The Color Purple

The celebrated Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, the Musical is now at the Forrest Theatre. Based upon the novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple, the Musical, has a book by famed playwright Marsha Norman, with music and lyrics by three famous musicians, Brenda Russell, Alee Willis, and Stephen Bray. John Doyle designed the set, musical staging, and directed this production.

Look Like Yourself: Rien

I’ve always been a tomboy. From elementary school on, any time I picked my own clothes they were always oversized and typically from the boys department. At some point during college I realized my attraction to women and identified as a lesbian until recently. The label never quite felt right, but I couldn’t put my finger on why that was. Denial was easier than working through it. I did not have many resources and wasn’t comfortable discussing my dysphoria. As I entered adulthood, I began to present myself in a very androgynous way. This helped ease the dysphoria a bit, but only temporarily.

Look Like Yourself: Ollie

I think it was 5 or so, and knowing I wasn’t a ‘girl’ in the way that the other girls in kindergarten were. I didn’t know what the alternative was though, so I just went along with it. I think it probably wasn’t until middle school that I was even introduced to the possibility of trans and non-binary identities, but I didn’t openly identify as nb until sophomore year of college.