“We all travel in our track… after 9/11, all over the city, people were jumping tracks”. In post 9/11 New York City, Nick, a fire captain, and Joan, a writer, share their experiences and lean on each other as they write eight eulogies for fallen firefighters. These two strangers navigate their grief through humor, compassion, the written word – and the power of human connection. “We have no idea what wonders lie hidden in the people around us.”

Based on a true story, The Guys follows two individuals less than two weeks after the September 11 attacks – New Yorkers are still in shock. One of them, an editor named Joan, receives an unexpected phone call on behalf of Nick, a fire captain who has lost most of his men in the attack. He’s looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies he must present at their memorial services. Nick and Joan spend a long afternoon together, recalling the fallen men through recounting their virtues and their foibles, and fashioning the stories into memorials of words. In the process, Nick and Joan discover the possibilities of friendship in each other and their shared love for the unconquerable spirit of the city. As they make their way through the emotional landscape of grief, they draw on humor, tango, the appreciation of craft in all its forms-and the enduring bonds of common humanity.

First performed in a hit off-off-Broadway production starring Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray, The Guys is a timeless drama about the surprising truths people can discover in ordinary lives, and the connections we make with others and ourselves in times of tragedy.

Directed by Newton Public Schools Theatre Teacher Olivia Moriarty, these performances feature NPS Theatre Teachers Paige Perkinson (Joan) and Jeff Knoedler (Nick). Special ticket pricing is available for teachers and first responders.