THEATER AND DANCE: Angelina Hawke of Yardville, Pa., Timika Young of Ewing, and Hakim Hachicha of Lawrenceville will appear in “The 9/11 Memorial Performance Project” at the Studio Theatre at Mercer County Community College. (Photo courtesy of MCCC)
Stories from 9/11 survivors and witnesses come to life in “The 9/11 Memorial Performance Project,” to be performed by the Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Academic Theatre & Dance Company on Friday and Saturday, December 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. This special theatrical dance performance will be presented in MCCC’s Black Box Studio Theatre, CM 122, located next to Kelsey Theatre on the college’s West Windsor Campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road.
MCCC’s Dance and Theatre Coordinator, Jody Gazenbeek-Person, created the performance with assistance from Co-Directors LouJ Stalsworth and Daniel Spalluto, along with students who conducted private interviews with individuals who were personally affected by what happened on September 11, 2001. The performance offers a perspective on the number of lives that were touched in so many different ways due to the ripple effect of the events surrounding the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and a field in Shanksville, Pa.
The event, combining dance, acting and music, will be performed on two nights.
Gazenbeek-Person described how the project came to fruition last fall. “After walking the halls of the college and listening to different reports on the news, I realized that students had no palpable context for the events that occurred that day in 2001,” he said. “History has ramifications that are felt by those who experienced it, and there is great wisdom to be passed on from an older generation to a younger generation. I think that any audience member who finds their way to our performance may hear a story similar to theirs — maybe even heal some of the trauma they still might be experiencing.”
The show takes part in three scenes without intermission.
Tickets $15-$19. Visit Kelsey.mccc.edu or call (609) 570-3333. Ticket purchases cover both a livestreamed and in-person event.