Catch This: A Summer Theatre Program that Pays Teens to Play

Broadway Bound Children's Theatre has a South Seattle outreach program which allows local teens to participate in a production for free, or for a stipend, depending on their demonstrated financial need.

Tonight the program opens their summer production, God Lives in Glass, choreographed by Sonia Dawkins of Prism Dance (a member of the dance community you should be watching) and directed by Jimmy Nixon. The original musical is based on the writings and drawings of children around the world, collected for Dr. Robert J. Landy's book God Lives in Glass.

Here are a few of those drawings, in which children illustrate what they think their god looks like:

More details from the press release after the jump:

God Lives in Glass is a musical theatre piece based on a book by Dr. Robert J. Landy, head of Drama Therapy at New York University, who interviewed several hundred children from various countries, religions and cultures throughout the world. Landy asked these children to draw pictures and tell stories of what they knew about God, and their responses were altogether thoughtful, enlightening and sometimes comical.

Later, the tragic events of 9/11 inspired composer Keith Thompson to forge a creative alliance with Landy and director Greg Ganakas to adapt the original book into a theatrical production. The result was a profound musical that features an array of original music composed by Thompson that spans pop, reggae, gospel and rap.

“God Lives in Glass holds up a mirror to let us view the reflection of ourselves through the eyes of a child,” said Thompson. “By showing us our commonality through our differences, it moves us toward understanding, healing and the hope that we can share this planet while celebrating our sameness and our diversity.”

The Seattle premiere of God Lives In Glass, directed by Jimmy Nixon and choreographed by Sonia Dawkins, is Broadway Bound’s fifth show at the Paul Robeson in just three years. The company’s past productions at PRPAC include Dreamgirls (2007), Fame (2008), Little Shop of Horrors (2009), and Cats (2009).

Broadway Bound continues its dedicated effort to provide theatre arts programming to underserved communities, while maintaining its flagship, year-long program in the University District of Seattle. As a means of exposing South Seattle, and Seattle at large, to exceptional and affordable youth theatre, students with demonstrated need are paid stipends so they can participate in God Lives In Glass.

Tickets to God Lives In Glass are $5 in advance on brownpapertickets.com, or “pay-what-you-can” at the door. For more information, visit broadwaybound.org.