New Victoria Productions, also known as the New Vic of Tamaqua, has announced its next production, “The Guys” by Anne Nelson.

The special performance will honor the lives lost and forever changed on Sept. 11, 2001, and will serve as a benefit for the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce.

The one-night-only staged reading will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 from The Perla Building, 105 W. Broad St., Tamaqua.

Set less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, “The Guys” follows Joan, an editor, who receives an unexpected call from Nick, a fire captain who has lost most of his men in the attack.

Seeking help in writing eulogies for the fallen, Nick and Joan spend an afternoon recalling the firefighters’ virtues and quirks, crafting their memories into moving tributes. As they navigate grief, they also discover friendship, shared resilience, humor and the enduring bonds of humanity.

Based on a true story, the play is a poignant reflection on loss, memory and community, according to the Dramatists Play Service.

The performance will feature Melisa Klausner as Joan and Jarrod Yuskauskas as Nick.

Klausner worked for many years as a musical theater performer, appearing on Broadway, in national tours, off-Broadway and in Toronto — including several years with “Les Misérables,” performing alongside original Valjean, Colm Wilkinson.

She coaches young actors and adults in audition preparation, storytelling through song, scene study and theater games/improvisation.

A graduate of the New Actors Workshop Conservatory in New York City, she trained under founders Mike Nichols, George Morrison and Paul Sills, honing her craft in Stanislavski-based Technique and Viola Spolin Theatre Games.

Klausner is a founding company member of the New Vic of Tamaqua and resides in Emmaus with her husband, Matt.

Yuskauskas grew up in and resides in the Tamaqua area, where his love of performance began at the Tamaqua Little Theatre. He holds a bachelor of arts in theater from DeSales University and a Master of Fine Arts in acting from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival/University of Alabama.

His regional credits include performances with Alabama, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Shakespeare festivals, as well as the Media Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse and BRAT Productions. Locally, he has performed at Civic Theatre of Allentown, Muhlenberg Summer Theatre, NCC Summer Theatre, Cedar Crest Performing Arts and the Allentown Symphony.

As an educator, he led the award-winning theater program at Moravian Academy for 12 years, served as adjunct faculty and dialect coach at Muhlenberg College and has directed for Lafayette College. He will direct for Cedar Crest in 2026.

Yuskauskas is proud to be a co-founder of the New Vic of Tamaqua.

The Perla Building holds special significance as it occupies the site of Tamaqua’s historic Victoria Theater, a gilded jewel box proscenium-style theater that hosted live performances and films until the 1970s. The location inspired the creation of New Victoria Productions, the New Vic of Tamaqua.

Cash sales of tickets will be held at the door beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the performance.

All proceeds benefit the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, contact chamber@tamaqua.net.