THE COLOR PURPLE Raises Over $300,000 To Rebuild Homes For Katrina Victims

Since September, 2009, The Color Purple National Tour has been working with presenting cities to raise money for families whose homes were flooded by Hurricane Katrina on August 28, 2005. Working with the New Orleans-based, grassroots organization, the St. Bernard Project the tour has raised more than $300,000, which will move 20 families back into their home. The Tour arrives in New Orleans on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, for a one-week engagement that designates the first Broadway Season show to play the Mahalia Jackson Theatre since Hurricane Katrina closed the building.

To commemorate the event, on December 1st Scott Sanders, the lead producer of The Color Purple, Broadway Across America - New Orleans, and the New Orleans Theatre Association -- have invited the 20 families whose homes will be rebuilt to be their guests for the opening night of The Color Purple. In addition the 20 families will be invited onstage to meet the cast at the conclusion of the opening night gala performance.

On Wednesday, December 2nd The Color Purple Company will meet at the home of Lynette Harvey, the first of 20 families whose home was rebuilt. Through the work of the St. Bernard Project and their volunteer-driven Rebuilding Program, the Harvey family's home is now

complete. The Color Purple cast and the St. Bernard Project will host a ribbon cutting ceremony

to move the Harvey family home, just in time for the holidays.

"The Color Purple is thrilled that through the fundraising efforts of our show and the generosity of the audiences on our National Tour, 20 formerly displaced families will now have a home again" said lead Producer Scott Sanders. "We thank the St. Bernard Project for their help and I am very proud that The Color Purple has been able to make a difference in the lives of families in New Orleans."

The St. Bernard Project is a community-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to create housing opportunities for families who wish to return home. To date, utilizing volunteer labor and donations for building supplies, St. Bernard Project has rebuilt more than 246 homes in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes and is currently working on 50 more. Homes are completely rebuilt in about 12 weeks and cost an average of $15,000 worth of building supplies per house. More than 17,000 volunteers have passed through the project's doors.

Liz McCartney, one of the project's founders, was awarded the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year Award and the project was one of two organizations mentioned by President Barack Obama in his speech addressing the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

"We are thrilled that The Color Purple has so generously stepped up to help solve the housing crisis in the New Orleans area. Together we are now be able to help more hardworking families get back home," said Liz McCartney, St. Bernard Project co-founder.

Nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Color Purple opened on December 1, 2005 at the Broadway Theatre. The National Tour began in May 2007 in Chicago and continues to tour through 2010. It is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love.

If you'd like to meet these families and the progress of their houses, please visit www.colorpurple.com.

For more information on St. Bernard Project, please visit www.stbernardproject.org.