La Salle’s Theatre Troupe Examines Tragedy in a Play
About 9/11 While Helping Others: Proceeds to
Benefit Children Who Lost Parents That Day

The La Salle University student troupe The Masque will perform a play about 9/11 and donate all proceeds to the Twin Towers Orphans Fund (TTOF), a foundation for children whose parents died in the attacks.
                                        
Cast and crew members said the play, Recent Tragic Events, is particularly important to them as it deals with a touchstone event in their lives.

“Our generation has taken a sort of ownership of the 9/11 tragedy, much as the way previous generations remember where they were for Pearl Harbor or when John F. Kennedy was assassinated,” said Doug Phelan, a senior who is the Masque’s producer.  “It's a moment of clarity and a turning point in American character. To do a show that helps to cope with the tragedy and fate of that day is something important. Also, to donate our proceeds to a charity like the TTOF, a fund that helps orphans of the attacks achieve their dream of college, is something that brings the show full circle to The Masque, which prides itself on being student-run, and therefore college student-centered.”

Photo by Sara Allen

Recent Tragic Events will be performed on Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in the University’s Dan Rodden Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. For information, call 215-805-0079.

The play, written by Craig Wright, occurs on September 12, 2001, in the Minneapolis apartment of Waverly, a young advertising executive. Soon to venture on a blind date amidst the television news coverage of the September 11 attacks, Waverly becomes preoccupied when she discovers that her twin sister, Wendy, a student in New York, has not been heard from. Waverly reassures herself that Wendy had no reason to be at the World Trade Center. As the evening unfolds, Waverly and her blind date, Andrew, an airport bookstore manager, realize that they are connected by a succession of bizarre coincidences.

Hannah Datz, a junior marketing/international business major, who plays Waverly, the female lead, said, “Recent Tragic Events tackles a serious issue in a tasteful and sometimes even comedic way.  It is a look at the indirect effects of 9/11 and how such a distant event has had such a detrimental effect on our personal lives and society as a whole.  I play someone whose twin may or may not have been in the towers when they fell.  It was challenging for me to get into Waverly's head and truly understand the pain and hurt she was going through in the days following the event.  I've been doing theater since I was seven, and this is the most realistic and important role I have ever and possibly will ever take on.  Sometimes the hardest roles to pull off are the ones that are written realistically and hit close to home.”

Pamela Woodward, a senior chemistry and bio-chemistry major who plays two roles in the production, said, “I'm a huge fan of shows that make you stop and think about the way you live or how things work.  To have the opportunity to be involved in such a show myself -- especially one based on an event so integral to my generation - is something that I'm so lucky to have had come along.  I'm working with an incredibly talented group of people, and I really think they do justice to the gravity of the topic -- people are really going to walk away from this with an opinion.  To evoke a reaction of happiness, anger, or sadness -- as long as it’s something -- that is the mark of good theater.  I definitely think that is what we have in RTE.  I'm so excited to be involved.”

Megan Marron, a freshman nursing major who plays the role of the stage manager, said, “I have not seen any plays about September 11, and I had preconceived notions about what a show dealing with the sensitive subject matter would be like. Recent Tragic Events has completely eradicated my pretenses. The show is creative, witty, insightful, and very ‘real.’ The characters continually attempt to digest the events of 9/11 while making sense of what such a tragedy means for individuals and society as a whole. This show is especially meaningful to me because I feel honored to be part of such a talented cast and a show dealing with such a paramount event in American history. To have lived through this tragedy makes the contents of the show more real and meaningful. Representing such a sensitive subject matter is a challenge but the end product emanates the reality of life as it was on September 12, 2001.”

Joseph Kain, a sophomore psychology major who plays the part of Ron, said, “This is a very meaningful play. I think the audience is going to have a very strong reaction to it, since many people were affected by the terrible events on September 11. To be involved in such a production that the audience can relate to so deeply is a rewarding experience.”

Byron Schmidt, a first-year MBA student at La Salle, plays the male lead, Andrew, in his first Masque production.“At first I was hesitant about the subject matter, 9/11 and all, but when I did take a look at  the play, I discovered that it was very respectful of the event, and so I decided to audition for it,” said Schmidt. “I think that it is important to show respect for 9/11 and the whole situation around it. This play does indeed respect the situation and also does it in such a way that you are not crying the whole time.”

The play is being directed by Tom Reing, a theatre professional who has directed several Masque productions.

This is not the first time that proceeds from a Masque production were given to charity: a production of The Drawer Boy, in February 2007, raised funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

Cast:
Waverly: Hannah Datz
Andrew: Bryon Schmidt
Ron: Joe Kain
Nancy/Joyce Carol Oates: Pam Woodward
Stage Manager: Meg Marron

Crew: Assistant Director: Val Ciaramella; Stage Manager: Kelly Carusi; Technical Director: Carolyn Holl; Set Designer: Steve Jurpalis; Master Electrician: Kelly Jones; Lighting Designer: Doug Phelan; Prop Master: Mary Kate Gillespie; Costume Master: Dorothy Mozloom; Sound Designer: Colin Quinn; Dramaturge: Margaret-Ann Krieger.