HANDS OF THE SPIRIT

A Staging of “Hands Of The Spirit”This musical presentaion tells how an illiterate African-American farm worker in rural Georgia rose to become an artist of international acclaim. The Visionary Art of J. B. Murray, his fascinating story, his art and spiritual message are all told in this inspirational musical. Written by Mary Padgelek, the show is based on her book In The Hands of the Holy Spirit: The Visionary Work of J. B. Murray, which won the Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2000.

In this production i played the

character of J.B. Murray. The story of this Visionary Folk Artist is one that i just had to be a part of telling. I was so happy to be a part of the staging of HANDS OF THE SPIRIT by Mary Padgelek. The script, the songs, & the cast all came together in the end to make for a very enjoyable experience for the cast and the audience. Not to mention anextremely informative presentation about Folk Art by the curator of the Hurn Museum, Michael Sottile.

The event this past weekend (August 3-6, 2011) was a simple staging.. The full production with more elaborate set stageing , larger cast, etc... is set to happen in early December.The story of J.B.Murray raises some very interesting points of discussion from the aspect of faith and art simultaneously.Each member of the cast connected with J.B. in thier own way and we had many excellent discussions about the Holy Spirit being actively at work in and through the lives of those who trust in Him. One cast member even shared with me that she grew up as a child

in similar living conditions and circumstance as J.B. in a small shack with no electricity or running water and when her father disappeard her mother went to a woman who believed God spoke to her through water, and even said that she and her mother could see the image of her father in the water after the woman read a scripture and asked God to reveal the location of her father. So for her to encounter this story so many years later about a man who believed water to be a point of contact to communicate with God was very significant to her.. My personal connection is that

my creative process as a composer and my lifestyle in general is directly inspired by and often indistinguishable from my communication with the Holy Spirit , sometimes to the point of being off putting to many who do not share that point of reference even as JB's caused him to be misunderstood and even rejected ....... More to come with this discussion.

Savannah Community Theatre