9-11 helps shape 1-man show ‘Eleventh & Love’ entertains, delivers important message

Naturally, Tim Collins was excited about spending a semester of his senior year at Vermont’s Marlboro College studying abroad. But, he was nervous about flying.

So nervous in fact, that as he waited to board his flight to London, Collins listened to relaxation tapes. The eerily calm voice of a man told him to imagine he was the plane. His fears allayed, Collins arrived at Huron University USA to the bonging of Big Ben on Sept. 10, 2001.

The events of the next day gave him a unique perspective on how the world outside the United States viewed the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. A writer and an actor, Collins absorbed all he could during his three months at the university attended by students from around the globe.

Collins, with the help of Belfast acting coach and director Larraine Brown, has turned his experience into a funny and moving 90-minute one-man show. “Eleventh & Love” will be performed this weekend at the Performance Project in Belfast.

A native of Sherrill, N.Y., a small town near Oneida, Collins portrays more than half a dozen characters including a stuttering sonnet-reciting coed, a stuffy English acting professor, a vodka-swilling Bulgarian flatmate, an insightful prostitute and himself. “Eleventh & Love” is his third one-man show but his first collaboration with Brown.

In an interview after the premiere of the show last week, Collins said that Sept. 11, 2001, was a defining moment for his generation. He predicted that the terrorist attacks and their aftermath would mold his generation in the way the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King had shaped his parents’ age.

“It [9-11] overshadows everything,” he said. “It’s an ugly event, but also a fantastic opportunity to give meaning to our lives. Our generation will be most affected by the fallout, yet it is also the generation that can do the most about what caused it. What I learned in London is that as Americans, we need to reinvent ourselves in a very serious way.”

Collins’ piece is at times funny, witty, touching and insightful. His rants as the venom-spewing, anti-American Bulgarian who listens to rapper “Snoop Doggity Dog” are frighteningly hysterical. His breathy prostitute is an exquisite combination of toughness, vulnerability and wisdom.

The only character he seems not to have a complete handle on is Tim. Yet, in an odd way, Collins’ vague portrayal of himself allows the character to function as a kind of “Everystudent” and lets young members of the audience experience what he did vicariously and intensely.

Collins hopes to take his one-man show on the road to theaters and colleges throughout the Northeast. Theatergoers of all ages would enjoy it, but the show should resonate emotionally with the under-20 crowd.

“Eleventh & Love” is a fascinating addition to the growing volume of art created in response to Sept. 11, 2001. Using his personal experience, Collins offers a unique and entertaining perspective on the horrendous events of that day.

“Eleventh & Love” will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Performance Project over the Belfast Post Office. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 338-2734.