Springer Opera House Postpones THE COLOR PURPLE To June 2022

Two weeks before starting rehearsals for its big spring musical, the Springer Opera House has decided to postpone the opening of its Tony Award-winning production of The Color Purple until June.

"Until daily COVID case rates decline to safe levels, we've got to protect our artists and audiences," said Paul Pierce, the Springer's producing artistic director. "This is an aggressive surge of the omicron variant, and it's highly transmissible. Above all, our rule is safety first."

Pierce points out that the daily case rate for Muscogee County currently stands at 181.1 per 100,000 population (source: covidactnow.com), the highest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous high mark for Muscogee was 73.3 on January 6 of 2021.

The Color Purple is the musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel spotlighting Celie, a young woman whose personal awakening over the course of forty years forms the arc of this American epic. Originally produced on Broadway by Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones, the musical earned 11 Tony nominations in 2006 and won two Tony Awards and a Grammy for its 2015 revival.

The Springer's production of The Color Purple will be directed and choreographed by Keith McCoy and includes a large cast of guest artists from around the nation, as well as talented locals. McCoy, a Virginia native, was recently brought onto the Springer's full-time senior artistic team as resident artist and has been a popular guest artist at the Springer for the past thirteen years, having acted and directed in productions of A Raisin in the Sun, Fences, Les Miserables, Kudzu, Driving Miss Daisy, Big River and Evita, among others.

The Springer has also decided to move its production of Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story, a new play commissioned by the Springer with playwright Natalia Temesgen. Originally scheduled to premiere in February, the show will be moved into the Springer's 2022-23 season. Next season's schedule and lineup of shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Color Purple will now run June 16 - 26 on the Springer mainstage. For information or tickets, audiences are asked to call the Springer box office at 706-327-3688 or visit springeroperahouse.org. Season ticket holders, single ticket buyers and group sales patrons will be contacted by the Springer to make reservations for the new dates.

"We are so appreciative of our audiences for being understanding as the Springer attempts to navigate these fraught times," Pierce said. "We know that all of these schedule changes are frustrating for theatre patrons, but the public has been incredibly gracious and generous as our community works together to stay safe, mask up and get vaccinated. The Springer Opera House is devoted to protecting this fragile National Historic Landmark theatre, its employees, its artists and its audiences. We are excited about getting into rehearsal for The Color Purple and sharing this glorious epic story with the community."

Other Springer productions this season:

• Walkin' the Line: The Johnny Cash Tribute will keep its original production dates, March 18 - April 2, but will be moved from McClure Theatre to the Springer's main stage.

• The Springer Theatre for the Very Young presents April Showers from April 23 - May 1 at the Columbus Botanical Gardens, located at 3603 Weems Road.

• The beloved Southern comedy, Steel Magnolias, will be shown on the main stage from April 29 - May 15.

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