"BEHOLD!" A new script.

BEHOLD!

A Program for the Bicentennial of the Birth of the Báb

(created by Anne Perry, based on passages from Robert Weinberg’s compilation 

The Primal Point: A selection of testimonials and tributes to the Báb and His followers 

published by George Ronald, 2019, and other sources as noted.

Note:This script is totally flexible. It can be performed by adults, youth, or children in a setting that is formal or informal. Passages can be read or memorized. Costumes can be utilized or not. It can be shortened as needed—or lengthened. (Delete or add characters; cast members can play more than one part.) Music or visual projections of photos of the actual people quoted could be included. Commentators can be on stage all at once or come on one at a time. They can stand or sit. MC’s remarks are flexible and can be changed; I have left out designations such as “Hand of the Cause” since the program is designed for the public, but these can be added.)Be creative! AP

CAST: 

MC        

Commentators:

Sara Louisa Lady Blomfield             Hasan Balyuzi              Dr. T. K. Cheyne

Horace Holley                                   George Townshend      Sir Francis Younghusband

Tahirih                                               John Ferraby                Count Leo Tolstoy

Mary Hanford Ford                           Robert Hayden             Potentially others . . .

A.L.M. Nicolas                                 Edward Granville Browne

Play by Tom Lysaght about Anis

Great for Bicentennial:

http://tomlysaght.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Loves-Companion-Final.pdf

SCRIPT: Celebration of the Birth of The Báb

A program originally created by Anne Perry for the Dallas Bahá’í Community, which can be modified to fit other localities.  Rehearsal and advance preparation recommended. In a small community, this could be done as a spontaneous reading, if scripts are made for everyone. 

Staging:Two mics placed on either side of the stage, with beautiful drapes on podium, column, or table (green, gold. . . ) and red roses.  Visual slides can enhance the program, if desired (request slide show).  Dress: can be elegant, historic, or multi-cultural, but shouldn’t be pedestrian. Lighting can be dramatic, warm.  Readers can be seated and go up to the mic on either side in advance of the reading; sometimes there is a back and forth, so it should be rehearsed and noted where a reader should stay standing and step aside, and which mic he/she should go to. Ideally, the program should flow as one element, without applause. Technical assistance is important.  

Participants:    (9–12 readers/musicians/singers and 1-2 technical assistants) 

MCcan be the same person as one of the readers, or not.  

Persian or Arabic reader/chanter could also be one of the readers, below. 

Reader 1:  male or female

Reader 2:  Reader of the Báb’s account, male, strong reader, perhaps in 20s

Reader 3:  male or female

Reader 4:  male or female

Reader 5:  male or female

Reader 6:  male or female

Reader 7: Reader, account of the Mother of the Báb, female

Reader 8: Reader, account of the Wife of the Báb, female

Reader 9:  Strong and poetic reader, female preferred

Music about the Báb: Who Is the Child?

Lots of music can be found at 9starmedia.com.

For example, this is a great song: https://9starmedia.com/susan-engle-jean-white-special-times?zenid=d60cb014e14249405e7c88336de470f8

Who Is the Child?    Echo/chorus

1 Who is the child, Who is the child,‘Alí Muhammad  

Born in Shíráz, Born in Shíráz,city of roses?  

Who is the child, Who is the child,grown straight and true, Who told us, “I am, I am, I am the Promised One?”*

2 Who is the child, Who is the child,raised by His uncle, October born, October born,humble and gentle?  

Who is the child Who is the child,we bow before

Who told us, “I am, I am, I am the Promised One?”

BRIDGE:

Do you know Him?  

Have you heard His name?  

Does your heart feel the beauty of His presence?  

Do you love Him as did Mullá Husayn? 

If you’ve found what you’ve been seeking, you can tell me.

3 Who is the child, Who is the child,tender and holy, 

Wrote the Bayán, Wrote the Bayán,foretold the Glory?  

Who is the child Who is the child,Whom God prepared 

To tell us, “I am, I am, I am the Promised One?”  

Yes, He said, “I am, I am, I am the Promised One.”

And he said, “I am, I am, I am the Promised One.”

Script for the Celebration of the Birth of the Báb

The sublime days of celebrating the bicentenary of the Báb's Birth will soon be upon us! All over the world there will be celebrations and special proclamations!!!  

Below is a script put together by Marlene Macke, in the voices of Fátimih Bagum,The mother of the Báb; Khadíjih Bagum. The wife of the Báb; Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam, The uncle of the Báb; Shaykh ‘Abid, The teacher of the Báb.

I Knew the Báb

His Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him

A Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday

Compiled by Marlene Macke

St. Marys, Ontario, Canada

  

Meditation on Titles of Bahá'u'lláh

At last! We have created a book, Meditation on Titles of Bahá'u'lláh, featuring names associated with Bahá'u'lláh paired with Tim's beautiful nature photography.

We were inspired by the House of Justice’s suggestion a couple of years ago:

At the heart of these festivities must be a concerted effort to convey a sense of what it means for humanity that these two Luminaries rose successively above the horizon of the world. Of course, this will take different forms in different contexts, extending to a myriad artistic and cultural expressions, including songs, audio-visual presentations, publications and books. Such initiatives, coupled with widespread celebrations that are both uplifting and reverent, are also sure to spark the curiosity and wonder of many who may as yet be unfamiliar with the names of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.  (The Universal House of Justice, Bicentenaries of Twin Birthdays, 18 May 2016)

 

While our book did not get published before the October 2017 events, we still offer it as an expression related to the bicentennial.  Please email (unity9@sbcglobal.net) to inquire about purchasing, as right now it is not distributed anywhere, aside from our home office.

Beautiful PowerPoint available, great for teaching

Frank Samandari writes: 

Greetings. I've created a PowerPoint presentation for the Birth of Baha'u'llah celebration. You can follow this link to view the presentation online:

https://1drv.ms/p/s!ArCnT1I3eE6HbBu9Cu1GiK1aUv8

I have made this as a gift to Baha'i communities, and you are welcome to share with others.

It's a beautiful offering--a great teaching tool for use now! Sorry I've posted it so late.  Anne

Monologue: "A Woman who 'met' Baha'u'llah"

For one event in honor of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, we made a tent and I portrayed a woman who had met Baha'u'llah. One child asked me, "How OLD are you?"!!!! I'll include the monologue below. 

A Woman who “met” Baha’u’llah  (monologue)  by Anne Perry, with stories (*Between*) from The Story of Baha'u'llah by Druzelle Cederquist--see http://bit.ly/XxNohE

Our Beloved Bahá’u’lláh: Remembrances of the Leaves of the Holy Family

Our Beloved Bahá’u’lláh:  Remembrances of the Leaves of the Holy Family
Part I – The Early Years (1817–1853)

Monologues in Commemoration of His 200th Birthday by Marlene Macke

Monologue about Baha'u'llah: Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum

Here's a shortened form of Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum, Adapted From The Chosen Highway
 

Adapted From The Chosen Highway:    Memories of Bahiyyih Khanum

Special Days . . . and "I Knew the Bab" script

The sublime days of celebrating the bicentenary of Baha'u'llah's Birth are upon us! All over the world there will be celebrations and special proclamations!!!  Can we understand what it means?

I've been remiss in posting a few other scripts that have been developed. Below is one put together by Marlene Macke, in the voices of Fátimih Bagum,The mother of the Báb; Khadíjih Bagum. The wife of the Báb; Jináb-i Hájí Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí, known as Khál-i-A‘zam, The uncle of the Báb; Shaykh ‘Abid, The teacher of the Báb.

I Knew the Báb

His Early Life through the Remembrances of Those Who Knew Him

A Dramatic Reading in Commemoration of His Birthday

Compiled by Marlene Macke

St. Marys, Ontario, Canada

 

Another reading contributed by Tom Lysaght

"Rejoice with exceeding gladness in your hearts and souls, for the night hath come for the harvesting of the ages and the gathering up of past cycles,

the night wherein all days and nights were called into being and the time preordained for this Revelation was fulfilled...                                                                                                            

This is the night wherein the doors of Paradise were flung open... the night wherein the paradise of the All-Merciful was unveiled in the midmost heart of creation...

  All joy to this night through which all days have been suffused with light...           

...for the Morn of divine Revelation hath dawned... All glory, then, to this Dawn which hath broken above the dayspring of effulgent glory!...                                    

This is the Dawn whereat was born He Who begetteth not and Who is not begotten...                                                                                                                                    

This is the Dawn whereat the cohorts of the concourse of Paradise and the hosts of the angels of holiness descended from heaven...

This is the Dawn whereat the Most Great Tree was planted and bore its exalted and peerless fruits...                                               

One fruit of that Tree hath proclaimed what the Burning Bush had proclaimed aforetime in that hallowed and snow-white Spot,

words to which Moses gave ear and which caused Him to forsake all created things and to direct His steps towards the retreats of holiness and grandeur...         

Another fruit thereof hath uttered that which enraptured Jesus and raised Him up to the heaven of manifest splendour...                                                                                   

Yet another fruit thereof hath disclosed that which captivated the heart of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, Who,

carried away by the sweet accents of the Voice from on high, ascended unto the Divine Lote-Tree and heard...

the Voice of God speaking forth the mystery of My hallowed, My exalted and mighty Name.

All glory, then, to this Tree which hath been raised up through the power of truth, that all the peoples of the world may seek the shelter of its shade!"

                                         

                                                        — Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance #42

New MUSIC for Bicentenary!

Ramine Yazhari: "Rejoice: Songs in Honor of the Birth of Baha'u'llah" and other great music!

https://9starmedia.com/bicentennial-of-the-birth-of-bahaullah

A reading!

Posted by Tom Lysaght: 

   "O concourse of ardent lovers!

    By the righteousness of God, this is a night the like of which hath never been witnessed in the world of creation...

   

This is the night wherein the Spirit intoned such a melody as to throw into commotion the inner realities of all men...   

This, indeed, is the night wherein He Who is the reality of the All-Merciful hath been born,

the night wherein every eternal command hath been expounded by the Pen of the All-Glorious...

This is the night wherein God shed abroad the splendour of all His most excellent names

and established Himself  upon the throne of every pure and radiant heart...

This is the night wherein the oceans of forgiveness surged...

This is the night wherein the trespasses of all that dwell on earth were forgiven...

...that every trace of sorrow might thereby be banished forever from all things.

Rejoice, then, O ye that have stepped forth into the realm of being!...

The musk-scented wine hath been unsealed by the mighty hand of Him Who is the source of sovereignty and power...

And cups of crimson-coloured wine are being borne round by the hand of the divine Joseph...

Hasten then, O concourse of men, and drink your fill from this stream of everlasting life!...

The beauty of the Desired One hath shone forth in its naked glory...

The countenance of the Best-Beloved hath dawned above the horizon of holiness...

The veils have been burned away, the clouds have been rent asunder, the signs have been revealed and the allusions unravelled

by Him Whose might is equal to all things. And this, verily, is from the grace of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Bountiful.

Let your hearts be filled with joy...

God beareth Me witness that His favour is complete, His mercy is perfected, and His countenance is beaming with joy and radiance.

And this, verily, is from the grace of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Bountiful.”

                   — Bahá’u’lláh, Days of Remembrance #44

Stories about Baha'u'llah on Radio!

My friend Dru Cederquist writes:

Dear Friends,

Would you like to LISTEN to brief stories about Baha'u'llah? SHARE them with family and friends as Bicentenary celebrations approach? Go to WLGI Radio Baha'i online streaming. A short story airs each hour. The series continues through October 21-22. Stories will air more often that weekend. Details below in short version of blog post. Click through first link for entire blog post with more links - also sharable with friends.

Warmly,

Druzelle Cederquist

Author-The Story of Baha'u'llah: Promised One of All Religions

 

http://bit.ly/2fkLqou  “The Story of Baha’u’llah” on WLGI Radio Baha'i – a short story every hour!

 

“Baha’u’llah’s life and His impact on the world is one of the most dramatic humanity has ever seen. We’re happy to share with you now another glimpse into this remarkable life.” – WLGI Baha'i Radio http://wlgi.org/  

 

In honor of this 200th Anniversary Year of the Birth of Baha'u'llah (1817-2017) WLGI Radio Baha'i invited me to collaborate in presenting a series of brief stories about the life of Baha’u’llah, adapted from The Story of Baha’u’llah. What a pleasure to join WLGI for this storytelling endeavor!

 

Now you can listen to these brief 2-minute stories Every Day. Tune in to Radio Baha'i WLGI STREAMING Any Hour between x:40 and x:55 (A story will run, for example, sometime between 2:40 and 2:55 – nearly Every Hour!) Refresh Playlist to see when stories occur.

 

For more on WLGI go to link in blog post: "Louis Gregory Institute, Radio Baha'i focus on social justice, joy, happiness"

Banner at shopping mall

New Scripts

See David Hoffman's resources, such as a script for 5 youth:  Bicentenary Ideas, David Hoffman

I have written something similar, for two voices:

Celebrating the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh: A Reading for Two Voices

Script by Anne Perry with sections by David Hoffman

1: Who IS Bahá'u'lláh?

2: Who is Bahá'u'lláh?

Together:  WHO is Baha’u’llah?

2. Mirza Husayn 'Ali Nuri, known as Bahá'u'lláh - the Glory of God - was born at dawn on the 12th of November 1817, in Tihran, the capital of Persia. 

1: His father was a prominent and wealthy man who had been a minister at the court of the Sháh. 

Music . . .

Kim Mennillo writes (Facebook):

If you're looking for music that would be appropriate for the bicentenary event in October, I share with you here those songs (song title first, followed by name of the album). If you have other song suggestions to add to such a compilation, please let us know! 

Nightingale of Paradise - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Farkhundi Tayiri - Songs of the Ancient Beauty, Vol. 2
His Name - Sunshine Through the Rain
Royal Falcon - Royal Falcon
My Heart Soars - Encore
Proclaim the Greatest Name - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
The First of Love - Rivers of Light
Oh, Bahá'u'lláh - Music of the World Congress
Ya Bahá'u'lláh - Eastwind
Baha'u'llah - Beyond This World
Hummingbird - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Blessed Beauty - Sunshine Through the Rain
Luizeno - Congo
Lord of the Mountain - Rivers of Light
Would You Give Your Life to Bahá'u'lláh - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
I Have Found Bahá'u'lláh - Beyond This World
The Spirit of the Lord - Baha'i Gospel Singers
Baha'u'llah's Getting Us Ready - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
In This Day, Bahá'u'lláh - Baha'i Gospel Singers
Have You Heard of Bahá'u'lláh - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
Nightingale - Take Me Up
The Prince of Peace - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 1
We Will Have One World - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 2
Baha'u'llah - This is Faith
Baha'u'llah - Lift Up Your Voices, Vol. 3

Art work, designs for programs, ads . . .

So many new resources are emerging! There's a Facebook page one has to join (but that is easy). If you skim down all of the messages on discussion, you'll find MANY things being offered re. design, embellishment, music, posters/ads. . . . Artists are coming to the forefront with offerings to the Blessed Beauty!

Facebook page: Preparing for the Bicentenaries Of the Twin Birthdays

https://www.facebook.com/groups/218654355212048/

Stories about Baha'u'llah

Lots of people are compiling various things in preparation for the Bicentennial! Here's one great source for stories:
http://bahaullah-gloryofgod.blogspot.com/p/stories-about-bahaullah.html

And here's an idea for a program--probably a more "caaual" program than a larger one. Choose and print out some stories. Have them on individual pieces of paper. Let guests select one randomly or consciously and read/listen to the stories, in a circle.

Even at Feasts as we prepare for the Oct. weekend, this might be effective. Children or youth could also prepare the stories to present. . . .