Women's Month SA: Joburg Theatre calls on corporates to sponsor tickets for the The Color Purple

Tickets for the initiative are R100 and in return the Joburg Theatre will match all the secured sponsorships by providing a snack pack for each ticket bought. The show is aimed at young people aged 13 years and older.

“It makes me very proud to know that the musical version of The Color Purple has finally arrived on stage in South Africa,” the producer of the show on Broadway and leading female rights advocate, Oprah Winfrey, said.

“Your country has a rich history of women who have demonstrated immense strength and courage in the face of adversity. Women played an integral role in the struggle for equal rights during apartheid and women continue the fight for equality today,” Winfrey, who starred in the 1985 film rendition of The Color Purple, said.

The Joburg Theatre initiative coincides with Women’s Day and Women's Month celebrations in South Africa. Women’s Day was first celebrated in the country on 9 August 1994, in commemoration of the 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956 to petition against the country’s pass laws. The subsequent concept of Women’s Month each August is a tribute to the pioneers of the women’s movement.

“The Colour Purple addresses the vital importance of female empowerment through the eyes of its protagonist, Celie, a woman who through love finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world,” the Joburg Theatre said.

The Color Purple musical is based on Marsha Norman’s 1983 novel of the same name. It features music and lyrics by Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell and Allee Willis. The first major international staging of the musical since the Broadway revival opened in Johannesburg on 28 January.

Corporates can make their pledge towards sponsored tickdets by contacting the Joburg Theatre's box office on 0861 670 670.

For more information about this call, contact Bronwen Hirshowitz on 082 704 8843 or at bronwen@bsharpentertainment.co.za.