New York, NY - Does God look the same to Jewish and Arab children? What about to Canadian and Korean children? Audiences will hear children’s powerful, varied, and often astonishing views of God at the premiere of the musical, “God Lives in Glass,” Sept. 12 - 21 at New York University’s historic Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal Street in New York City. Written by Robert Landy, NYU professor of educational theatre and drama therapy, the musical is a distillation of drawings and stories by children living in war and peace, in poverty and plenty, and in traditional and industrialized cultures. The music reflects the multicultural backgrounds of the children and includes ballad, blues, rap, spiritual, and patter song.
Keith Thompson, award-winning composer and musical director of the first national tour of “Mamma Mia!,” composed the music and additional lyrics. The musical was co-conceived and directed by Greg Ganakas, nationally acclaimed musical theatre director and a faculty member in the NYU Music Theatre Program.
In developing the musical, Landy and his colleagues interviewed more than 500 children, ages 4-12, representing more than 20 religions from all over the world, and asked them to draw pictures and tell stories about God. Landy spoke with both Jewish and Arab children in Israel, homeless Gypsies in Greece and kids across Europe. His colleagues conducted interviews in China, Korea, India, Canada, Mexico, and the former Yugoslavia.
Landy’s work has resulted in two books, God Lives in Glass: Reflections of God through the Eyes of Children (Skylight Paths, 2001), co-authored with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and How We See God and Why It Matters: A Multicultural View Through Children’s Drawings and Stories (Charles C. Thomas, 2001). “God Lives in Glass” takes another step, presenting children’s multicultural images of God in the form of musical theatre. In the musical, we discover what children see as they look at the spiritual world and how that vision reveals, if not restores, the natural world.
Reporters interested in attending “God Lives in Glass” should contact James Devitt at (212) 998-6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.
EDITOR’S NOTE The Steinhardt School of Education prepares students for careers in education, health and nursing, communications, and the arts and to serve as a source of continuing education for working professionals who seek career advancement and enrichment. On the graduate level, specialized training is offered within the context of one of the country’s leading centers of research. The school is also a center for research and community service, especially committed to activities aimed at improving the urban environment.