Members of the Elon community gathered Sept. 14 for the weekly College Chapel service in Whitley Auditorium, hearing the story of a faculty member who recently performed in a play about the attacks and joining together to weave ribbons to mark the occasion.
Kirby Wahl, assistant professor of performing arts, was an actor in a recent production of “The Guys,” a play about a fire captain who wrote eulogies for the firefighters he lost in the World Trade Center. Wahl said the play “is a snapshot of how we reacted, and how these people who were so close to it reacted in the aftermath.”
Wahl likened the affects of the 9/11 attacks to ripples of water created by a pebble. “How do we find ourselves in the ripples?” Wahl asked, pointing out that everyone is affected in some way. He also said the attacks underlined the fact that all of humanity is related to each other.
“We are related to absolutely everyone who perished on 9/11, including the 19 hijackers. We are related to Rudy Giuliani and George Bush, and we are related to Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atta. We are affected by others. We are affected by the ripples.”
Wahl said those ripples that ultimately touch each one of us compelled him and other cast members to perform “The Guys.”
“The ripples inspired us to perform the play. It was a fitting tribute for the fifth anniversary.”
Those attending the service were invited to the stage at the conclusion to weave together ribbons, symbolizing the connections between each of us and the impact of the 9/11 attacks on individuals and humanity as a whole.