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It's been 30 years since the Oklahoma City bombing, the most deadly domestic terrorist attack in this country's history, 168 people died. But for high school students today, that bombing can seem a bit distant. StateImpact Oklahoma's Beth Wallace reports that a new play hopes to bring the stories of those affected by the tragedy to the next generation. And I caution here, this story includes disturbing descriptions of the bombing's aftermath.

BETH WALLACE, BYLINE: At Putnam City West High School in Oklahoma City, students gather to watch a performance of "In The Middle Of The West," a play of testimonies from those affected by the bombing. Oklahoma City University junior Kevin Alvarado (ph) portrays Chris Fields, a firefighter captured in an iconic photo holding Baylee Almon, a baby who died in the blast.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEVIN ALVARADO: (As Chris Fields) I was waiting on the paramedics to get a blanket out. I - because (crying) we weren't going to put that baby on the ground. So - anyway, so once we got the blanket out, (crying) I sat down and I just pat her on the back, and I told her, you know, I've got to catch up with my crew and...

WALLACE: The actors, all students at OCU, are practicing verbatim theater. Actors each have an earpiece with interview recordings, so they exactly mimic inflections. Junior Maddy Grimes (ph) portrays Aren Almon, baby Baylee's mother.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MADDY GRIMES: (As Aren Almon) I remember the next day I woke up, I see the - saw the paper, the newspaper, and there was that picture of Chris and Baylee on the front of it. To know that I had lost a child, and I had everybody else see her dead, too.

WALLACE: After the performance, OCU senior Joy Noel Stachmus (ph) says it's important for young people to learn about the bombing through more than just lessons, but experiences like this.

JOY NOEL STACHMUS: Learning about it from their stories, rather than from an article or a textbook, is so, like, impactful, and it's so great to be able to have that empathizing with them, but also just to be able to hear the first-hand accounts of this is what it felt like for me.

WALLACE: Putnam City West senior Orion Bruins (ph) says seeing the performance gave substance to something that, to him, always felt intangible.

ORION BRUINS: It really made me think about how I might have reacted or how I might have handled something like that in the moment. And really just makes me think a lot.

WALLACE: As Oklahomans mark 30 years since the life-altering tragedy, the production hopes to ensure the voices of the Oklahoma City bombing are never forgotten.

For NPR News, I'm Beth Wallace in Oklahoma City.

(SOUNDBITE OF J^P^N'S "CONTORT.") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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