Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1466075
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2022 UCW 13 EVENT Brian Harlan Brooks leans forward against the table. He's passionate about the storytelling process, but more than that, he's passionate about his most re- cent artistic effort. It holds a special place for him. "e color is a metaphor for what's in- side of everybody that often gets ignored," he clasps his hand together and contin- ues. "e color purple represents a part of every human that we don't acknowledge. We don't understand its brilliance. at idea of purple — being the essence of the people is my favorite character. It's the intangible." Brooks is directing "e Color Purple" at Cape Fear Regional eatre, debuting in May. Just two days into rehearsals, Brooks sits beside Amitria Fanae and Toneisha Harris, who play Celie and Shug Avery, respectively. e three laugh and joke but ultimately become deeply engrossed in each other's inspirational words, nodding along as the others talk. is story means a lot to each of them. ey all recount the ways it has touched them. "e color purple is not a major color. It's something that you have to create from other colors. I think it's so important in life. Our lives are made up of pieces that we take from so many other things, and it helps us to discover who we are," Harris said. Harris plays the "sexy, fierce" but equally "broken and fragile" Shug Avery. Harris said she went to her closet upon receiving the role and wondered what could help her embody the character best; in the end, she felt that embody- ing the authenticity of Shug was the true journey into the character and the key to successfully playing this part. It was a sentiment that Fanae shared. "Even if this story was not a story I could connect with personally, it's some- one else's story. I owe it to the writer and the individual's whose story it might be, to tell the truth," Fanae said. e musical is based upon the book by Alice Walker, "e Color Purple." It tells a story about a Black woman, Celie, who is often abused by the men in her life and surrounded by other Black women in her community going through some of the same struggles. It is a story about resil- ience. It is a story about love. While the subject matter might be tough at times, the actors want it also to give a message of hope to the audience. "I'm hoping that telling this story today, it'll help someone know they don't have to stay in a story like that. It's not pretty at all. It's very ugly. Art is the imita- tion of life. ere's a journey through it," Harris said. "at's what I hope that we can accomplish." e story, Brooks said, "balances the sublime and the disgusting" but the mes- sage of hope is always there. e joy is laced throughout the story. e belief in self, he said, was in the story from the be- ginning. For Brooks and the other actors, purple itself is a journey inside oneself — one the audience can take as well. "My favorite words [in this play] are God is inside you and everything else," Brooks said. "It allows you to understand the 'it' you are looking for is a part of you. Purple is an inward journey. When you are looking outside of yourself, you'll never find it … I think it's a message that can change people just from hearing it." "e Color Purple" debuts May 5 and runs through May 29. Tickets are on sale at Cfrt.org. Military appreciation night will be May 11 and teacher appreciation night will be May 13. e musical is rated M for mature. Artists aim to deliver hope with colorful musical by KATHLEEN RAMSEY KATHLEEN RAMSEY, Contribut- ing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com 910-484- 6200. FTCC Prepares to Seek Next College President We Value Your Input! www.faytechcc.edu • (910) 678-8400 Dear Business Leader: Fayetteville Technical Community College, North Carolina's third largest community college, is an important part of Cumberland County's workforce and economic development team. The College provides instruction to about 25,000 students annually and has been led for the last 15 years by its president, Dr. J. Larry Keen. Dr. Keen recently announced his plans to retire at the end of the calendar year, and the College Board of Trustees is beginning the important work of finding the College's next president. We seek your advice as we begin the presidential search process. Specifically, we would like to know what you believe are the most important issues our community and college will face in the next decade and what characteristics, skills, and traits you believe the College's next president should possess. Any thoughts you share with us will be considered as we create the profile of our next president and begin efforts to recruit applicants that align with that profile. Thank you for your consideration and for sharing your thoughts with us as we search for the College's next president. Sincerely, David R. Williford Chairman, Board of Trustees The College invites your participation through the completion of an online survey or through your attendance at one of the upcoming community forums the College will hold in late April. The online survey can be completed in as little as ten to fifteen minutes at https://www.research.net/r/FTCC_Search, and the community forums will be held as follows: April 26 – 10:30 AM until Noon Fayetteville Technical Community College - Fayetteville Campus Cumberland Hall Auditorium, 2211 Hull Road April 27 – 2:30 PM until 4:00 PM Fayetteville Technical Community College - Fayetteville Campus Cumberland Hall Auditorium, 2211 Hull Road April 28 – 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM Fayetteville Technical Community College - Fayetteville Campus Cumberland Hall Auditorium, 2211 Hull Road April 28 – 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM Spring Lake Campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College – Spring Lake William S. Wellons Auditorium, 171 Laketree Boulevard • • • •