Jermaine Purifory, foreground, sings with the Voices of Lee from Lee University.
Jermaine Purifory has always been able to sing. He could also act, and he was pretty fast around the track as well. Back at Cleveland High School, he did all three until it became clear that he would have to choose. He opted to give up track and dedicated his time to show choir and the theater.
At Lee University, being a member of the Voices of Lee caused him to make another decision: He gave up acting. Still, theater remained in the back of his mind, so when he stumbled across a link for the Chattanooga Theatre Centre while Web surfing earlier this year, he visited the site just to see if he might want to take in a show.
An announcement for auditions caught his eye, and the acting bug returned in full. Next week, the one-time “American Idol” contestant will play the role of Seaweed in “Hairspray” at the CTC.
Q: How long have you been performing?
A: I have been performing, or at least taking it seriously, since I was 14. Before that I was trying to be an athlete. I had this desire to be an All-American athlete. I let go of that at 14. In high school, I was heavily involved in show choir and theater and ran track. That was my sport. I stopped running track as a junior because coaches started pushing me toward colleges and I knew I did not want to go to college for track.