Meet Young Celie from THE COLOR PURPLE


Rayna Christian, from Boone, plays young Celie in THE COLOR PURPLE.  The Watauga High School sophomore has performed most recently in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER at The Rock Boone Church in 2021.  She also acted in the WHS productions of BEANSTALK and SHREK THE MUSICAL as the Fairytale Creature in 2015.  She will be onstage again at WHS in April 2022 as a member of the ensemble for SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL.  

“My favorite thing about HCT," she says, "is the chance to do shows that tell stories of Black women. I'm acting in THE COLOR PURPLE alongside two of my siblings. It’s a great show and I also likes that the songs are really pretty.”

Rayna plans to become an orthopedic surgeon and belongs to the Health Occupations Student Association at her school. Her hobbies are digital drawing and animation.

The HCT’s 73rd season is sponsored by Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress. THE COLOR PURPLE is supported by a grant from the United Arts Council of Catawba County 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. Shurtape Technologies, LLC is associate producer. HCT is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Photo by John Koval.

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