20 Years Later

A theatrical investigation into what it means to grow up post 9-11

Presented at Rattlestick Theatre, Wild Project, Segal Center and AIDS Memorial Plaza

“20 Years Later” is a multidisciplinary documentary theatre project weaving testimonies, interviews, and photography from people aged 20 and under, alongside those who were teenagers on September 11, 2001. The performance examines what it means to come of age as part of the “post-9/11 generation,” and how a defining historical event is remembered by those who did not experience it firsthand.

The project sparks dialogue about how history, memory, and meaning are transmitted across generations, and how media, particularly social media, shapes collective memory and knowledge. “20 Years Later” is inspired by “10 Years Later” (2011), a collaboration between Co-Op Theatre East and Project Girl Performance Collective (now Girl Be Heard) that centered young people reflecting on the decade following the events of September 11th, 2001.

Photographs and testimonies from "20 Years Later" are featured in Anthropology News, "An Extended Moment of Silence: Reflections on How September 11th is Taught to the Post 9-11 Generation." 

CREDITS

Directed by Ash Marinaccio

Assistant Directed by Melissa Ingle

Featuring Jason Wang, Ciela Elliot, Emma Kotkin, Bryan Moreno, Marielle Parra, and Kristen Hoffman

Additional Videography by Noura Jost

A 15-minute excerpt of 20 Years Later was presented at the Martin E. Segal Center as part of the 2019 "Screening Performance; Performance Screens" conference. This workshop was streamed on HowlRound (the performance begins at 11:35 on this).