For three years now a group led by the L.A.-based Michael Hennessey and Elizabeth Regen has been marking the anniversary of 9/ll by mounting an evening of readings that honor the many victims of that tragic event. This year’s presentation of 9 to 11 Minute Plays and Stories featured eleven actors reading pieces written by people who were directly involved in 9/ll (Regen’s father, for example, was one of those who died as a result of exposure to the toxic Twin Towers site). A total of fifteen pieces were read and while some of them could have benefited from an editor’s hand (and /or more rehearsal time), there is no denying that the night was a moving and meaningful event. The personal testimonies and recollections were wide-ranging and eclectic: there was a prayer for 9/ll, a piece about healing, another about innocence lost (“my dreams of safety, security and trust are gone forever”), farewells to lost lovers, spouses, and friends, a Muslim girl’s salute to her father who died of 9/11 cancers—she also importantly reminded us that most Muslims are good people, not terrorists. Other pieces revisited the horror, terror and trauma of that fateful day, especially one called “Angelique” in which a desperate woman (Catherine Carlen) tries to reach her grand-daughter on the phone while the girl is trapped in one of the falling towers. A powerful, unforgettable monologue delivered with finesse. The evening was introduced by Jason Pooler’s video montage of 9/11 scenes and was concluded with a recital by the cast of the names of all those who had died of 9/11-related diseases since the last production of the show. Regrettably and sadly, that number was in the hundreds.
