Evento

Mendocino Theatre Company Brings "Shockwaves" and "The Guys" to Arena Theater

On Friday September 14, 2007, Mendocino Theatre Company and Willits Community Theatre present two original works: "The Guys" based on a story by Anne Nelson, and Shockwaves, a monologue written Amy Katz. This evening at the Arena Theater will be a performance benefiting, in part, local emergency first responders. Tickets are available at The Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore, and The Sea Trader, Gualala; The Record in Pt. Arena; Tangents in Ft. Bragg; and online at www.brownpapertickets.com. There is one performance only, Friday, September 14 at 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:30PM. Tickets are $20.00.

"The Guys" by Anne Nelson is the story of two people struggling to express grief and compassion in the midst of catastrophe. Two weeks after the September 11 attacks in New York City, Nick, a fire captain who lost most of his men that eventful day is given the task of writing eulogies for their memorial services. Joan, an editor, is helping him. As Nick recounts the fallen men's virtues and foibles to Joan, they wend their way through the emotional landscape of grief, as they draw upon humor, the tango, and the endearing bonds of community. The presentation will feature two of the Mendocino Coast's finest actors, Susan Maeder and Carter Sears, and is directed by David Woolis.

The evening opens with Shockwaves. Its a monologue written and presented by coast resident Amy Katz and is a moving, first-hand account centered around the events of the morning of September 11. Ms. Katz, then a teacher in class, was four blocks from Ground Zero.

The Guys first opened in New York in December of 2001 with Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver. According to author Anne Nelson, the most telling responses came from audience members who, like the main character, are emergency first responders. Their reaction was yes, this is who we are, and this is what we take pride in being. We're not heroes, patriots, or role models but a close-knit, highly trained team whose pride happens to be in protecting neighborhoods and the people who live and work in them.

Based on true stories, the evening's presentation of Shockwaves and The Guys will honor the vital role first responders play in protecting our communities and bringing out the best in all of us. The audience will return to those brief moments after 9/11 when the world was a village, united in tragedy.