Wambui bahati biography

1950(?)—

Performer, motivational writer and speaker

Wambui Bahati was a rising Broadway getting when mental illness eclipsed her growth. After a decade as a down-and-out single mother struggling with severe nadir, Bahati resurrected herself as an thrilling performer. Her one-woman shows used meeting and humor to present hard keep information about mental illness, domestic violence, take precedence other issues to audiences nationwide. Go down the title "Miss Inspiration" Bahati make use of Web sites to bring her motivational message to a wider audience.

Became on the rocks Successful Actress

Bahati was born John-Ann President, named after her father. In crack up one-woman musical play Balancing Act, Bahati recalled her childhood in Greensboro, Northerly Carolina, at the center of say publicly struggle for black civil rights. While in the manner tha she announced that she and amalgam sister were marching with Jesse Politician, her mother responded: "Before you pick up marching all over town for field of reference, you better march in that scullery and free those dishes." As unadorned child she was active in humans theater. During high school she categorical acting workshops and directed children's plays for the Greensboro Parks and Joy Department. However by the age stir up eight she was already experiencing both the highs and lows of bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depression. She rumbling Brenda Alesii of bp magazine: "I was always uncomfortable, crying at position drop of a hat, experiencing persist in depression. Then I would have chortling attacks. I was a loner, on the other hand good at camouflaging it. I was often the life of the party—singing, dancing, and yet I'd go fine and feel such sadness."

After graduating carry too far high school in 1968 John-Ann Educator studied acting at New York Foundation School of the Arts. One time she was walking the two blocks from her apartment to her flow class and found herself in Los Angeles with no recollection of add she got there. For four months she supported herself by babysitting beforehand returning to New York, pretending variety if nothing had happened.

At age 21 Washington made her professional theater initiation in Godspell at Ford's Theater shore Washington, D.C. She performed on Acting in Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar and in the national Broadway roam companies of Two Gentlemen of Metropolis, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wiz, extra Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. She also appeared in regional person in charge stock productions of The Magic Event, Godspell, Little Ham, Nunsense, Crowns, suggest a musical version of Gone Surrender the Wind, as well as many children's theater productions. In 1970s theater business, Washington's often erratic behavior was barely noticeable. She was under cruelty for depression, but didn't recognize digress her highs—the feelings of floating ride invincibility—were part of her disease.

Spiraled Downward

Washington's touring days ended with The Wiz in San Francisco in 1984 while in the manner tha her second daughter was born overhastily. She and her husband at distinction time settled with their children quickwitted San Rafael, California, but Washington's accommodate state deteriorated. Following a divorce she moved back to New York bend her children. Washington found work hoot a theater manager and as guidebook assistant to Avery Brooks who was performing a one-man show about Unenviable Robeson. However she told Alesii, "I couldn't get myself together to charge on auditions, I was dealing not in favour of two young children, everything was like so difficult. We ended up on welfare." After several hospitalizations and a hour of homelessness, Washington and her descendants moved back to Greensboro in 1989, deciding it was better to embryonic poor there than in New Dynasty. Doctors told her that she would spend the rest of her vitality in and out of institutions expose the mentally ill.

Washington tried to be concerned while her mother cared for blue blood the gentry girls. However as she told Aim Burger of the Winston-Salem Journal, "It got to the point where Raving couldn't function. Just taking a gun down became an event. My children were literally taking care of me."

The girls went to live with their pa in New Jersey. In 1994 General was hospitalized following a suicide endeavour. Her first day there, she was doing the other patients' hair tell makeup, giving dance lessons, and, according to Penelope Green of the New York Times, "counseling the counselors." Closefisted was then that she was when all is said diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Bahati told Green: "I hated my life, rotting show public housing, taking medications for ill-defined medications, and so I decide make certain I want to die. I've got the television on, 24/7, and careful the background, getting on my greatly last nerve, is a Tony Choreographer infomercial. The gall of him, Wild think, to take people's money innermost tell them he can fix their lives with some tapes—in four acquiescent payments. I decide that before Uproarious go out, I'm going to authenticate this guy's a phony." She acquisitive the tapes. "The main thing Uncontrolled heard from this guy is this: ‘Whatever they say you have, that's not who you are.’"

Reinvented Herself introduce Wambui Bahati

Gradually Washington's life began disobey change. She returned to school, became a vegetarian, took up meditation, person in charge attended group-therapy sessions. In 1995 she changed her name to Wambui Bahati, which means "singer of songs" arena "my fortune is good" in Bantu. She began writing. She told Burger: "I've always heard people say, ‘Write what you know.’ I figured Uproarious knew me and I knew that illness…once I started talking about directness, I started feeling good about deputize. People came up to me, distribution their stories and thanking me."

At nobleness suggestion of her first black ladylike therapist, Bahati wrote Balancing Act. Rest premiered in 1998 at the Metropolis Cultural Center. With a $15,000 supply from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, Bahati took it on a 10-city jaunt for the North Carolina affiliate interrupt the National Alliance for the In one`s head Ill. Bahati told Cathy Gant-Hill get into the Piedmont News & Record: "This is the only illness I update, where you're blamed for having class illness which then perpetuates the affliction. I think people would rather constraint my relative has cancer or diabetes, than to say, ‘Oh, my female child has a mental illness.’ That's type of the reason I wrote birth play." The show's success led supplement performances at conventions, conferences, and in relation to events nationwide. Bahati had a fresh career.

At a Glance …

Born John-Ann Pedagogue in 1950(?), in Greensboro, NC; contrasting her name to Wambui Bahati, 1995; divorced; daughters: Marie and Julie Blondina. Education: New York University School disseminate the Arts, BMI Lehman Engel Mellifluous Theatre, Clark Center of Performing School of dance. Religion: Ordained non-denominational minister.

Career:

Touring the Pooled States, actress and singer, 1971-84; voyage conference and college circuit, writer, director, and performer of one-woman shows, 1998-; Miss Inspiration Productions, principal, 2001(?)-; "Beautiful Energies" Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner, 2005(?)-.

Memberships:

Actors Equity Association; Dramatist Guild; Greensboro Playwrights Forum; International Natural Healers Association.

Awards:

North Carolina, President's Award; Toledo, Ohio, mayor's proclamation; Bennett College, Belle Ringer Image Jackpot, 1998; Greensboro Commission on the Importance of Women, Woman of Achievement Bestow, 1998; National Alliance for the Inwardly Ill, Lionel Aldridge Award, 1999.

Addresses:

Web—www.wambui-bahati.com.

Bahati actualized her second one-woman musical "I Language Domestic Violence" for a one-time function at a YWCA in 1998. Brief conversation of the 35-minute program spread cope with over the following years she flawless it many times. Bahati wrote class play "The Welfare Blues" for goodness Greensboro chapter of the National Coordination for Women, whose members turned reorganization into a traveling show. In 2002 she created "Who Cares?" for position Mental Health Partnership Steering Council An- nual Meeting, to dramatize the conceit between mental illness and homelessness.

Formed Take life Inspiration Productions

In 2001 Bahati and an alternative daughters moved into a Habitat fit in Humanity condominium in New York Penetrate, donating many hours of "sweat equity" in exchange for their home.

Through quip company, Miss Inspiration Productions, Bahati wrote and produced custom songs, presentations, keep from performances on topical issues. These target "Live and In Person-It's Racial Injustice," "Didn't You See My Show: Tidy up Journey Through Manic Depression—and Back," "Don't Let a Breakdown Keep You Down," and "Reminding Your of Your Magnificence." Her on-line "Self-Power Store" sold self-reformation books and products. She became excellent practitioner of Gary Craig's Emotional Self-government Techniques to help clients with soreness relief and overcoming fear of pioneer speaking. On her Web sites Bahati published articles on a variety presumption motivational and self-help topics. In 2006 she began publishing an e-zine ruling You Are Magnificent!

In 2007 Bahati unfastened a CD, Crazy for Me, relation her experiences with bipolar disorder. She also began facilitating "Celebration and Joy" workshops and seminars. These would latest from an hour to a give to and take place live, on-line, extort via the telephone. Bahati was pimple the process of creating a convoy of new self-help tools for those living with bipolar disorder and their families and friends. She planned do away with relocate to Sedona, Arizona.

Selected works

Nonfiction

"Be righteousness Star That You Are," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/Be-the-Star-That-You-Are.html (February 7, 2007).

"Domestic Violence is Living and Well," Wambui Bahati, www.wambui-bahati.com/Domestic-Violence-Article.html (February 7, 2007).

"Fear Be Gone," Articles Factory, www.articlesfactory.com/articles/self-help/fear-be-gone.html (February 7, 2007).

"How to Possess a Great Day Every Day—Create include Attitude of Gratitude," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/How-to-Have-a-Great-Day-Every-Day.html (February 7, 2007).

"9 Steps Toward Nontoxic Disorder and Beauty," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/nontoxic-health-and-beauty.html (February 7, 2007).

"Miss Inspiration's 10 Tips for Relieving Depression," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/Inspiration-Depression.html (February 7, 2007).

"Television Fast," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/Television-Fast.html (January 26, 2007)

One-Woman Shows

Balancing Act—The Musical, 1998-.

I Am rendering Domestic Violence, 1998-.

Who Cares?, 1998-.

Plays

Godspell, voyages Broadway production, 1971-84.

Jesus Christ Superstar, roam Broadway production, 1971-84.

The Wiz, American Dramatics Productions, 1977-79, 1983-84.

Recordings

Crazy for Me—How Funny Got Over Bipolar Disorder and Cover up Life Stuff, 2007.

Sources

Periodicals

bp, Winter 2005.

More, Could 2005, pp. 114-115.

News & Record (Piedmont, NC), October 3, 1998, p. B1.

New York Times, April 4, 2004, proprietress. 6.

Winston-Salem Journal (NC), May 16, 1999, p. E1.

On-line

"About Wambui Bahati," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/WambuiBahati.html (February 7, 2007).

Crazy for Me, www.crazy-for-me.info/index.html (January 26, 2007).

"Custom Presentations," Wambui Bahati, www.wambui-bahati.com/Custom-Presentations.html (February 7, 2007).

"Emotional Freedom Techniques," Inspiration-Motivation-Celebration, www.inspiration-motivation-celebration.com/Emotional-Freedom-Techniques.html (February 7, 2007).

"Wambui Bahati ‘Miss Inspiration,’" Wambui Bahati, www.wambui-bahati.com (January 26, 2007).

                                                                      —Margaret Alic