CB Murray

Charles Bernard Murray the 4th, a.k.a. CB, holds a bachelor’s degree concentration in Social Justice. He started working professionally in high school at the Haymarket Dinner Theater in Richmond, Virginia, performing in Purlie and Don’t Bother Me I Can’t. At age nineteen, he moved to New York City and worked with the A.M.A.S. Repertory Company under Rosette LeNoire.

Within six months of arriving in New York City, CB joined Actors Equity as a singer and dancer in Storyville, directed by Arthur Faria. In 1981, Michael Bennett hired him for a workshop that became Dreamgirls and was his Broadway debut. CB has performed in numerous Off-Broadway shows, twice on Broadway, and made a living for over two decades composing and producing contemporary music. Currently, he’s writing, directing, and producing original theater works. His original musical Children of God received six nominations from the Midtown International Theatre Festival. Another original musical PEARL, based on the life of Pearl Bailey, received five ADULCO nominations while still in development.

CB has directed and choreographed additional shows in New York City theaters, including The Actor’s Temple, CAP 21, Roy Arias Theater, The Producer’s Club, National Black Theater, the Shabazz Center, The Broadway Comedy Club, and HERE. He ran the arts program for the Abundant Waters Afterschool Program at PS111 in Manhattan for over ten years and directed the Arts Department while producing countless productions and recordings for the Unbroken Chain Arts Ministry in NYC from 1985 to 2005. He’s received awards as a teaching artist from the Society of Marketing Professionals Services (SMPS) and the US Army Corps of Engineers. In 2007, he was ordained through the Apostolic Denomination by Kingdom Churches Worldwide. He received the Union City, New Jersey, Artist of the Year Award from Stack and the Board of Commissioners in 2015. In February 2020, he won The Players Theatre Short Play Festival. His music video “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was honored in 2020 in several festivals, including the Teaneck International Film
Festival. His screenplay “Ambassador of Love” won the 2020 Harlem
Film Festival for best screenplay.

“I’ve always found my greatest joy through expressions in the arts. It is my personal goal to continue to create and help produce meaningful works of artistic expression that not only entertain but cause the audience to ponder the idea of doing whatever they can to make this world a better place.”