Celebrating a Decade of MOSES – The Philadelphia-Birthed Musical from Dr. John W. Graves III and JGProductions
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 22, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr. is an Executive Brand & Communications Strategist, Army veteran, and travel experience specialist who uses storytelling, digital marketing, and AI to help people design meaningful, memory-building experiences in life.
Ten years ago, a young Philadelphia creative named John W. Graves III took a familiar biblical narrative and dared to ask, What would this story sound and feel like if it walked into our world today? The answer became MOSES, a bold musical stage production that has grown into one of John Graves Productions’ (JGP) signature works. First staged in 2015, MOSES now celebrates a decade of life on and off the stage, leaving a legacy of storytelling, faith, and community impact.
Reimagining Moses for a modern audience
At its core, MOSES is a retelling of the life of the biblical Moses, but it is far from a simple reenactment. Graves’ script and direction invite the audience into a deeply human portrait of a man caught between identities and expectations:
Born during genocide and hidden as a child
Raised in privilege and power as part of a ruling house
Driven into exile after a moment of violence and moral conflict
Called back to confront oppression, his past, and his own fears
The production leans into that tension. Moses is not presented as a distant religious icon, but as someone wrestling with conviction, relationships, and a God with plans that feel far bigger than his comfort zone.
Through music, choreography, and dialogue, MOSES explores what it means to feel utterly unequipped and still be called to lead.
The birth of a signature work
MOSES was written in 2015 and debuted that same year at the Arts Bank in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, marking a new chapter for John Graves Productions.
From the beginning, it was clear that this was not just another entry in the company’s repertoire. The show resonated with audiences who saw themselves in Moses’ doubts and in the weight of his assignment. Over time, MOSES returned to the stage in multiple runs, including performances in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022.
Each staging deepened the production’s footprint in the local arts community and solidified its status as one of JGP’s definitive works, a project that both reflects and shapes the company’s creative DNA.
“Called, chosen, and dangerous”
One of the most striking through-lines of MOSES is its insistence that ordinary people, in the hands and plans of God, are anything but ordinary. A recurring idea in JGP’s discussion of the piece is that we are “called, chosen, and dangerous,” dangerous not in a destructive sense, but in a transformative one.
The production does not shy away from:
The cost of leadership
The emotional weight of responsibility
The friction between personal history and divine purpose
Instead, it translates those themes into a language of music, movement, and theatre that feels accessible to audiences who might not typically see themselves reflected in biblical or faith-centered narratives.
In that sense, MOSES sits at the intersection of spiritual storytelling and cultural relevance, using theatre as a medium to ask very present-tense questions about calling, courage, and obedience.
A ten-year milestone
Reaching the tenth anniversary of MOSES is more than a date on a calendar, it is a testament to longevity and consistency in an industry where many original works struggle to find sustained life.
To mark the moment, John Graves Productions has:
Revisited archival footage and performance moments from the past decade
Shared behind-the-scenes reflections and memories from cast and collaborators
Celebrated the show’s journey “from the studio to the stage” and into the hearts of audiences over the years
These anniversary reflections act as both a thank you and a reset point, an opportunity for the company and its community to pause and acknowledge the persistence, sacrifice, and faith required to keep a work like MOSES alive for ten years.
The soundtrack that carries the story further
The impact of MOSES is not limited to the theatre. To accompany the stage production, JGP released MOSES (A John Graves Production) EP, a six-track soundtrack produced by John Graves and distributed through 4068191 Records DK.
Format: EP, 6 songs, 21 minutes
Release date: June 25, 2022
Available on: Apple Music and the iTunes Store
For listeners who may never have sat under the stage lights of a live performance, the soundtrack offers another entry point into the world of MOSES, capturing its emotional arc, thematic weight, and musical identity in recorded form.
Looking ahead: Legacy and next chapters
As MOSES crosses the ten-year mark, its legacy is already evident:
It has shaped John Graves Productions’ identity as a company committed to original, faith-informed, culturally resonant work.
It has modeled how a single story, told with conviction, can sustain multiple runs, formats, and generations of performers.
It has given audiences language and imagery for their own journeys of calling and courage.
The question now is not whether MOSES will be remembered, but how its next decade will unfold. Will new stagings introduce the production to broader audiences? Will the music continue to travel digitally into new homes and communities? Will the themes of wrestling with purpose and stepping into calling inspire other creators to tell their own versions of “impossible” stories?
If the past ten years are any indication, MOSES will continue to live wherever people are navigating the space between fear and obedience, doubt and destiny.
An invitation to revisit the journey
For some, the tenth anniversary of MOSES is a reminder of a night at the theatre that stayed with them long after the curtain fell. For others, it may be an invitation to discover the work for the first time through a future staging, a shared clip, or the official soundtrack playing through their headphones.
Either way, the message at the heart of John Graves Productions’ decade-long journey with MOSES remains the same. Even in seasons where we feel unqualified, unseen, or unsure, we may be closer than we realize to the assignments that will define our lives. And sometimes, all it takes is one story told well, told bravely, and told over time to remind us.
Read more from Lawrence E. Dumas Jr.
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr., Executive Brand Communications Strategist
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr. is an Executive Brand & Communications Strategist, travel experience specialist, and an Army combat veteran, who centers his work on one core question, "How can we help people make informed decisions that lead to better, memory-building experiences?"
