Cotton Patch Gospel at Southern Wesleyan University

Southern Wesleyan University’s Fall Fine Arts Series will kick off Sept. 23 with “Cotton Patch Gospel,” an engaging one-man show featuring actor Tom Key.

Key will perform this retelling of what happens when, in 1936, Jesus shows up in Georgia. This adaptation of Clarence Jordan’s “Cotton Patch” paraphrase of the New Testament will provide an authentic and fresh way of seeing the story of Christ.

Jordan is known as the founder of Koinonia, an interracial Christian farming community near Americus, Ga., that was ahead of its time, pre-dating the Civil Rights Movement by several years. Millard Fuller was inspired by Jordan’s vision to the point that he partnered with Jordan at Koinonia and ultimately liquidated his own wealth to found Habitat for Humanity.

According to Jane Dill, who chairs Southern Wesleyan’s Fine Arts Division, the story “hits home” with an authentic Southern flavor and is moving, as well as humorous.

In more than a thousand performances, Key has created the role of Matthew and 21 others, from Jesus to Judas – with an Alabama accent – from off-Broadway to Los Angeles with record-breaking runs in Atlanta and Dallas. Key won two Dramalogue Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Theater and in 1985 was nominated as Best Actor by The Los Angeles Drama Critics.

“Cotton Patch Gospel” will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be in the auditorium of Newton Hobson Chapel and Fine Arts Center on Southern Wesleyan’s campus in Central.

For details, call (864) 644-5404. For a complete schedule of fine arts events at Southern Wesleyan University, go online to swu.edu/finearts.