17 years

This Tuesday marks 17 years since 9/11. As a Utahan, I've always felt slightly removed from the attacks because I was sitting safely at North Ogden Junior High watching on TV when the towers fell, but as an American - it's something I'll never forget. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way. And when big things happen in the world, it impacts every tiny corner of our society, but especially art.

There have been a lot of great works of art created in memory of the events of that day. Most recently and most appropriate for this blog is Come From Away. I really love the idea that whether an act of tragedy, joy or just something that is just plain newsworthy - theatre is usually there to answer the call in some way. Either through commemoration, dissection or celebration on stage.

As I was thinking about this upcoming anniversary, I was really interested in learning more about the days immediately following the attacks and how that must have impacted the theatre community. I can't imagine having to perform in a Broadway show with a sore throat - so how were these actors able to carry on in the days following? Watch the video below - actors from Urinetown, Mamma Mia! and The Producers share their experiences:



I think performing in a show can be cathartic - a chance to play somebody else for a while, but attending a show can provide the same effect. Even though people were devastated and scared, they were looking to the city institutions for hope. Mayor Giuliani emphasized the importance of Broadway reopening, right along with the Stock Exchange and City Hall.*

"The theatre plays a funny, two-sided role when New York is walloped by a calamity — natural disasters, blackouts, or a terrorist attack. In the first calculations, it's as incidental and marginal as a flower show. What could matter less? But, very soon after, within a couple days, it takes on a significance that far outweighs its actual importance. Broadway is Gotham's biggest, most visible cultural symbol. When it's down, the City's down. When it's up, the City's back in business." - Robert Simonson

After the attacks, Broadway was down for only two days. On September 13th, with dimmed marquees, Broadway opened again. This article tells a story of a couple attending the September 13th performance of The Producers and because CNN was there to report on Broadway re-opening, they were filmed and the couple's son - whom they weren't able to reach - was able to confirm that they were safe.

On September 28th, both as a rallying cry for their community and as a chance to help bring people back to The Great White Way, over 400 members of the Broadway community gathered, without pay, in Times Square to sing "New York, New York." This gathering was filmed and turned into a commercial that played in 20 countries. You can see it below - it's pretty awesome.



Bernadette Peters said this about the gathering:

"All New Yorkers wanted to do something, and the Broadway community did what we could which was to show that we need to band together and tell people not to be afraid."

Broadway became a refuge after the attacks. A place where you could forget, even if for only a couple of hours, about your fear. A place where you could feel safe. A place where you can feel at home.
That is one of the things I love so much about theatre - it can fill your soul with what it really needs at any given moment - hope, laughter, or even just a chance to have a good cry in a dark theatre.