by Craig Wright
Directed by Topher Alan Payne
Nov 4-19, 2016
Fifteen years after the tragic events of September 11, 2001 most of us can look back on this date and remember in vivid detail what we were doing, where we were, and who we were with. Recent Tragic Events, a play by Craig Wright, takes place the day after 9/11. The characters in the play are still very shaken as they grapple with how this tragedy effects their lives and changes their understanding of the world around them.
On September 12, 2001, Waverly and Andrew decide to go through with their blind date, but find themselves staying at Waverly’s apartment. They are joined by Waverly’s neighbors and her great aunt Joyce Carol Oates, trapped in Minneapolis by the grounding of all the airplanes in the country. Over pizza and drinks, with the constant news coverage of the Attack on America playing in the background, this odd gathering of folks brings to light questions of fate, chance and free will, as well as how we are all interconnected.
If all of this sounds depressing, think again. Playwright Craig Wright handles the subject with dark humor, while still giving his audience much to think about. Variety described Recent Tragic Events as “…a poignant, thought-provoking, and yes, essentially amusing piece on the subject [of 9/11]. Indeed, the play offers a lesson in how the theater can deal with such a momentous event without being trite, maudlin, trivial, or disrespectful.”
Meet the cast and crew HERE