Just before Christmas 2001 David Rimmer sat down with two producers to discuss writing about 15 minutes of material, a few short scenes, for a show benefiting a September 11th-based volunteer psychiatrists group. He thought it might be a weekend’s work, maybe transcribing therapy sessions into scenes. He wrote his first scene on his way home. Three months later, there was a full-length play, New York, with 15 characters, 16 scenes, all expressing the heartbreak — and the strength and resilience — of the days after 9/11.
Since its premier performance in April 2002, New York’s been produced around the world, first in the tri-State area and New England, and then, after Samuel French published it, throughout the Midwest, the South, and the West Coast, and Switzerland, Scotland, and New Zealand. Word of mouth about this play is spreading, and the feeling of hope amidst tragedy touches the hearts of every audience that sees it.
The Group Theatre Too (Michael Blevins and Justin Boccitto, Co-Founders) will be bringing New York back to New York City, at the Hudson Guild Theater from September 8th through the 11th, 2011.
Rimmer will be directing a strong cast of actors, including Broadway performers Polly Adams (Lost in Yonkers), Elaine Bromka (The Rose Tattoo), Catherine Hyland (Harold and Maude), Catherine Kellner (The Iceman Cometh), as well as Megan Berg, Steven Bidwell, Bob Ferreira, Michelangelo Milano, Kathleen Peirce, Skyler Pinkerton, Scott Price, Jen Ryan, Thomas Tinelli, Kaylee Torres and Jennifer Williams.
A portion of the proceeds from New York will be donated to the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a non-profit organization founded by family members of those lost on September 11th who have united to turn grief into action for peace.
New York runs Thursday, September 8th at 8pm; Friday, September 9th at 8pm; Saturday, September 10th at 2pm and 8pm; and Sunday, September 11th at 2pm, at the Hudson Guild Theater, located at 441 West 26th Street, New York, NY, 10001 (between 9th and 10th Ave. inside the Hudson Guild Community Center). Tickets are $18 and you can purchase by visiting www.NewYorkThePlay.org. For group sales call Justin Boccitto at 917-880-7724.