“The Guys” Julia W. Rath

Last night I visited First Folio Theatre in Oakbrook on what was the last night of a three night tribute to “9-11”. David Rice, the Artistic Director of the theater company explained that he got the idea after visiting the museum in New York. The play, itself, “The Guys” was written by Anne Nelson in just a few months after the event. It was first produced just months later.

Why did David select this particular script?

David liked the viewpoint and its freshness. He wanted to bring his audience a look at the first responders.

Above the 9/11 Museum are water fountains streaming to an endless hole in the ground, corresponding to the footprints where the two towers stood. The 9/11 Museum rests underground and there is a tour that shows the event in great detail.

The show itself is a story about Joan, a newspaper reporter (Linda Berger Gray) and how she wants to donate her time to do something meaningful after 9/11. She volunteers to help out Nick ( deftly handled by Mark L. Montgomery), a fire captain who was not on the same shift as his buddies, so he survived.

Joan offers to write eight eulogies for Nick to read at the various funerals he will be attending ( although the actual number is far greater).

Nick sits down and relates to Joan various stories and anecdotes about these eight men, which she writes up in her own words andhe later presents publicly.

It is great that a percentage of the funds raised for the three night event is in fact donated to this museum, as it is important to our future that we “Never Forget” our past!