As part of a new "Theater and Active Citizenship" initiative from the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, theater and poetry will serve to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 in Goddard Chapel at 5:30 p.m. this evening.
"Remembering September 11" features excerpts from plays written about the attack and performed by Underground Railway Theater, as well as a poetry reading from English Professors Deborah Digges and Linda Bamber. Sponsored by the Tisch College, the department of Drama and Dance, the English department, and the Women's Center, the event will have an open mic and talk-back session. Students and faculty members alike are encouraged to express their thoughts and their creative work on the events of Sept.11, 2001.
Tufts professor Molly Mead and Underground Railway Theater director Debra Wise conceived the event to be an interactive way to examine a shared history. "This is a community event," said Mead. "A shared way of saying, 'That was overwhelming, five years ago - can we talk about it?'"
Excerpts to be presented come from plays "Out of the Blue," by Tufts faculty member Laura Harrington, "Stuff Happens," by playwright David Hare, and "Guantanamo: Honor Bound To Defend Freedom," by British journalists Victoria Brittain and Gillian Slovo. "We want to show the relevance of the arts to active citizenship," said Mead. "We think this is a really powerful way to do that."
Art has played many roles in society throughout history, according to Wise, who will also perform at the event. "Theater has been, through the centuries, really, an example of art that engages the policy and engages the citizens pretty directly," said Wise. "It's a fairly recent phenomenon that people purchase tickets to see shows; we think about it as a commodity."
To Wise, art is a method of commenting on historical moments. She believes that, in engaging the intellect and inspiring emotion, art has a distinct, essential value. The event this evening will present an opportunity for people to reflect on their choices in the wake of Sept. 11, whether through political activism or an increased social awareness.
"I think a healthy sense of a desire to contribute to be[ing] an active part of community is at the base of what the [Tisch] College is all about," said Wise. "It's so important for us to think about what it means to be an active citizen in whatever profession we choose, whatever community we live in."
"Remembering September 11" is only the beginning for arts and activism at Tufts this year. During a one-year "Theater and Active Citizenship" residency with the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the roughly 30-year-old Underground Railway Theater will perform in conjunction with departments and student groups to address social issues. The concept of a theater-in-residence is a new initiative that marks the college's desire to include and use arts in the realm of active citizenship.
"If we're going to change communities and improve communities, we have to have a way to understand these communities," said Mead. "Art does that directly and immediately: Through film and theater, people tell their stories."
With films like "World Trade Center" and "United 93," as well as ABC's miniseries which ends this evening, "The Path to 9/11," it seems as though the arts and the media are ready to tackle Sept. 11 in a way that they haven't before. It's five years later, but is it still too soon?
Mead acknowledged the possibility that some students would not be ready to examine their thoughts and feelings about Sept. 11. "But certainly my hope would be that people who were on that cusp would come and feel that [the event] was being handled in a respectful way," she said.
