LaChanze

As an actress who has performed in theater for over 17 years, my experience performing in 'The Color Purple' has been a truly life-changing journey.

I try to take time to find joy out of life, and I don't take a day for granted like I used to.

It's still hard for me to think about Sept. 11 sometimes. I'm still angry. It's hard to watch my daughters, Celia and Zaya, grow up and know they'll never see their father. They'll always be 9/11 girls, and I wish I could shield them from that. Everyone has an immediate pity for them. It is a sad thing, but the girls are also so happy.

I have a very strong connection with God, very strong sense of my faith.

I want to share the things I've done, the things I've survived, the things I've struggled through.

I can't stand adversity and stress and drama and tension. I can't function in that environment. If I have anything to say about it, we're going to get rid of it so that everyone can just relax and have a good time.

Theater is structured. You're plugged into a system. It's relentless. You're expected to do certain things every day. You have your tasks.

I'm a Patti LuPone fan. She's incredible! I love Patti LuPone. I know people talk about her being difficult to work with sometimes. Whatever.

Dianne Reeves, a famous jazz singer, would be my biggest influence.

I am working on music and telling my personal story and sharing my talent on stage.

The best thing about theatre is that every time we get onstage, the show is new.

I think a lot of audience members don't realize the part that they play in live theatre. The audience actually has a mood. Sometimes they're tired and bored, and we have to wake them up and engage them.

I have a very interesting story to tell, and people always want to hear about it. They know I'm a 9/11 widow, and I always get comments on that and being an actor and raising my daughters by myself.

I was a very ambitious, young actor, grateful and getting out there, working hard. I was single-minded in pursuit of my career. I am also the oldest of seven and had this extreme responsibility for everyone around me. I was a caregiver and not taking care of myself as much as I should have.

The theater community will always remain a big part of my life, and I hope to re-join the cast of 'The Color Purple' at some point down the road.

Naturally you want to be the best mom you can, but then also you want to be the best performer you can.

I have loved fiercely in my life - a few times.

As an actor, you go in your own personal life and pull from your personal life, so that's what I do.

I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual.

We all have to believe in something in order to exist successfully in this world and to enjoy our time here, which is short. I know that.

I really studied her singing, trying to see what it was about her that made her such a natural, incredible singer. Because sometimes as a singer, you really have to work to reach a certain note. And for Donna Summer, it seemed effortless.

I'm not a Method actress. I work in the present, the day-to-day.

I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a darker hue. Let's start with 'Once on This Island': peasant girl. Let's go to 'The Color Purple': young girl, beaten. Let's go to 'Ragtime': Her baby's taken.

The majority of the roles I've played are women who have been either impoverished or subjugated in some way. So while I've been fortunate enough to have success because these roles exist, they are stereotypical roles.

Coming up through the theater in America, while I have had success, I have had success in certain types of roles.