TEN MINUTES AFTER the doors to the Bahá’í World Centre Auditorium open, the energy is palpable. Almost all of the seats are occupied; the sounds are everywhere. Kevin McLoughlin and I are fiddling with last-minute adjustments on the Angkor Wat slideshow in the control booth when audience chaos turns abruptly to hush: Dr. `Alí-Muhammad Varqá, the last living Hand of the Cause of God, has just entered the Auditorium in a rare social appearance. It is easy to see why everyone seems to want to be here tonight: we have one of the greatest stories never told on the World Centre stage—the story of how the Word of the Manifestations of the Divine Being unified the peoples of the vast and varied lands of Southeast Asia. All six weeks of pre-concert advertisements for Breezes & Bridges are now proving to be a warm-up act for the main event that is coming in twenty minutes. Breezes & Bridges is as large and elaborate as the region it honors, as warm and simple as the inhabitants of that region are. It is a celebration of spirit, a revelation for those who have known Southeast Asia only through travelogues, and a defining moment for sixty-seven friends who have been preparing the show for the last two months. How did this all come together? As early as November 2000, Diane Burias, Franco and Patria Aquino, and I—friends from back home in the Philippines—kept mulling over a musical production at the Bahá’í World Centre themed on the culture of the Philippines. Diane wanted to create a fourth “Filipino Musical Night” following the heels of three previous, highly successful productions. Franco, director of the Bahá’í World Centre Choir, had been dreaming about a song-and-dance show patterned after the classic Philippine theatre form called zarzuela. His wife, Patria, had been meaning to get all Filipinos at the World Centre to collaborate on a smaller-scaled cultural production. By August 2004, the course of our discussions had shifted: we all agreed to create something more substantial than a mere exposition of national song and dance. The project was sealed; the task now was to develop a show highlighting the common spiritual thread running through the diversified cultures of Southeast Asia! Consulting with other friends, we combed through the music of two thousand years of spiritual history in a very large, widely varied part of the world. We chose songs and dances that were not only easy to rehearse, but reflected the influence of the region's five religions. In the spirit of fellowship, we invited both our fellow Southeast Asians and non-Asians to participate as performers and production crew. The latter act of forming and finalizing the cast of Asians and non-Asians proved to be the axle that moved the production ahead . . . and further proof of the Word of Bahá'u'lláh: “Consort with all men, O people of Bahá, in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and good-will. If it be accepted, if it fulfill its purpose, your object is attained.” That attainment came easily, with all the components coming together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Three weeks before the show, the five parts of the program fell into place. Act 1, “Ancient Mists”, deals with the roots of the spirit of Southeast Asia, focusing on the pervasiveness of the animist tradition. Act 2, “Gentle Wafts of India”, focuses on the arrival—and profound, lasting influence on the region—of Hinduism and Buddhism. Act 3, “Fresh Arabian Air”, picks up the story with the introduction of Islam from the Middle East. Act 4, “Western Winds”, traces the colonialist experience with the coming of Christianity. The hour ends with “Expanding Bridges”, which follows the rapid course of the Bahá’í Faith in Southeast Asia. | 
