"Children of Abraham Project" Brings Teens Together for Theatre Performance

March 26, 2004

Source: Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/news/religion/crumm26_20040326.htm

On March 26, 2004 the Detroit Free Press reported, "At 8 p.m. Saturday, "The Children of Abraham Project" will debut with a diverse troupe of young performers at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre at Maple and Drake roads in West Bloomfield. This drama, written partly by Muslim, Jewish and Christian kids, is expected to spark fresh dialogue across old barriers. From the premiere, the project will expand into a series of performances across Michigan, and perhaps across the United States, aided by the University of Michigan's Arts of Citizenship program in Ann Arbor. 'This started with an idea I shared over lunch with my friend Brenda Rosenberg,' Imam Abdullah El Amin, head of the Muslim Center in Detroit, said this week. 'We were talking about all the problems in the world that involve Muslims and Jews and Christians. And I said, "If we would only remember that we all share the same father, Abraham, we might find ways to bring our family back together again."'...The project's core concept was to bring together teenagers from all three faiths, ask them to share their life stories, weave those stories into a play, then plan a short workshop to be held after the play to give audiences a chance to join in the discussion that the kids start onstage."