"Claude Purdy was an incomparable artist and gentle teacher. A close friend and compatriot of my father, Claude was like an uncle to me. I remember once in rehearsal for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Claude called me to his side and said, 'watch.' As if by magic the stage grew warm with light and the actress who stood in relief upstage came alive without moving. 'Isn't she beautiful?' he whispered. 'That’s it. That's it!' A visual director, Claude painted African American life with a careful palette and created tableaus onstage that would arrest the breath. He understood what August Wilson called 'the song,' he understood tragedy. He understood the brokenness of survival and the relief of laughter. He could find the nerve center of a story and draw it out for the audience with the precision of a surgeon. He was masterful in his craft.

Yet Claude was shy and received critical acclaim with graceful humility. He was jovial, kind and was known for a signature rasping laugh. He loved to banter with his friends and fellow company members at Penumbra, but when it was time to work, Claude was all business. He commanded a kind of respect that very few directors enjoy. Actors trusted him, gave over to him, and he drew dimensionality and depth from them. He left an indelible mark upon the skin of the world. He laid the groundwork for countless artists. His legacy saturates the brick and mortar of Penumbra Theatre Company and beats in the hearts of those he leaves behind. How fleeting, life. The tallest trees taken by the wind. May the wind lift your limbs toward peace, Claude."
          - Sarah Bellamy, Education Director

"Claude Purdy was without a doubt one of the most underrated and underappreciated national theatre artists. Although I did not get to see Claude often he was always open to share information and knowledge not just with me, but with most people who cared about making art.

He was respected by theatre makers across the country. Talking to people in the business, whenever conversations would get to who could 'deal' as a director Claude was always at the top of anyone's list. Claude’s honesty made his art flourish, but was not always met with warmth by people in power in the American Theatre. Many theatre producers want their Black men and women to enter the door with 'hat in hand' and that was never Claude. In Black Theatre, Claude's name would be brought up, and he had the reverence of a practitioner that if you knew what you were doing, you had to know. He wasn't as famous as other directors, but the respect was always there. In the same way that fans would know Fats Waller as a pianist, players knew Bud Powell. This is a large loss in the theatre and more people need to know about it.

I probably got to interact with Claude most intensely at the Black Theatre Retreat at Dartmouth College after August Wilson made the call at a TCG conference. I realize that for me, one of his greatest attributes was that he was 'all about the art.' Claude cared about the career, and the friendships, but his motivation seemed to me to put the Black experience on stages and not to water it down. Not to sugar coat anything. If the truth went down hard, that might just be some 'hard going down truth.'

During the early years of Penumbra, when Lou was acting more, I believe that it was he and Horace Bond who were the primary directors. I am certain that it helped build the signature style that Penumbra has been known for over the years." 
          - Dominic Taylor, Associate Artistic Director