February 6, 2014

Bikeman-A 9/11 Play opens

Bikeman is now an off-Broadway play! It is directed by Michael Bush, featuring Robert Cuccioli. And it is now a part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The theater is the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at 199 Chambers St., just a few blocks from the Memorial site.
In a recent interview, I was asked about why do a play about 9/11 now in New York City.  Part of the reason, I think, is New Yorkers weren't ready until now. Here is part of that interview:

Why now? 
Why now is a very important question. I think it goes to the heart of New Yorkers’ reaction — to this day — towards the events of 9/11. I see it in the audience. For a long time, what is it more than 12 years now, I have found New Yorkers to be reluctant, even fearful of re-visiting that day. It is a wound still. But I see them beginning to approach 9/11 more now than they have since that morning. As they watch the play, I see them begin to open up to it emotionally. By the end, they are living it. The emotions they show come from inside them. It is their story now. One they have re-lived, and they seem finally, after all these years, ready to embrace.
What do you hope people take away from Bikeman: a 9/11 Play
Just that. It is a report, an accurate account of the morning. But so much more. It is an opportunity for each person who sees the play to have the experience of 9/11. 
- See more at:  
http://bikenyc.org/blog/talking-bikeman-911-poet-playwright-thomas-flynn-nyc#sthash.DksrUM9M.dpuf