The Color Purple
Raise your voice. Make a joyful noise.
“A miracle on Broadway; a glory to behold!” —The New York Times
From Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller comes a powerful, Tony Award-winning musical with a fresh, joyous score of jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues. This stirring family chronicle follows the inspirational Celie from the early to mid-20th century in the American south, as she journeys from childhood to womanhood, through joy and despair, anguish and hope to discover the true power of love and life. With a soul-rousing, Grammy-winning score, The Color Purple is an unforgettable and intensely moving American classic.
Tony Award, Best Revival of a Musical, 2016; Grammy Award, Best Musical Theater Album, 2017
Who's Who:
View the cast and creative team bios.
Playbill:
Explore the Playbill
Run Time:
Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes, including one intermission.
Note:
Recommended for ages 14 and up. Contains strong language and adult themes. Children under 6 are not permitted at any production at The Armory.
Resource Guide:
Download resource guide (PDF)
The Color Purple
- Previews Sep. 15–20 | Opening night Sep. 21
- Based upon the novel by Alice Walker
- Book by Marsha Norman
- Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray
- Directed by Timothy Douglas
- Music Direction by Darius Smith
Reviews of "The Color Purple"
"You're rattled joyously to your marrow — and elevated to an uncharted level of hope. This is much more than a showstopping number. It's a moment of shared grace." - The Oregonian
Beyond the Production: "The Color Purple"
Explore additional reading materials and get a behind-the-scenes look at the design elements of The Color Purple.
From Page to Stage: "The Color Purple"
Explore Alice Walker's The Color Purple and the transformation from page to stage.
"The Color Purple" in Rehearsal
Check out photos of The Color Purple cast rehearsing the first number of Act II, "African Homeland."
A Snapshot Look at Alice Walker's "The Color Purple"
From a bestselling novel to the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation, explore Alice Walker's The Color Purple.
"The Color Purple" Cast and Creative Team
Meet the incredible cast and creative team behind The Color Purple.
Current & Upcoming
The Great Leap
From the acclaimed playwright of Cambodian Rock Band! San Francisco. 1989. Basketball standout Manford Lum is a fast-talking, dominating teenager on the street courts of Chinatown. But when he elbows his way onto a college team traveling to Beijing for a “friendship” game, the outcome isn’t what anyone expects. Lauren Yee uses her father’s basketball heroics and the student-led demonstrations that rocked the world as a springboard for this moving story that keeps the tension rising right up until the final buzzer. A co-production with Artists Repertory Theatre.
Photography Exhibit: Like the Brightest Star by Tom Lupton
Tom Lupton's Like the Brightest Star is a photography exhibit for "the misfits and the losers and the rock and rollers." Based on the final song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the exhibit celebrates the struggle, victory, and transcendence of duality.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Brilliantly innovative, moving, and wickedly funny, this genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. Hedwig, a German emigrant, is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the operation that left her with that “angry inch.” Part rock concert, part cabaret, part stand-up comedy routine, this one-of-a-kind musical proves time and again that an indomitable spirit can’t ever be tied down.
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, this once-a-month improv class will set you on the path to success! (One of four sessions.)
Gallery Exhibit: Works by Arvie Smith
Explore this incredible collection of narrative storytelling work and portrait work that expresses "deep sympathy for the dispossessed and marginalized members of society in an unrelenting search for beauty, meaning, and equality." It will be on display through April 4, in support of our production of Gem of the Ocean.
Autobiographic Devising for Solo Performance with Katherine Murphy Lewis
This multi-session workshop for women (including trans women of course!) and femme-identified people uses physical exploration, research, writing, construction, and editing to develop new solo material and the tools to support the creation of future artistic visions. Ideal for theater makers and performers who want to reclaim agency over their creative lives — and anyone else who has a story to tell!
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
Show Sponsors
2018-2019 Superstars
2018-2019 Supporting Sponsors
