Australia

Last year, a group of 18 youth came together on a weekly basis for a few hours to start experimenting with an “immersive theatre” piece about the lives of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb. They would, for example, create a scene in the garden of Riḍván, where Bahá’u’lláh publicly declared His message. In that scene, the audience enters a tent filled with roses, is offered a glass of tea, and is surrounded by the sound of nightingales. "Gardeners" entering the tent recount experiences they had in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh. This hour long immersive theatre piece shown over the course of three days reached 180 people. This year, in honor of the bicentenary, the group decided to develop the play further and extend it to more people. Some 30 youth from different neighborhoods in Melbourne learned stories together, memorized their parts, and rehearsed intensively. The play runs for an hour and a half. Its audience is accompanied on a journey through bazaars, prisons, gardens, experiencing every moment first hand. After each performance, the audience is invited to stay to explore questions about specific scenes and about the Bahá’í Faith with the actors. The 14 sessions allow for 40 audience members each. At its finale, the piece will reach 560 people.