Tuesday was the 6 year anniversary of the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks.
Tuesday was also the first day of rehearsal for Guys on Ice at Williamston Theatre.
Normally, those two things wouldn’t have any particular connection…but on September 11, 2001, I was also directing Guys on Ice. We were in our second week of rehearsal, and I had just driven to the theatre, listening to the soundtrack of the show in the car. As I was walking in, my friend Tessa was standing outside smoking and looking very upset, and I asked if she was okay. She, of course, told me what was happening, and I went inside to the greenroom to join everyone else at the television, where we saw the second plane crash.
We all watched for a while there (and everyone made their phone calls, and did the things you usually hear about in all of our “Where were you?” stories), and then I cancelled rehearsal and everyone left to go home to their families. The next few days of rehearsal were difficult, but we decided that a nice, fun, sweet story about life, love and friendship was just what people wanted, and that what we were doing was important and people would appreciate it, (turns out, we were right). And we, like so many others, just went on doing our thing.
So…yesterday, I got up, being excited about directing Guys on Ice again, at a new theatre, with some new cast – it’s a fun show, and I’ve been looking forward to it! Lots of ideas and plans bouncing around in my head…and I turned on the television, and there were the news folks talking about the anniversary of the attacks, and I was overwhelmed with an amazing sense of…well, not just sadness, which I imagine is natural, but also a strong feeling of…hope. An odd sense of Deja Vu, of course, but also a great deal of positivity. Yes, there are horrible things going on in the world, and Michigan’s economy is horrific, and times are tough…but yesterday morning I was reminded by the news, and my own recollections, of how bad and scary things can really be. And at the same time, because of a sweet, funny, touching play that I directed, I was also reminded that we can persevere, and we can pull through the hard times. I was reminded that what it’s really all about…the reason we’re all here…is each other. Whether it’s a terrible attack, a poor economy, or struggling to keep a small theatre afloat, we can, by coming together, come out on the other end of whatever trials are thrown at us.
So, for me, that’s what Tuesday was about. Yes, first day of rehearsal. Yes, the anniversary of an awful, awful event.
And also, for me, Tuesday was about Hope.
Tony Caselli 
TONY! I always think you need a Tony 🙂
Last week after I crashed & burned at Toastmasters (again), we three from my office came back to here and started talking about the next meeting– no one had signed up to give speeches yet. We thought it might be because the next meeting was on 9/11. So we decided right then to give 9/11 speeches.
I gave a speech about the things I had made note of– people’s actions and my own thoughts– in the days immediately following. I wrote a column about it in 2001 and drew from that.
My boss gave a speech on the Canadian reaction– how she felt about it all as a Canadian and what she observed in the years that followed there.
And then my partner-in-crime here– Dee– gave this amazing speech about putting the milestones of a lifetime in perspective and moving on with greater wisdom.
I was so worried about doing this. Toastmasters has been generally silly fun– we laugh so much in there– so I was a bit worried that this would be a shock to the system. But people seemed honestly moved, and glad that we had done it. And I think we all did the best speaking we had ever done and it was a lot of fun working on them together– a lot more fun for me at least!
In the end, the speeches were all about hope, so for me Tuesday was about Hope too! It was honestly one of the nicest days I’ve had in a long time.
Yay! I’m so glad your speeches went well! And I’m glad, too, that your Tuesday was good. I’ve never done the Toastmaster thing, so I really like reading about your speeches and experiences with them, it sounds like a lot of fun!
And now…with Tuesday done, on to Wednesday…where I will try to be hopeful, but will probably remain a little sleepy. 🙂
Hi Tony,
I’m in Ken Stevens’s Grant and Proposal Writing class. We’ll be working on writing small proposals for local arts organizations. He said that sometimes they really work out. Shall I try one for the Williamston Theatre?
~Renee
Heck yes! You can call the theatre and talk to Emily, our Development Director, if there’s any info at all that you need (517-655-SHOW)! She has a lot of that type of information in pre-packaged, just defrost, easy-to-swallow pill form, so it may even help with your project!
Thanks, Renee! That’s wonderful of you to think of us! 🙂
Wow, Tony. That’s a pretty amazing coincidence – and a pretty amazing story. I like hope. I think it’s one of the best emotions one can feel – and share with others. 🙂
Hey bunnydin! Hope the show’s going well!
I notice how 9/11 is turning into an interesting anniversary, more than a day of remembrance. Organizations like MyGoodDeed.org are helping turn it into a day of recommitment to service/volunteerism. Thanks for your anniversary post, and best wishes for Guys on Ice!
Thanks for your post, Jake – I’d not heard of mygooddeeds.com before, and checked it out. What a great site! Very inspirational.
Thanks for the good wishes for GUYS ON ICE, too – hope Esky in going great at the Gem!