In Commemoration of 9/11

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had a profound effect on New Yorkers, as well as U.S. citizens all across the globe. On the tenth anniversary of the attacks, numerous performance events are being held around the city to commemorate the occasion, ranging from star-studded affairs to smaller-scale off-off-Broadway productions.

The Guys (Multiple venues, September 6-9)
Sigourney Weaver and Tom Wopat star in a remounting of Anne Nelson’s play, which was one of the first to be produced in the wake of the tragedy. It tells the story of a fire captain who has lost most of his men in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center, and an editor who helps him write their eulogies as she struggles herself to come to terms with the event. Jim Simpson, who helmed the show’s original run, once again directs.

Sweet and Sad (Public Theater, September 6-25)
Written and directed by Richard Nelson, the play explores the ever-changing state of the nation through the story of the liberal Apples (introduced last season in Nelson’s That Hopey Changey Thing) as they gather for Sunday brunch on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. The ensemble cast features Jon DeVries, Shuler Hensley, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, and J. Smith-Cameron. Immediately following the September 8 performance, Alec Baldwin will moderate the Public Forum discussion, “The 9/11 Decade: New York and America After the Towers,” held in conjunction with the play.

Invasion! (Flea Theater, September 6-October 1)
Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s Obie Award-winning play is a subversive comedy about identity and stereotypes in a post-9/11 world. Erica Schmidt directs, with most of the original cast from last season’s production of the piece returning to reprise their roles.

A City Reimagined (The Greene Space, September 7 & 8)
Joan Allen, Carl Hancock Rux, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Rocco Sisto, Peter Strauss, and Rachel Ticotin will be among the performers who will read first-hand accounts of a diverse mix of New Yorkers, which were gathered by Columbia’s Oral History Research Office within days of the terrorist attacks. In addition, Rux will perform an original spoken word piece with accompaniment by cellist/trombonist Dana Leong.

Performing Tribute 9/11: Ordinary People, Remarkable Stories (Multiple venues, September 7-17)
Endurance Theatre’s production weaves together the unique and inspiring stories of individuals who were directly impacted by the events of 9/11– survivors of the North and South Towers; family members who lost loved ones; an evacuated area resident; a retired FDNY firefighter who responded to the site, a New Jersey resident who volunteered in the aftermath with the Salvation Army, and volunteers who helped in the rescue and recovery.

New Work Now! (Public Theater, September 7-18)
This series of new play readings begins and ends with works dealing with the aftermath of the attacks: Julian Sheppard’s Zero, directed by Leigh Silverman and Dawn Jamieson’s Mangled Beams, directed by James Fall Shubinski.

Barriers (HERE, September 7-18)
Rehana Lew Mirza’s play, presented by Desipina & Co., focuses on a South Asian family’s loss from the 9/11 attacks and the backlash they endure.

A Blue Sky Like No Other (Baruch Performing Arts Center, September 7-25)
Steve Fetter’s one-person show pays tribute to the firefighters lost on 9/11 and serves as a memoir of how that day ultimately changed his life.

Pieces of Paper – Aspirations of 9/11 (Irondale Center, September 8 & 9)
This dramatic reading explores the deeply personal as well as the collective experiences of 9/11 volunteers as they reach out to others in the days after the attacks.

110 Stories (Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, September 8 & 9)
Mario Cantone, Billy Crudup, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa Leo, James McCaffrey, Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra, Tony Shalhoub, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tamara Tunie, Kathleen Turner, and Ben Vereen are among the actors scheduled to participate in a reading of Sarah Tuft’s play, based on first-person accounts of 9/11 and its immediate aftermath, to be directed by Gregory Mosher.

More Or Less I Am (Various venues, September 8-11)
Obie Award winner David Patrick Kelly is among the featured performers in this music-theater adaptation of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” which aims to offer New Yorkers a timely reminder of America’s diversity, interdependence, and optimism as they reflect on the events of ten years ago and the ways in which it both unified and polarized the country.

New York (Hudson Guild Theater, September 8-11)
David Rimmer’s play features 15 characters and 16 scenes, all expressing the heartbreak — and the strength and resilience — of the days after 9/11. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

Broadway Sings “New York, New York” (Duffy Square, September 9)
Members of the Broadway community will sing Kander and Ebb’s “New York, New York,” as an encore to the iconic performance that took place one decade ago when Broadway performers helped inspire New Yorkers to return to normalcy with a landmark outdoor performance.

The 9/11 Performance Project (Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, September 9-11)
This series of plays includes Karen Malpede’s Another Life, starring George Bartenieff and Eunice Wong in a satiric story of a mogul and his daughter locked in a titanic struggle that brings to light questions of complicity and conscience in civil society; Jeton Neziraj’s Demolition of the Eiffel Tower, a tragicomedy that addresses terrorism arising as a consequence of global political and religious conflicts; and Wajahat Ali’s The Domestic Crusaders, a no-holds barred depiction of a day in the life of a contemporary Pakistani-American Muslim family post-9/11/01. The Project will also feature student productions and panel discussions that relate to the 9/11 commemoration.

The Song of Job 9:11 (Various locations, September 9-16)
Acclaimed composer Danny Ashkenasi’s musical oratorio combines documentary text of the events of 9/11/2001 and excerpts from the Old Testament Book of Job with a stirring popularly accessible classical score.

Orange Alert (South Street Seaport, September 9-18)
Robert Funaro stars in Stephen Girasuolo’s new play, which takes place in present-day Ground Zero, and examines the rejuvenation of the area.

In Performance: Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of September 11 (Nelson A. Rockefeller Park, September 10 & 11)
This evening of dance and music will include “A Song For You” by Matthew Rushing; a world premiere by Jessica Lang Dance created especially for this occasion; the Limón Dance Company with Voices of Ascension; and the Paul Taylor Dance Company with Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

10 Years After Paradise (Cherry Lane Theatre, September 11)
Tony Award nominee Will Swenson stars in Israel Horovitz’s companion piece to his 2001 solo work 3 Weeks After Paradise, which the playwright wrote in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

In the Name of God (Judson Memorial Church, September 11)
Based on the PBS/Frontline Film documentary Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, Peter-Adrian Cohen’s play focuses on the crisis of faith engendered by the experience of witnessing the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Thom Fogarty directs this staged reading.

A Concert of Commemoration, Honoring the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (Lincoln Center, September 11)
Distinguished Concerts International New York presents Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace and For the Fallen: In Memoriam Alfryn Jenkins, as well as René Clausen’s Memorial, with the individual pieces conducted by the composers themselves.

Ten Years Later: Voices of the Post 9/11 Generation Speak (Peter Jay Sharp Theater, September 12)
Co-Op Theatre East and Project Girl Performance Collective debuts this ensemble-devised play, with its young cast exploring what it means to come of age in a post-9/11 society, living in the shadow of Twin Towers that most of them have never seen.

Awakening: A Musical Meditation on the Anniversary of 9/11 (BAM Harvey Theater, September 21-24)
The Kronos Quartet performs the New York City debut of this resonant collection of music evoking poignant moments from a rich multicultural fabric. The 12-piece work comprises contrasting compositions from 11 countries and features the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.