During the reception following the last performance of "When the White Snake Cries" I could not help overhearing as several young cast member begged and implored the Director, Matthew Kossack, for another performance, another play, another year with the Artbarn program. The Friends of Madame White Snake - Cerise, Charles and I - envisioned a Madame White Snake opera project that would also engage children and youth and reach out to young audiences. Artbarn helped make this mission a reality.

Over the thousand years of its existence and the countless times that the myth of the White Snake has been retold, never before had it been presented in an English language musical play. Written by Cerise Lim Jacobs, directed by Matthew Kossack and composed by Adam Brooks, the eighty minute long play was brought to life by the incredibly talented young actors and actresses of Artbarn.

The play opens with 7th Grader Hannah entering into a pitch perfect rendering of the first notes of "The Human Bridge" as one by one, the thirty-strong cast join in to crescendo into a heart-wrenching plea:

"The bridge between us is broken / When harsh words are spoken / When feelings are deadened / And kindness abandoned

How do we find love in the world / And mend the Broken Bridge, the Broken Bridge / How do we embrace our humanity / And mend the Broken Bridge, the Broken Bridge

How do we build a Broken Bridge / Like a rainbow around the world / How do we reach out to each other / And make the Broken Bridge a Perfect Whole"

Artbarn made us SO PROUD - so much so that Cerise, Charles and I have invited the whole cast and creative team to join us on World Premiere Gala Benefit Night of "Madame White Snake" at the Cutler Majestic Theatre on February 24th, 2010. Through sheer hard work in dance, performance and song and by delving deep into the themes of "When the White Snake Cries", they became our first young ambassadors to the message of better understanding between East and West, between humankind.

We thank the ever-enthusiastic Jackie Borck for her leadership at Artbarn and the inspired camera eye of Mimi Katz for capturing countless unforgettable moments of the play.  

"Cheers" to our generous Brookline-based sponsors: Susan Howards, Esq., The Rotary Club of Brookline, Golden Temple, the JA Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence, The Brookline Community Foundation, Audy's Mobil and FastFrame.