It was a day that made the world stand still, and an event that people will never forget. When air travel halted around the world on September 11, 2001, the people of Gander, Newfoundland came together to welcome airline passengers from around the world who had been stranded in their town. Theatre Calgary is thrilled to share their stories in the award-winning Canadian musical, Come From Away, running until June 27th.
Come From Away, created by by Irene Sankoff & David Hein (book, music & lyrics), with orchestrations by August Ericksmoen, and arrangements by Ian Eisendrath, premiered on Broadway in 2017 and received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best New Musical.
Set in Gander in the days following September 11, the musical captures the extraordinary true stories of passengers who were welcomed by a community that simply decided to care. When the rights to produce the show became available, Theatre Calgary jumped at the opportunity to include this as the final show of its 2025-26 season.
"This wonderful musical is intimate and expansive, deeply human, and quietly profound,” says Theatre Calgary’s Artistic Director Stafford Arima. ”At Theatre Calgary, we are continually drawn to works that illuminate who we are to one another. Come From Away does this with remarkable clarity and heart.”
Directing & choreographing Come From Away is Jesse Robb, whose choreography of Broadway’s Water for Elephants earned him a 2024 Tony nomination. Robb’s name will be familiar to Theatre Calgary audiences, having been the choreographer on A Christmas Carol since 2019. Born in Canada, Robb has spent much of his career in New York and still vividly remembers September 11 and the fear people felt friends and family in the city.
“I was a senior at New York University witnessing the towers fall and unable to call my parents to let them know I was okay,” he recalls. “I can still feel that fear of not knowing what was happening, or what could come next.”
That same anxiety and uncertainty was present with the thousands of airline passengers whose stories are told in Come From Away.
“Amidst the darkness, the people of Gander and surrounding Newfoundland communities responded with extraordinary generosity,” says Robb. “They opened their homes, schools, churches, and hearts to thousands of stranded passengers from all over the globe with no hesitation norexpectation of recognition.”
Robb, whose mother was born and raised in Newfoundland, brings much of his upbringing to the show.
“Growing up, my mom made sure her home was woven into the fabric of my being,” he recalls. “Through her emotional memories, her homespun humour, her calm resilience, and her unmistakable sense of community, I came to understand Newfoundland not simply as an island in the Atlantic Ocean, but as a humming philosophy of caring for others. That ideology sits at the heart of this production.”
Even though the world still faces so much uncertainty nearly 25 years later, Robb reminds us why this musical still resonates so profoundly.
”At its core, Come From Away is about ordinary individuals who chose compassion at a moment when the world desperately needed it. I hope this production honours not only the people of Newfoundland, but also the enduring reminder that even in our darkest moments, generosity and connection can still define us.”
Come From Away runs until June 27 in Werklund Centre’s Max Bell Theatre. Tickets start at $49 for all regular performances, and can be purchased online at theatrecalgary.com. Many performances are already sold out, so get your tickets quickly.
Photos: The cast of Theatre Calgary's Come From Away by HarderLee