- Patrice Covington's talent and skills have always shined through, so it was no surprise to her fans when she captured the role of Squeak in the Broadway revival of the Color Purple.

It, however, it was a bit of a surprise to Patrice that she was asked to audition for that role.

- Originally, I was auditioning for one of the church ladies who would understudy Sophia.

I went in, I did my thing, and they say, "Can you come back at 12?

Sure, absolutely."

And then they say "Well, we want you to look at the lines for Squeak."

Now, Squeak is Harpo's girlfriend, you know.

Harpo, who that woman?

And I'm like, "That role is silly for me to audition for.

"Every time that has ever been done in the history of that show, whether it be the book, the musical, the original musical, the movie, has always been all the things I'll never be, which was small.

Little figure, little petite, fair skin, and l- curly hair, little ringlets.

I've never had any of that.

Why would I audition for that?

So now I'm mad like they're playing with me.

I would never get that.

But I went to my friend Christian's apartment.

We rehearsed it for an hour.

I came back, and that is the role that I opened up.

The Revival of the Color Purple, which is a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award-winning show, and it is how I got an Emmy for our performance on the Today Show.

- Her talent and acting skills long preceding that award-winning performance.

- I come from a very musical family.

Music was always around me.

My father actually was a trained and working classical artist opera singer.

He was the director of music at a church, and then he also was a chorus teacher.

He taught all over Hampton Roads.

And I remember one day he took me to a high school play, and they were doing Peter Pan.

And I loved ... I'll never forget it.

I have no idea how old I was, but young.

Like, I would say under five.

- From that point on, Patrice was all in.

Her journey taking her from church plays to the hurrah players.

- I was a Hurrah Player with the world famous Hugh Copeland.

So Hugh Copeland really just cultivated the musical theater aspect of it, is where I really began to learn about the history of Broadway and all the things that might be available to me.

- It was there that she learned about the Governor's School for the Arts.

- That is where it really began at Governor's School.

Being around like- minded, very talented youth from here who were eat, sleeping, and breathing a musical theater.

I came out pre-professional from Governor School and I'm also blessed enough to have had the spirit of Norfolk here.

Not only because I got to work there, but because I had to learn rejection there as well.

It was the first thing that I was ever rejected for, which of course, you know, in this business that I've done comes a dime a dozen.

And it wasn't nice rejection.

It was hard.

I was always a thick little girl, a little curvy.

Girl, I'll never forget.

I was 16 years old, the man who was the director, he said, "Patrice, I have never given anybody all 10s.

That's the highest score you can get.

I've never given anybody that.

You are perfect.

You can't fit the costumes."

So I said, "Okay."

I said, "Okay."

But I went home, I told my mother, Roslyn Covington now.

Roz said, "I'm sure they can find something for you to do. "

So she called Kevin Wallace and Kevin said, "Oh, yes, ma'am.

I could find something for her to do. "

And they created a position called a deck steward for me.

And I was a host on the spirit of Norfolk, but I got to sing songs like The Electric Slide.

I got to move.

Come let me take you on a party ride and learn Electric Slide.

It was great.

The very next year, I auditioned again.

There was these dresses that I couldn't fit previously.

They said they're all a size eight, you can't fit them.

After what I had done, they said, "Forget those dresses, let's cut them in half.

They're shirts now.

You're in, you're a performer."

And that was the beginning of my performance career.

- Patrice would go on to perform two summers at Busch Gardens, and then at just 19, taking a job with Disney Cruise Lines.

- And that's when I was really making big money, $750 a week.

I went on to that for many, many months.

I started actually doing what we now call bus and truck tours.

So I went on tour with a show called Beehive, the '60s musical.

After that I worked at dinner theaters, like, in Pennsylvania, and I used to go to this audition conference where you could audition for all of the regional theaters, cruise lines, and that sort of thing in one spot.

I auditioned and this guy named Ryan Stana.

I went to his callback and he said, "How many callbacks have you been to yet?"

I said, "Just you, you're my first one."

He said, "Good, don't go to anymore."

He said, "You don't need me, you don't need any of this.

You're ready to go to New York."

And I was like, "Okay."

And that's what I did.

- That's when the Chesapeake Native began a series of Broadway national tours.

- My first Broadway national tour was Ain't Misbehaving, and it was the American Idol Tour, so I went on tour with Ruben Stutter, Frenchie Davis, Trinice Cobbins, David Jennings, and myself, and WHRO, I remember seeing Ain't Misbehaven on that station when I was a little girl all the time.

So to see Ain't Misfit Haven, like, living through me now was so amazing.

I went on to do lots of other tours and Broadway shows.

I heard that The Color Purple was coming back to Broadway, had to audition.

- For Patrice, the Color Purple has been the gift that keeps on giving.

- Every night, I watch people's lives change right in front of us.

That show taught me that praise has no color, no experience.

It is just what it is.

I watch people become better, become different, become healed, become inspired, become changed every night.

We were very interactive with our audiences throughout the show, and our last thing we say is all men in the show.

And it is quiet, and it is peaceful, and it sounds like one voice.

And I will watch people reach over and grab somebody's hand, somebody they did not know, somebody they had no idea about, and it blessed us every single night, and it will forever be my favorite show because of that reason.

It changed all of our lives.

- Where do we come from?

Her work as a background singer for Jennifer Hudson would open up even more doors.

- I did a Vegas residency with Christina Aguilera, and it was there that I was still auditioning for television.

I booked my very first television show as a series regular in Aretha Franklin's biopic for television called Genius Aretha.

I got to play her sister, Who was her what?

Background singer.

I feel so incredibly blessed and grateful that my dreams come true, but I never dreamt of touring the world with Stevie Wonder.

I never dreamt of being in London, in Hyde Park.

With Stevie Wonder, as gazillions of people were cheering, I never dreamt of Stevie Wonder calling my name to sing a song when he wasn't able to on stage.

- COVID changed the practice of in- person auditions, and Patrice found herself back home in Hampton Roads, auditioning from here.

She credits former Wavy TV news anchor, Alvita Yule, with connecting her with the executive producer of the Hampton Road Show, who offered Patrice the opportunity to fill in for the show's host while she was on maternity leave.

That was in 2022.

- I called Stephanie when I got word that Tara was actually going to be leaving due to her husband getting new orders.

We're gonna do a quick run - Through.

And in July of 2025, she became the show's new co-host.

- I love being able to just be myself, and I love that I bring hometown heart mixed with world experience, and I can talk about anything with anybody at any time.

- While in Hampton Roads, Patrice has performed with the Virginia Symphony, taught masterclasses at the Governor's School for the Arts, and landed a role in a popular television - Show.

Just recently did Chicago PD season 11 and recur in two of those episodes.

- And that's not all.

- While I've been home, I created a life here.

I have a beautiful fiance, a beautiful infant baby.

Motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me, like the best role of my life.

These are a few of my favorite records.

Then I feel like I can do anything because I had her.

And Chris Apple Strudel.

Doorbells and slave bells and so are the noodle.