08/19/2026
Kangagirl Productions presents a dynamic reading of
THE GUYS by Anne Nelson,
Directed by David Lee
Starring Becky Fisher Swanberg and Joe Swanberg
Location: John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center
Mandell Theatre
One performance only: September 11, 2026, 7:00pm!
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-guys-tickets-1997388604083
Less than two weeks after the September 11th attacks, New Yorkers were still in shock. One of them, an editor named “Joan”, receives an unexpected phone call on behalf of “Nick”, a New York Fired Department captain who lost most of his firemen in the attack. He was looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies he had a duty to present at their memorial services. Nick and Joan spend a long afternoon together, recalling the fallen men through recounting their virtues and foibles and firehouse stories, and crafting the stories into memorial speeches. In the process, Nick and Joan discover the possibilities of friendship in each other and their shared love of the unconquerable spirit of the city. As they make their way through the landscape of grief, they draw on humor, tango, and the appreciation of the enduring bonds of common humanity.
THE GUYS is based on a true story.
Inspired and wanting to create healing theatre, Anne Nelson wrote the play in nine days, and it was presented off-off-Broadway at the Flea Theatre starring Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murrary within 12 weeks of the tragedy.
The play was first presented in Orlando on September 11, 2002, on the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, with David Lee directing, Margaret Nolan producing and featuring Rebecca Fisher at the former Temenos Theatre in downtown Orlando. “It is my honor to revisit and assist in the presentation THE GUYS for the second time in Orlando and 25 years after the horrific events of 9/11. I was living in NYC on that date, and, like so many people in the world, was forever changed,” Lee says.
