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 The Color Purple National Tour and the presenting cities of the 2009 fall tour, including Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, pooled their efforts in a program to raise money for families whose homes were flooded by Hurricane Katrina. Working with the New Orleans-based, grassroots organization the St. Bernard Project, The Color Purple raised $321,717 which will move 21 families home. During the 8 performances at Ruth Eckerd Hall from November 24 through 29, $20,177 was donated by patrons attending the performances. The Tour arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday, December 1st for a sold out one-week engagement that designates the first Broadway Season show to play the Mahalia Jackson since Hurricane Katrina closed the building.
To commemorate the event, on opening night, Scott Sanders, the lead producer of The Color Purple, Broadway Across America – New Orleans, and the New Orleans Theatre Association -- invited the families whose homes are being rebuilt from this effort, to the show’s opening night. They were invited on stage to meet the cast and crew of The Color Purple.
The next day, The Color Purple Company met at the home of Lynette Harvey, the first of 21 families whose home was rebuilt. Through the work of the St. Bernard Project and their volunteer-driven Rebuilding Program, the Harvey family’s home is now complete. The Color Purple cast and the St. Bernard Project hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and moved the Harvey family home, just in time for the holidays. “The Color Purple is thrilled that through the fundraising efforts of our show and the generosity of the audiences on our National Tour, 21 formerly displaced families will now have a home again” said lead Producer Scott Sanders. “We thank the St. Bernard Project for their help and I am very proud that The Color Purple has been able to make a difference in the lives of families in New Orleans.” The St. Bernard Project is a community-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to create housing opportunities for families who wish to return home. To date, utilizing volunteer labor and donations for building supplies, St. Bernard Project has rebuilt more than 246 homes in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes and is currently working on 50 more. Homes are completely rebuilt in about 12 weeks and cost an average of $15,000 worth of building supplies per house. More than 17,000 volunteers have passed through the project’s doors. Liz McCartney, one of the project’s founders, was awarded the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year Award and the project was one of two organizations mentioned by President Barack Obama in his speech addressing the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. “We are thrilled that The Color Purple has so generously stepped up to help solve the housing crisis in the New Orleans area. Together we are now able to help more hardworking families get back home,” said Liz McCartney, St. Bernard Project co-founder. Nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Color Purple opened on December 1, 2005 at the Broadway Theatre. The National Tour began in May 2007 in Chicago and continues to tour through 2010. It is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love. For more information on the Broadway Series’ and cities that participated in the fund-raising effort, and to meet the families who homes are being rebuilt as a result, visit www.colorpurple.com.
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