Dawnbreakers the Musical is based on “The Dawn-Breakers: Nabil’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Baha’i Revelation”. This historical work is over 600 pages dense with footnotes, quotes, and references to substantiate the real events that occurred during the mid 1800’s in Persia. There are hundreds of incredible characters and stories in this book and my musical focuses mainly on three central characters, Tahirih, Quddus, and Mulla Husayn. As much as I tried to condense the story into a watchable musical, it is currently organized as 2 full length musicals. The current vision is to produce both of the shows over a weekend or condense it into 1 long musical. This musical is also inspired by the Tablet of Ahmad by Baha’u’llah such that the entire tablet is woven into song from start to finish to tell the story.
The current process is to run summer internships each summer to work on the scenes in real life with students and eventually make a quality recording whether with the interns or hired professionals and keep work shopping it until it comes to full fruition.
Dawnbreakers Musical Part 1 Songs
Act 1
- They Call me a Poet - Introduction
- 40 days - Mulla Husayn seeks the Promised One
- Can You Imagine - Declaration of the Bab
- Proclaiming to the sincere ones - 18 Letters of the Living find the Bab
- O My Beloved Friends - Children’s choir sings Bab’s address to the Letters of the Living
- Bastami the first to Arise - Bastami teaches the faith
- He’s Called the Father of the Poor: Baha’u’llah send a message with tea and sugar
Intermission
Act 2
- The Proof of the Bab is His Word: Bastami condemned by Sunni and Shia courts
- In the Tomb: Quddus returns from hajj and recounts the Bab’s words to him.
- A New Call to Prayer - Quddus shows new adhan to Mulla Sadiq who sings it in public
- A command to the Kings of the Earth: Quddus and Mulla Sadiq face physical torture
- Vahid: The Shah’s top scholar is sent to investigate the claims of the Bab
- Send Him to Ma Ku: Mirza Aqasi exiles the Bab the mountains of Azerbaijan
- Tahirih Come Home: Tahirih’s father comes for her and her uncle Taqi rebukes her
- Mayhem in the name of God? Taqi’s words and actions offend a passing seeker
- I am the Imam Now: Taqi’s son takes revenge for his father’s death
- Change this Mob into a Choir: Tahirih’s friends are martyred by an angry mob
- He is the King the All Knowing the Wise: Tahirih is rescued by Bahaullah
Dawnbreakers Musical Part 2
Act 1
- Youth with a Sugar Tongue: the people of Ma Ku feel the Bab’s presence
- You had Walked on Foot: the Bab and Mulla Husayn's last conversation together
- Whosoever Desireth: Mulla Husayn recognizes Quddus’s ability to reflect the Bab
- This is not the time or place: Quddus warns of changing laws
- The Pure: Tahirih unveiled at the Conference of Badasht
- Surih of Qayama: Is this Judgement Day or Resurrection day?
- To stand with a woman unveiled: The men study the writings
- Say O People Be Obedient to the Ordinances of God: Badasht concludes
- The Black Flag from Khorasan: Mulla Husayn marches towards Quddus
- That Thy Heart Shall Not Waver: Mulla Husayn faces his first attack
- A Tree, a Man and a Gun: Enemies scatter as believers take refuge in Shrine Tabarsi
- Our Karbala, our Kaaba, Our Fort: They fortify their shrine into a fort
- Holy Holy: Mulla Husayn describes Quddus’s station as they welcome him
- The Baqiyatullah for Those Who Believe: 313 believers celebrate fulfillment of prophesy
Intermission
- Rhythm of Devotion: the men pray through sustained attacks and food/water shortage
- This Intensity: Quddus pauses his writing and readies the men for battle
- I Myself Shall be his Ransom: Children’s Choir angels stand before the men in battle
- Be Thou A Flame of Fire to My Enemies: Quddus shot in the mouth
- Him shall I slay: Nightingales sing as fatally wounded Mulla Husayn is carried back
- Are you well Pleased with Me?: Quddus and Mulla Husayn share a final moment
- Holy Holy: Mulla Husayn and 72 companions burial song
- My Lion Hearted Warriors: the men survive on grass and prayer and sing until Naw Ruz
- Swear On Quran: the men surrender on false assurances
- O My Beloved Friends: children’s choir angels honors the heroes of Fort Tabarsi
- If I Love you: Quddus “wedding day” / martyrdom
- No Words: The Bab goes silent with grief in His mountain prison
- Arise: The martyrdom of Tahirih
- Siyal Chal: the children’s choir rushes to the Siyal Chal for an important event
- Best Beloved ot the Worlds: children’s choir angels transform into modern day children
- Learn Well This Tablet: the Seen and Unseen switch places. The martyred heroes return as angels to encourage the youth.
Cast
The Unseen: Characters that represent the spiritual forces at work
- Nightingale1 and Nightingale2 - Two female leads dressed as beautiful nightingales serve as narrators throughout the story. They also stage the roles of the Bab and Baha’u’llah as needed. Holy figures like the Bab and Baha’u’llah cannot be reenacted or depicted out of reverence for their station. They represent the Twin Manifestations and are hence Twin Nightingales. Must have a good range from F3 to E5
- Little Lights: a children’s choir dressed as little angels. They represent the spiritual forces at work. They dance and sing and have a few speaking roles. Mix gender.
The Seen: Live characters
Tahirih: a multilingual learned poet and Quranic scholar. Singing and dancing exceptional range F3-B5
Tahirih servant: non singing role, only a few lines. Only other female adult role.
Men’s roles with singing: Mulla Husayn, Quddus, Bastami, Baqir, Vahid, many more. At minimum need 9 adult male performers to play the parts. On stripped down sketch basis, 5 performers and women dressed as men could suffice.