End of year + Finish Everything = Madness.

This year has flown by. Like fast. With the creation of Witness Uganda along with Be the Change (Uganda) applying for our official 501c3 status, everyone involved in this massive overhaul have pretty much lost their minds.

Me being first.

WHY I'VE LOST MY MIND, by Griffin Matthews

When I moved to LA, a year ago, I was optimistic and confident that it was the right decision. I felt I had no other option. Staying in NYC and braving another Winter Armageddon felt impossible. Moving home to Pittsburgh (while I do love the Steelers) felt like retirement. And moving to Uganda...never even crossed my mind.

So off to the West I went and discovered that it was indeed my new home. A place where I could re-invent myself. My purpose. My work. The organization. Rekindle friendships. And uncover dreams.
But all of those things take time and patience and HELP. Lots of it.

So I have to publicly thank my co-writer, best friend and beyond, Matt Gould, for walking this crazy journey of the overhaul of all things Uganda 2010. We haven't slept. We haven't eaten. And we've officially lost our minds, but gained a story that we are truly excited share!

We are proud to announce that Witness Uganda will receive it's world premiere this summer at The Boston Court Theater in Pasadena, July 23rd 2011!

CLICK TO VIEW WITNESS UGANDA PRESS RELEASE

Leslie Odom Jr, during a reading of "Witness Uganda"

Be the Change (Uganda), as I said above, has been on an endless overhaul this year with so many things coming at us rapid fire that we, too, have lost our minds...

With the announcement of the show, BTC(U) had to fly the coop and apply for our own non-profit status with the government. *No more check writing to Invisible Children* though we do thank our friends for their love and support!

In a few short weeks, we will unveil our new website...for real for real...and share some ridiculously exciting news that keeps me up at night!

Another reason I haven't slept...

Robert Fura

 Uganda continues to bring us joy! We celebrate yet another student of ours Robert Fura who graduates from Makerere University in January with a degree in Information Technology! It's been a long 5 year struggle for Robert, but we are proud of him!

As well as our other graduate Aorone Mutyaba who will also make the "University Walk" in January!

CLICK TO DONATE TO BE THE CHANGE UGANDA

Aorone Mutyaba

 And the final reason that I have officially lost my mind:

We have been planning an amazing party with my good friends in NYC who have graciously teamed up with BTC(U) to throw the sickest New Years Eve Bash EVER! A portion of the proceeds will go towards our students' tuition for the spring semester.

Thank you: Tyler Armstrong, Nathalie Krup, Mason McCulley, Matthew Turke, Joseph Morales, Taylor Dunham, Kristin Goodwin, Shannan Smith, Matt Gould, Woody McHales, and artist Kelly Finlaw.

Witness: The Vineyard and More!

WITNESS UGANDA: 
Witness on the Vineyard!

Matt and I just returned from an amazing two week writer's retreat on Martha's Vineyard hosted by Vineyard Arts and ArtFarm. We were joined by Jon-Michael Reese, Leslie Odom Jr, and Nicolette Robinson (our incredibly talented friends)! We sang! We danced! We wrote! We ate!

 

Leslie Odom Jr, Nicolette Robinson, Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews

Matt and I have been working feverishly on completing Act II of the show. We literally were writing day and night! We're both really proud of the new material that we wrote in our two week stay. We were also able to record some demos of the music to present to our producers and the staff of Boston Court Theater for our first reading August 4th in Pasadena!

Thank you to Brooke Hardman and Ashley Malone (ArtFarm and Vineyard Arts) for giving us the opportunity to share Witness Uganda with the amazing people of Martha's Vineyard!

 Check out what ArtFarm is up to!

http://www.artfarmenterprises.com/ 

Matt on the Atlantic

Griffin trying not to fall whilst posing

*ABOVE AND ABROAD!*

Many thanks to all those who donated to our trip! We had a fabulous time visiting our students. They've grown up and are making huge strides toward being the next leaders of Uganda. 

STUDENT UPDATES:

Aorone Mutyaba will be graduating University in the Fall of 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology! Aorone is working alongside Taylor Dunham, our NYC web designer, to redesign our website. We're very proud of him!


Mary Nakiwala has graduated high school and entered into her freshman year at Mengo Nursing School. We dropped Mary off at school and got her settled in. Mary is the first girl in her family to attend college!



 Joshua Kyangwa is starting his 5th year at Makerere University studying Information Technology and Website Development.

Robert Fura will be graduating from Makerere University in the fall! That's TWO University grads in one year!

 

Edith Babirye has entered her second semester at a private business institute studying Information Technology!

Denis Segawa started his freshman year at high school!

Christopher Ssewankambo sits at the top of his class at his high school in Mukono!
 










Photography by Andrea Moore (www.andreamoorephotography.com)

SHANNAN MEETS SHARIFF!

Shannan Smith has been actively involved in Be the Change (Uganda) for the last year and has sponsored a high school student. She is headed to Uganda on Sunday!

This will mark the first time that Be the Change (Uganda) has ever introduced a sponsor to the student they've supported! It should prove to be an amazing experience!

Shariff Wasswa, 17 year old High School student, has been a part of BTC(U) since 2007. He has been sponsored by Shannan and is incredibly excited to meet her face to face!

"She is my angel!" 

HOPE CAN RESURRECT PEOPLE

There are less than 7 days to donate to "Shannan Meets Shariff!"

She is $500 away from her fundraising goal. Every cent counts!

DONATE HERE 

WITNESS UGANDA: the movement. the musical.

It's official...

Our plane tickets have been bought and we're heading to the Motherland on May 9th and we return home on the 31st!

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WHILE WE'RE THERE?!

A) Visit our students, their teachers, and their family members and show them LOVE!
B) Gather information and interviews so that we can complete ACT II of WITNESS UGANDA!

HEALTHY TEETH AND EYES COST MONEY...

(click here) DONATE NOW:

• $5: One day of food (Rice, Beans, Fruits/Veggies and Bread)
• $10: School Supplies (Notebook, Pencils, Pens, Folders...)
• $20: Visit to the Doctor/Dentist/Eye Doctor
• $30: Black Leather School Shoes
• $50-99: One month rent for the University Students
• $100+: School fees!

MEET THE TEAM...

 Griffin Matthews, LA (writer/actor, Founder of BTCU)

Andrea Moore, Denver, CO (photographer)

 Shannan Smith, NYC (Grad student, Staff of BTCU)

 

For those of you just tuning in, WITNESS UGANDA is a musical that my collaborator Matt Gould and I have been working on since August 2009. The piece was chosen to perform at this year's Disney/ASCAP workshop in LA hosted by Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked and Godspell). After receiving rave reviews, we have paired up with producer Suzi Dietz and Boston Court Theatre to continue the development of the show!





Matt Gould, LA (composer)

HOLLYWOOD, UGANDA 90210...

Our good friend, Abigail Spencer (an actress on Madmen and Hawthorne), has graciously joined the movement to help raise money and awareness for Be the Change (Uganda). Abby, along with Be the Change (Uganda), will be hosting an exclusive event at her residence on Saturday, April 24th.

*All proceeds from this event go to support the students of Be the Change (Uganda). 

Thanks Abby!







Read about our show:

In the summer of 2005, Griffin Matthews traveled to Uganda to volunteer at a village orphanage. During his six-week journey, he stumbled upon a group of orphaned teenagers living in squalor and decided to help find sponsors for their educations. He returned to the US and with the help of his friends started Be the Change (Uganda), a non-profit organization that sponsored the students’ education, housing, and basic needs. But the last 5 years have tested Griffin and his team's resolve and power to change the students' destinies. Suffering devastating losses and set backs, the organization nearly crumbles under the weight, but continues to hang on by a thread of hope. Using personal journal entries, letters, and interviews, WITNESS UGANDA explores the complexities of balancing the tangled lives of both the staff and students. A carefully crafted combination of music, dance and journalistic theater propels the play and explores the question: is changing the world even possible? 

 Griffin instructing the students on "How to write 'Thank You' Letter"

Resurrect People!

"Breathtakingly talented!" Stephen Schwartz

This past week has been absolutely incredible! A dream come true!

Witness Uganda was presented for a standing room only crowd at the Disney Burbank Studios on February 17th at 7pm for the Disney/ASCAP Workshop hosted by Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin).

The panel included: Paris Barclay, Paul Lazarus, and Stephen Schwartz. The responses from the panel were overwhelmingly positive!

Thank you to our incredible cast of actors and musicians, our stage manager Nicole Rossi, and the Robinson Family! We are very excited to see this piece progress into something "Beautiful!"

Cast of Witness Uganda in LA

Griffin and Gould 

 

"Hosanna Amina!"

 

Nondumiso, Melody, Monique: "Jangu Tata!"

 

Leslie Odom, Jr.

  

Nondumiso Tembe

 Nicole (our stage manager), Johnny, Emiliano, and Kendall

 

Matt Gould 

Photos taken by Patricia Krebs

designed by Taylor Dunham

The Little Engine That Could...

Bela Musana: Be the Light!

This blog has been many years in the making. Perhaps a lifetime of work, dedication and drive of a small group of friends (and artists) who have been a part of the creation of WITNESS UGANDA by way of Be the Change (Uganda). This blog will update you on the work of BTC and its students along with the progress of WITNESS UGANDA.

WITNESS UGANDA is a music theatre experience that details the journey of the grass roots non-profit organization Be the Change (Uganda), which sponsors the education, housing, and basic needs of 10 students living in Kampala, Uganda. 

In the summer of 2005, Griffin Matthews traveled to Uganda to volunteer at a village orphanage. During his six-week journey, he stumbled upon a group of orphaned teenagers living in squalor and decided to help find sponsors for their educations. He returned to the US and with the help of his friends started Be the Change (Uganda). But the last 5 years have tested Griffin and his team's resolve and power to change the students' destinies. 

Suffering devastating losses and set backs, the organization nearly crumbles under the weight, but continues to hang on by a thread of hope. Using personal journal entries, letters, and interviews, Witness Uganda explores the complexities of balancing the tangled lives of both the staff and students. A carefully crafted combination of music, dance and journalistic theater propels the play and explores the question: is changing the world even possible?

Written, Created and Conceived by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews

ONE NIGHT ONLY

"When I started, it wasn't all for me. It was supposed to be something that I was supposed to share with people...about the simplicity of helping..."

The piece was created as a One Night Only Benefit in NYC to be performed at a small theater in midtown Manhattan. We scheduled one show, but within a few days of ticket sales we quickly realized that we were going to need to add a second show.

The night of the benefit was magical. Two sold out shows! Two brilliant performances by the cast! And as the last note rang out, the crowd stood to their feet!

Several people approached us and asked if we had plans to perform it again. We didn't. But after a few weeks, the cast re-assembled at Chelsea Studios for a private Industry Invitation Only reading of the piece. 


After that showing, we were invited to perform at Rattlestick Theater's F-ing Good Plays Festival on January 9th. 

That same week, we were honored to learn that WITNESS UGANDA had been chosen as one of three pieces to perform at the 2010 Disney/ASCAP Workshop in Los Angeles, hosted by the legendary Stephen Schwartz! Um...we were screaming...and crying! 

This piece has inevitably become The Little Engine that Could! From a One Night benefit in NYC to the Disney Lot in LA! Unbelievable!


We are now in sunny LA, preparing to present our Little Engine on February 17th at 7pm on the Disney Lot in Burbank, CA. This cast features the talents of some of the most incredible actors we have ever met! We are honored and thrilled that audiences are responding to the message of the piece: Bela Musana (Be the Light!).


Please continue to follow the journey of WITNESS UGANDA on this blog, because ultimately the story belongs to YOU...

Art Work by Taylor Dunham
www.bethechangeuganda.com 

Photos from the 1st Benefit! by Jen-I Talkington