Will James / Wray Spragg

Will James was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, raised in the historical neighborhood of Ledbetter Heights. His mother, a former nun turned nursery care worker insisted that he and his older sister not become a part of the negative aspects of The Bottoms, the nickname of Ledbetter Heights due to it being located near the banks of the Red River. With strict standards and even more-so consequences, Will excelled school-wise, testing in the top 1% every year from elementary through middle school. His father, a blues musician that played with the likes of Cab Calloway, Betty Wright, Buddy Guy, and BB King, had a different approach, letting Will sit in on various rehearsals & jam sessions, knowing that if he kept his eye on him at these sessions, he couldn't be elsewhere to get in trouble. Graduating early from high school, Will started college at Centenary College of Louisiana and two years later, joined the United States Army as an electrical engineer. During his time in the military, his tours of duty brought him in contact with many communities not just nationwide, but around the globe as well. South Korea, Germany, Egypt, and Kuwait are just a few of the locales where Will was exposed to various forms of culinary, visual, and performance art. Throughout his time in the military while receiving numerous wartime military awards, Will took the time to get a masters degree in Theatre, with a focus on direction from Syracuse University, based in upstate New York. Following a traumatic experience while deployed overseas, he obtained multiple degrees in Psychology, culminating in his doctorate from Syracuse as well. Post-military, Will became entrenched in staged theatre direction, with a focus on lighting and sound. Inspired by the storytelling of various playwrights like Bertolt Brecht and August Wilson, he developed a style of writing and directing that utilizes the many challenges and style if "theatre-in-the-round". This style of theatre has the audience surrounding the stage on all sides, forcing a more realistic and emotionally heightened experience for both performers and spectators. With the random combination of COVID-19 and the George Floyd death-in-custody case in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the theatre world was paused, but will began utilizing the free time to transition from set pieces to street murals that focused on various social issues. From Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Vontashia Bell to Korla Pandit, his subject matter is often seen photographed by citizens and tourists on the 800 block of Texas Avenue in Shreveport.