Lauren Baron
BRANT NEWS

Whether you’re in the audience or on the stage, The Color Purple is a story that will change you.

“It’s something that I don’t think anyone can really walk away from and not be changed from when they walked in,” said actress Ashley L. Ware. “It’s very difficult to be part of this story and not face some of your own issues and heal from those things.”

The musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Steven Spielberg film of the same name. It follows the hardships, adversity and triumph faced by a woman named Celie growing up in rural Georgia in the early 20th century.

“Even though it deals with these deep, dark issues it’s well balanced with very uplifting moments and feelings of hope and inspiration,” said Ware, who plays Celie. “It’s relatable. We all have come to a point in our lives where we have to learn to love ourselves. Having to go on that journey to figure out who you are as a person and understand your self worth and your value to humanity, I think everyone has to go through that.”

The original Broadway musical opened in December 2005 and ran for more than two years, earning 11 Tony Award nominations, including best musical. Its first national tour in the U.S. lasted three years. Now, it’s back for another series of performances.

The Color Purple will make its only Canadian stop on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. at Brantford’s Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts.

“I really hope that people enjoy the show and allow themselves to be open to growth because it has the potential to help people grow,” Ware said.

Ware, a Washington, D.C. native, studied classical voice at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and is an alumnus of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She’s performed as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, Cat in Breath, Boom! and Irene in Bubblin’ Brown Sugar.

This is Ware’s second stint in the touring production of The Color Purple. She said playing Celie is an honour that has helped her grow as a person and an actress.

“It is incredibly challenging, but in a good way,” Ware said. “It has forced me to stretch myself. Our director, Gary Griffin, who was the original director for the Broadway run of The Color Purple, was very adamant that Celie be a real three-dimensional human being who loves, who hates, who fears, who triumphs and it has been extremely challenging. To this day, I’m finding new things about her as I read the script. By the end of the night I feel like I have been rewarded.”

The most important part of the production, Ware said, is that it features an all-black cast.

“It’s a very crucial point that it’s happened with an all-black cast,” she said. “I think it’s very important for people to see that there is a production with an all-black cast that is full of integrity and a story of quality. I think that’s very important in this industry because you don’t see that a lot.”

Tickets to see The Color Purple cost $76 and can be purchased at the Sanderson Centre box office at 88 Dalhousie St., by phone at 519-758-8090 or online at www.sandersoncentre.ca.