Guest Author - Sandy Mullins
As a Baha’i, I sometimes am amazed at the way we pass along the messages of Baha’u’llah and Gods’ love to people. We can be bold and audacious, or we can do it like the phrase: “Like a Thief in the Night.”
The Children’s Theatre Company in New York City, is an amazing organization. That teaches so many things to us all. It started as with two women who knew that early experiences with the arts can be beneficial to children’s development. The Children’s Theatre Company helps children participate in performing and visual arts, while supporting and nurturing their cultural, social and spiritual life. The CTC’s (Children’s Theatre Company) artist-teachers help nurture knowledge in children that they can be a source of positive change and a way of healing the world.
CTC uses Assets Based Community Development (ABCD) and believes that artists and families are the primary builders of community not agencies or institutions.
The CTC was awarded a space grant by the Baha’i Unity Center in New York City in 1999 but had its roots in Los Angeles Baha’i Unity Center in 1989.
Concepts such as race unity, conflict resolution and the environment are embraced by CTC with the UN’s holidays such as: UN Human Rights Day, Earth Day, Race Unity Day, etc . . .
The CTC states, “CTC’s ultimate goal is to provide each child an honest, reverent, relevant, and challenging artistic experience, as the face the world, which they will someday inherit.” They do this by offering their programs to inner city children most of the 45 out of 50 are not Baha’is and provide programs for their peers and adults.
The CTC has made The New York Times under the title of “Children’s Theatre Company: Letting Freedom Ring by Laurel Graeber. Recently they made appearances on GOOD MORNING AMERICA with Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson, CNN, at the UN Special Session on Children with Nelson Mandela, Verizon Literacy Awards with James Earl Jones, and with Cisely Tyson and Muhammed Ali for UNICEF. The CTC has also been on LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY, has sone PSA on PBS and with Al Pacino for Children’s Aid Society. They will be featured on Sesame Street and Nickelodeon this fall.
It has been given rave reviews from people such as Wynton Marsallis (Pulitzer Prize & Grammy Winner ~ Jazz Composer), Harry Belafonte (UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador), James Earl Jones (Actor), Michael Douglas (Actor, Activist and Humanitarian), RAFFI (World renowned & award winning children’s songwriter and entertainer), Angelique Kidjo ( World famous African Singer), Billy Gillman (Grammy winner & singer), Rigoberta Menchu (Nobel Peace Prize laureate of Guatemala) and Red Grammer (Award winning singer & songwriter)
All I guess there is left to say is “Teach the children well”, and they will lead the world.
Bravo CTC!!
Please read more about the CTC and listen to the children sing at:
Children’s Theatre Company (offsite link)
Red Grammer (offsite link
RAFFI (offsite link)
For more information on the Baha’i Faith:Baha'i Links
