Warat Home: Students Respond to September 11th
Written by Nicole Quinn and Nina Shengold
Directed by University of Scranton Student Catherine Fischer
Every year September 11th comes. The students at the University of Scranton rush to Starbucks to get their coffees then run to get to class on time, and later fight to get a good seat in the library so they can cram for their midterms. Maybe if they are writing a paper, they notice date but a after minute, they continue typing because that research paper, that Bio-Chem lab, that Honor’s project just can’t wait. Or, worse, maybe they don’t notice the date at all. Then the day passes, as if nothing ever happened.
It’s a disturbing mentality, and it’s present in Scranton, where the majority of the students were too far away removed from the acts of terrorism to be personally affected. But it’s hard to tell if society has healed from the loss of 2,995 citizens, or if it has simply forgotten.
However, for Catherine Fischer it’s more than just another fall day. Her dad worked in the Twin Towers and was there the morning of the attacks. Fortunately, he made it home safe, although many others did not.
When Catherine came to Scranton, she saw that many of her peers failed to recognize or offer any sort of remembrance on the day of the attacks. So when Catherine decided that she wanted to direct something meaningful for the students on campus, she was inspired by her dad, and knew that a play about 9/11 could have the same impact on others.
As an undergraduate with majors in Theater and Communication, she combined her knowledge and set out to raise awareness on campus. She said in an interview, “I wanted to inspire people, and get people to see that this was a big deal.”
Thus, Catherine scheduled a staged reading and began searching for the perfect play. The piece that she eventually chose was War at Home: Students Respond to SeptemA group of students in a New York State high school 100 miles north of Ground Zero responds to the events of September 11th, 2001. The text of this ensemble piece was created from journal writings of over 40 students, teachers, and community members in the weeks immediately following 9-11.ber 11thwritten by Nicole Quinn and Nina Shengold. The piece is potent with emotion—some of it written in by the playwrights, but most of its text was actually derived from the journals of over 40 students, teachers, and community members it the weeks immediately following 9/11. Because of that, it offered a diverse range of perspectives that illustrated the severity of the attacks. “I chose it because it definitely showed the students’ perspective,” Catherine said, “and all the characters had stories that the students on campus could easily relate to.”
Next, Catherine had to have the auditions, pick the cast, schedule the rehearsals, direct the play, and publicize the reading. All of which, she did on her on time in between schoolwork. She said, “The hardest part was directing my peers because I have to be on that level where I am their director, and it’s hard to be forceful with your friends, and it was hard for me to find that balance at first.”
However, despite the challenges, Catherine presented a compelling performance on February 3rd and 4th with the help of many skilled actors. Over 150 audience members attended the event and many of them stayed after the performance to talk to Catherine. She stated, “I definitely got some really good feedback, and some people even said that it sparked a desire in them to talk about their experience with 9/11. That was the most positive aspect, because that was what I really wanted.”
Now that this project has ended, Catherine is planning on doing more readings in the future. Although some of them may also be on 9/11, she also wants to “expand her horizons and conquer more challenging pieces.” As a aspiring young director, Catherine opened the eyes of many members of our Scranton community, and reminded them that 9/11 is much more than a date.