Stories from the Stage reflects on 9/11 in season 5 premiere

As the nation prepares to observe the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Stories from the Stage, the award-winning series from WORLD Channel, returns for its fifth season with a special: Changed Forever 9/11. Featuring three storytellers recounting true-life events related to the aftermath of September 11, the episode debuts on Monday, September 6, at 9:30 p.m. ET on WORLD Channel and worldchannel.org.

Hosted by Wes Hazard and Theresa Okokon, Stories from the Stage has amassed critical acclaim and fan devotion over the course of five seasons. Showcasing ordinary people sharing extraordinary stories with a unifying theme, the series spotlights diverse tellers who each share moments — from the everyday to the life-altering — that remind audiences of our shared humanity.

The season premiere, Changed Forever 9/11, offers three storytellers who reveal how 9/11 changed their lives and the world itself. Former award-winning newsman for The Washington Post and The Boston Globe David Filipov recounts how, weeks after losing his father during the 9/11 attacks, he found himself reporting from Afghanistan struggling to cope with his own loss and the devastation around him. As he bonds with the people he meets through shared grief, a Pop-Tart offers solace and a connection to childhood memories. For Bates College psychology professor Michael Sargent, a flight taken just days after the tragedy of 9/11 forces him to confront his own prejudices. Therapist Jude Treder-Wolff details how she reclaimed her own sense of hope and wonder following ten years of aiding 9/11 survivors, first responders and the bereaved.

“September 11 was a day that changed our nation and the entire world, a tragedy that, despite the horror, also helped unify our country with a sense of shared mourning and a determination to build a better future,” said Liz Cheng, general manager for GBH and WORLD Channel and co- executive producer of Stories from the Stage. “Now as the world is in the midst of another troubled time, we are grateful that our storytellers can help audiences pause to reflect on the day and show resilience despite the many challenges.”

Audiences can also experience Changed Forever 9/11 in podcast format when it drops as part of Stories from the Stage: The Podcast on September 8. Hosted by co-creators and co-executive producers Cheng and Patricia Alvarado Núñez, Stories from the Stage: The Podcast brings the great stories of the TV series to podcast listeners with updates on tellers, interviews and more. The podcast can be heard on the WORLD Channel website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever podcasts are found.

The new fifth season of Stories from the Stage continues in October with 26 additional episodes. On October 18, Newsworthy presents the behind-the-headlines stories of the people who bring us the news. On October 25, Resilience, produced in collaboration with Houston Public Media, features three Houston-based tellers sharing tales of difficult obstacles that helped them learn to bend, not break. Episodes exploring topics such as military life and the impact of sports will continue through November and return at the start of the new year.

Viewers can check worldchannel.org for the season schedule and to watch earlier seasons of the series. They can also view full episodes, individual stories and digital content on WORLD’s social platforms on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and the PBS App.

Stories from the Stage is presented by Boston-based WORLD Channel in collaboration with GBH and in partnership with Tell & Act.

ABOUT WORLD Channel

WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multicast 24/7 channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 189 member stations in markets representing over 73% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD Channel is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and Artworks. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org.