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.

Well the 2nd round of the journey is completed and was quite an experience. Cast, musicians, & tech aspects all came together in an awesome venue (Trustees theatre). What a priviledge to be a part of telling the story of Visionary Artist J.B. Murray with the author of the play , as well as the actual Dr. that worked with J.B. and who is the inspiration for the Dr. character in the play in the audience.. kudos to everyone involved. For me playing the character of J.B. is very personal in that the music that i write is often inspired in prayer. Sometimes i hear entire orchestrations when i wake in the middle of the night or early in the morning.

I really enjoyed working with everyone.. It was such a supportive family environment , each person working extra hard to make the other look good. Extra treat was working with Will Cleckler who i worked with over 20 years ago on the Hilton Head Playhouse stage in a production of Big River.