Special Palm Sunday performance

At the onset of Holy Week, Pensacolians are invited to attend a special performance of the locally-composed musical drama “Mary and Martha: Heart and Hand.”

“Mary and Martha: Heart and Hand” will be presented at the First Presbyterian Church of Pensacola at 6 p.m. on April 10. The performance is free and open to the public.

The musical drama weaves together three narratives of the sisters Mary and Martha as they are presented in the Bible as it explores the themes of love and conflict within a family and what is most essential in a God-centered life.

“Mary and Martha: Heart and Hand” was composed by Pensacola’s Allen Pote with script and lyrics by Tom Long. Pote is a professional composer of sacred music, and with his wife, Susan, is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director (retired) of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus. Long is the Executive Director and Playwright of Friends of the Groom, a Christian theater company based in Cincinnati.

“Whenever we write something based on a biblical text, we try to connect with the material on a personal level; and there were many moments in the creative process when we were deeply moved by the power of the original narrative,” said Long. “As you experience the performance, we hope you’ll discover some of that depth of feeling has found its way into the finished work.”

The performance will feature Sewell Griffith as Mary, Chandra McKern as Martha, and Corey McKern as Jesus, as well as the First Presbyterian’s Sanctuary Choir and an instrumental ensemble.

“Mary and Martha: Heart and Hand” was commissioned by Pensacola’s Jane Roberts to commemorate a stained-glass window found inside the First United Methodist Church in Downtown Pensacola, where it was first performed in 2019.