BUFFALO, N.Y. — When The Color Purple opens at Shea's 710 Theater on Thursday night, it will make Buffalo theater history.
For the first time, Shea's has partnered with local theater companies Ujima Theatre and Second Generation Theatre for the production.
"This is our first time like doing a collaboration of this scale at all.," said Gabriella McKinley. She plays the lead role of Celie and is also Ujima's program director.
"It's not very often that actors in this town get to be on this stage. So I'm very, very glad and grateful to be there," McKinley said.
"When we look out and we see all the seats, can't wait to see all those people and all those bodies in the seats. When we look out and see that, and all of them loving the beautiful work that we've been producing at Ujima, but now we just have a bigger stage for it, it's going to be out of this world."
The musical adaptation of The Color Purple follows Celie's journey from childhood, as she perseveres through struggle and finds personal awakening. Anika Pace plays Gabbie's on-stage sister, Nettie.
"I had a lot of knowledge about it from the movie perspective," Pace said. "I never had read the book I recently have read it to get more of that back story of all the characters."
Pace says she can see why the story has resonated with audiences for almost half a century.
"I think unfortunately we all can relate to abuse in a way, whatever that may look like, and in the story, you see such different forms of abuse and such different forms of strength."
Strength, love, and sisterhood. It's all on stage in The Color Purple.
"Just the love like I said between these two sisters," Pace said. "I don't have close sisters. I think my sister's about 20 years older than me, and so that relationship of sisterhood is so sacred and it's been something amazing that I've gotten to explore with Gabby."
"There's no better way to empathize and to feel than through the theater," McKinley said. "We can all experience that together. Experience that joy, experience that growth together. So I highly recommend you come see it if you've ever felt that way and I know we all have."