Day. Discounts on tickets, drink specials, and more!
Pre-Show Music with Chera Chera
As part of BIPOC Affinity Night for Nassim, join us for a pre-show music performance featuring Chera Chera, blending Iranian music and Farsi lyrics for the matinee crowds.
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!
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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