Created by internationally acclaimed jazz musician Dominick Farinacci and combat veteran Jaymes Poling, Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story is a live story, music, and theatre performance set against the tragedy of the September 11 attacks and the war that followed. World Trade Center firefighter Bill Spade—the sole survivor from FDNY Rescue Company 5—and Poling, a three-tour Afghanistan combat veteran with the 82nd Airborne Division, relive their experiences and find an unexpected bond in strength, meaning, and the weight of what they continue to carry after service.

Farinacci—described by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise who plays beautifully, with expressive control and brings true musicality”—brings an international career shaped by Juilliard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, a TED Talk, and award-winning recordings, alongside a deep commitment to music and mental well-being. Poling brings a hard-earned firsthand perspective and a powerful ability to translate lived experience into meaning and purpose onstage. Spade—featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the BBC—brings audiences inside the lived reality of that day and the aftermath, sharing what he lived through with rare clarity, courage, and gravity.

The music serves as the internal voice of the piece—deepening the narrative and revealing the humanity beneath the events. Performed live by a full ensemble led by Farinacci, the score spans original compositions alongside reimagined works by Leonard Cohen, Gnarls Barkley, Tom Waits, and more, heard through the emotional lens of the story. The production unfolds in a cinematic world where light, image, and space translate feeling into color. Inspired by synesthesia, the multimedia and lighting design maps each shift in Bill and Jaymes’ psychological states, creating an immersive environment that elevates both the storytelling and the music.