Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre, the Footcandle Film Society and the United Arts Council of Catawba County are partnering to bring the inspiring documentary “Purple Dreams” to Hickory for a one night showing on Thursday, August 22 at 7:00pm.
Directed by Joanne Hock, “Purple Dreams” follows the talented and driven students of Charlotte’s Northwest School of the Arts, as black youth stereotypes are turned upside-down. A three-year journey serves as an inspirational window into the lives of inner-city, at-risk students who succeed at their passion, while embracing the transformative power of their arts education as they audition, rehearse, and perform the first ever full-length high school production of The Color Purple, a Broadway musical based on Alice Walker’s award-winning novel.
Corey Mitchell, the musical theatre and theatre teacher at Charlotte’s Northwest School of Arts who oversaw the high school production, and is featured in the documentary, is currently in Hickory to work with the Hickory Community Theatre, directing the upcoming production of the landmark rock musical Hair, which begins performances on September 6.
The film screening is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30pm and the films starts at 7:00pm. Mitchell will be on hand to take questions from the audience following the film.
The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County and this film screening is part of a special project supported by an Arts Council grant through the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the State of North Carolina from the National Endowment for the Arts. The 2019-2020 Season is sponsored by A Cleaner World, Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress.
PHOTO: Tony Award-winning educator and director Corey Mitchell is one of the subjects in the documentary “Purple Dreams” The film will be shown on Thursday, August 22 at at the Hickory Community Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Photo courtesy of Corey Mitchell.
