25 YEARS SINCE 9/11 · NOW BOOKING 2026–2027
Behind the Linesa 9/11 Story
A retired FDNY firefighter who survived the World Trade Center. A combat veteran of the wars that followed. Their true stories, told live and woven through an original score by trumpeter Dominick Farinacci.
THE SHOW
Two generations. One day that changed everything.
Set against 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Behind the Lines pairs personal testimony with live music. Lighting and staging shift color to trace what each storyteller carried — and what helped them heal.
FDNY RESCUE COMPANY 5
Bill Spade
The only member of his twelve-person company to survive 9/11. He speaks openly about survivor's guilt, fatherhood and healing, and serves as a docent at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
U.S. ARMY · 82ND AIRBORNE
Jaymes Poling
Enlisted at 17 and served three combat tours in Afghanistan. Today he uses story, music and public speaking to break the isolation so many veterans face.
COMPOSER · TRUMPET
Dominick Farinacci
Cleveland-born trumpeter and Juilliard alum who composed and arranged the score — original music alongside reimagined works by other artists.
Directed by Emmett Murphy · Lighting design by Garrett Caine · Meet the full team
OUR IMPACT
Stories that move people toward help.
40,000
people reached through Modern Warrior LIVE programs
150+
performances for veterans, first responders and civilians
4,000
attendees connected to mental health resources at events
75%
say they're more likely to seek mental health support afterward
IN THEIR WORDS
“After 25 years, a weight has been lifted.”
RECOGNIZED BY
James Mattis
26th U.S. Secretary of Defense
Denis McDonough
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2021–2025
Anthony Principi
U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2001–2005
PROGRAMS
More than a night at the theater.
Every performance is a doorway: to conversation, to local support, and to people telling their own stories. See all programs
01
Modern Warrior LIVE
The flagship production: one Army veteran's path from Afghanistan through post-traumatic stress to renewed purpose.
02
High School Performances
Behind the Lines plus a talkback for students born after 2001 — history and mental wellbeing, together.
03
EXPERIENCE Workshop
Guided storytelling that helps people shape lived experience into a story they can share in schools, workplaces and communities.
04
Local Activations
Each tour stop connects audiences with local mental health providers and veteran and first-responder organizations.
FOR PRESENTERS
Book Behind the Lines
Theaters, universities, conferences, VA and first-responder organizations: we're scheduling the 2026–2027 season now.
SUPPORT THE MISSION
Help us reach the next audience
Your gift puts this show in front of students, veterans and families — and connects them with care close to home. Modern Warrior LIVE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.